Book Review of The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
The Land in Winter is one of my top ten historical novels for 2025. Here’s the full review, with one section for readers deciding what to read next, and a more technical section for writers looking for comparison titles or inspiration.
The headline: A doctor, a farmer plus their expectant wives are isolated in 1962's wintry countryside, where help is elusive & emotions spiral. Tension mounts in an authentic, constrained world where all struggle to escape the trauma of wartime.
For readers…
Setting
A small village outside Bristol in the winter of 1962/63.
Characters
Eric – fractious young country doctor with a secret
Irene – Eric’s pregnant wife – timid and middle-class
Bill – novice farmer with an enigmatic father
Rita – Bill’s pregnant wife – former good time girl with her own demons
Story
Discontented country doctor Eric has a guilty secret. His pregnant wife, Irene, is restless. Novice farmer, Bill, is seeking a loan to expand his farm. His troubled pregnant wife, Rita, finds country isolation uncomfortable. A New Year party, as heavy snow falls, exposes tensions within the small village. A revelation forces Irene to make a journey in severe winter conditions. Bill has to ask his estranged father for money, abandoning Rita to spiral alone. The heavy snow upends everyone’s plans…
Why read it?
Whilst it starts like a snowbound episode of the Archers, the tension mounts quickly as each character tackles disturbing depths and secrets. Painfully accurate historical detail shows how far away the 60s were, and the long shadow of wartime trauma. Bill and Rita are particularly compelling, flawed characters. And watch for Gabby and his stoic pain.
If you liked…
Still Life by Sarah Winman, Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers, and the Night Watch by Sarah Waters, which explore in a similar way the damage that wartime and its long shadow inflict on ordinary, yet flawed people, then you’ll enjoy The Land in Winter.
For writers…
Prose
The author fully inhabits the mind and mores of his characters, even when their views are at odds with modern thinking. Sheltered, timid Irene, self-absorbed amoral Eric, reckless, luminous Rita and determined, independent Bill, all have distinct voices. And the enveloping cold and snow feels as suffocating as the conventions and structures of post-war Britain. Fine-grained observational detail of the minutiae of doctor’s house calls and animal husbandry contrast with the fragmented consciousness of Rita as she chases away her "voices" with drink.
Structure (light spoilers)
Part One – Risen. Starts in the local asylum in December 1962, then introduces the four main characters in their isolated daily life through separate chapters. Irene and Rita make friends and visit Bristol. We discover Eric’s secret, and Bill fails to get a loan from the bank.
The Boxing Day party brings our characters together, causing tensions and unexpected conversations, through a long chapter with multiple points of view. As Bill and Rita trudge home on foot in the early hours, the snow starts to fall.
Part Two – The Land in Winter. (Jan 1963) Eric and Bill struggle through their daily tasks in the cold. Irene discovers Eric’s affair and sets out for her parents. Bill travels to London to ask his estranged father for money. Rita, left alone, starts to go off the rails. Eric is confronted with the consequences of his actions. Bill’s return journey comes to an abrupt and violent end.
Part Three – Live your Life (Feb 1963). A few weeks have passed, our four main characters are back in the village, but all are changed. A crisis brings them all together.
Historical background
The winter of 1962/3 cut off large swathes of British countryside and interrupted road and rail travel. Young adults like our main characters had missed the war, but the older generation remained haunted by what they had seen.
About the author
Andrew Miller has published ten novels. The Land in Winter was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. http://www.andrewmillerwriter.com/