But an even bigger, more brutal fight is brewing: a fight between each other,
about the horrible death of Cecelia, beloved wife and mother, in Zambia ten
years earlier. A past they have both refused to confront until now.

Over the course of a particularly mauling Suffolk winter, Landyn and Vale
grapple with their memories and their pain, raking over what remains of their
fragile family unit, constantly at odds and under threat of falling apart
forever. While Vale makes increasingly desperate decisions, Landyn retreats,
finding solace in the land, his animals – and a fox who haunts the farm and
seems to bring with her both comfort and protection.

Alive to language and nature, Midwinter is a novel about guilt, blame and lost
opportunities. Ultimately it is a story about love and the lengths we will go
to find our way home.

When I
received an email about a review request for ‘Midwinter’ by Fiona Melrose, the
first thing that grabbed my attention was the cover. I really loved the
simplicity of this cover. And after reading the book description I knew this
was a book I wanted to read. ‘Midwinter’ is a different read than my ‘usual’
ones, but I definitely couldn’t wait to start reading.

In ‘Midwinter’’
we meet Landyn and Vale Midwinter, a father and his son. Landyn
and Vale are struggling to keep their land from the big companies. They are
both working hard to keep what is theirs. But what makes the struggle even
harder is the loss of their wife, and mother Cecilia.  The only way to keep their land is to work
together. But that is easier said than done.

‘Midwinter’ is a beautiful and touching story about a
father and a son who both lost a very important person in their life. Both guys
haven’t really started with getting on. And it was very beautiful and
heartbreaking to read the story of Landyn and Vale.

I definitely also loved the way the fox had a place in
this story. The fox was an animal both men got fascinated by and I love reading
these parts.

At times is was also kind of hard to read this book. Life
is definitely brutal for Landyn and Vale. And it’s hard to read about what they
have to go through. Fiona Melrose was definitely able to write about their
grieve and pain in such a way I felt myself overwhelmed with emotions. I’m
always in awe when an author is able to do that.

It’s hard to imagine ‘Midwinter’ is Fiona Melrose’s debut
novel. This book is really good and it definitely makes you wonder what Fiona
has in store for us. I really recommend ‘Midwinter’, it’s a beautiful read you’ll
remember for a long time.

Fiona Melrose was born in Johannesburg but has spent the
majority of her adult life in the UK, first in London and then in East Anglia.
She moved to Suffolk to concentrate on her writing and it is there that
Midwinter was conceived. Previously Fiona has worked in academia, NGO’s, public
affairs and as an emerging markets analyst. She continues to keep a foot in
both continents and is currently

For more information please visit Fiona’s website. Or
visit her on Twitter and Facebook.