When reading Autumn, the first book in Ali Smith’s seasonal quartet, I caught a whiff of what Smith can do. With Winter she has won me over.
The writing style in Winter is recognisable from Autumn; fragmented, jumping between present, past and future, playing with the language.
Like in Autumn, we also start out with a somewhat surreal chapter, where a floating head follows the character Sophie around.
You’ll catch your hair on fire, she said. The head shook its head. She laughed. Delightful.
The head might signify some illness in Sophia, but it may also be a case of dreams blending into reality, like it happened in Autumn. And what is reality anyway?
The novel revolves around four characters. Sophia is retired, but used to be a successful business woman. Her estranged sister, Iris, is a social activist, the antithesis of Sophia.
Then there is Sophia’s son, Art. He works for the mysterious SA4A organisation, scanning the internet for unlicensed use of music. He also writes a blog, art in nature, but all his stories and memories are made up.
The final character is Lux, a young Croatian woman. Art invites Lux to spend Christmas at his mother’s place, because he can’t face showing up without his girlfriend Charlotte, with whom he broke up. So he hires Lux to pretend to be Charlotte. Lux can be seen as a catalyst or maybe an illuminator (Lux – light). In the brief space of time she enters the lives of the dysfunctional family, she manages to show them truths about themselves and facilitate a renewed bond between the family members.
But none of it is real? Lux says. Not one thing I’ve just read?
You sound like Charlotte, he says.
It’s my job to, she says.
Interestingly, the characters in Autumn and Winter are linked, but the connection isn’t obvious, you have to pay attention to figure it out. I found the characters in Winter easier to connect with. Also, Winter felt more like a fully-fledged story, rather than a collage, which I personally prefer.
Did I mention the language? Smith’s wordplays in Autumn were enjoyable, but Winter takes it to another level, partly because of Lux. With her Croatian background, she is puzzled by old expressions and sayings, which we get to see through the eyes of a non-native English speaker. Otherwise her grasp on the English language is surprisingly good.
The literature doctor, she says. The man who wrote the dictionary. Johnson, Not Boris. The opposite of Boris. A man interested in the meanings of words, not one whose interests leave words meaningless.
Throughout the novel, there are nods to current topics including Brexit, Grenfell Tower, the refugee crisis, Trump, fake news, etc. Smith’s take on these topics occasionally came across a bit preachy, but this was a minor detail.
Art, in the form of Barbara Hepworth’s sculptures, also plays a role, although not quite as prominent as in Autumn. I felt it was better integrated in the story this time. And of course, it’s no coincidence that Sophie’s son is called Art.
I said, Art is seeing things. And your aunt said, that’s a great description of what art is.
Winter is brimming with layers, references, connections and wordplays. It isn’t difficult to read, but I could imagine a reread would prove rewarding.
All in all, I really enjoyed this novel. Whilst critical towards many aspects of society, there was also hope. The writing was playful and clever, but it never stood in the way of telling a good story. 4 1/2 stars.
Title: Winter [2017] Author: Ali Smith Format: Audiobook, narrated by Melody Grove Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Wow. Your book review is amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Great work.
Thanks so much!
Thanks for this. It reminds me that it’s not so long ago that I read Autumn, and I should read this while Winter is still a thing. Politically, Smith is on the same page as me, which adds an extra frisson to her writing!
I think it’s nice to read these books in the right season. Some people don’t mind reading winter books in the summer, but it feels wrong to me. I completely agree with Smith on Brexit, Trump, the refugee crisis etc, but I normally don’t like, when authors feel the need to spell out their political view points too strongly.
I know what you mean, but when I agree with them, it’s comforting too. And I’m OK with reading books in the wrong season too.
Yes, I can see how it can be comforting as well.
It sounds like Winter would be a better one to start with, or don’t you think it matters? I keep meaning to read these and your review has really encouraged me to begin!
Yes, I definitely think Winter would be a good place to start. You do miss out on the connection between some of the characters, which is kinda fun, but I doubt it matters much for the overall enjoyment.
Wonderful review! I’m glad to read how much you enjoyed this one. I’m most curious about those wordplays and how the writing is different according to the points of view. 😮
Thanks Lashaan! Language is so fascinating… How it develops and certain expressions get integrated in the language, even if nobody knows where it comes from, but everyone (who grew up with the language) knows what it means. I enjoyed the play with words, but it may be acquired taste.
That’s a pretty high rating from you. I should probably put the author’s quartet back on my list. I haven’t tried it yet but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get into it. But it sounds clever.
I’m not sure her writing is for everyone, but if you appreciate plays with words and language, I think you will enjoy it. Winter may be better to start with, if you don’t want to read the full quartet.
This sounds good! I wasn’t sure about reading Autumn, but Winter sounds like a book I would enjoy – thanks for the rec!
I enjoyed it a lot more than Autumn. It’s better to start with Winter, unless you feel like reading the full seasonal quartet.
Loved this book, and love the whole quartet. And I agree, beautifully written.
Good to hear you love the whole quartet! Did you have a favourite? I look forward to read Spring and Summer. Hopefully they can live up to Winter!
I recently read Autumn, but am still digesting it to be honest. I like the image of it being a “collage.” I’ll wait to read any others, especially if Trump is mentioned. I couldn’t stand him, but have grown weary of the insertion of all that was wrong into the conversations in books, too. Very well written review.
If you got on reasonably well with Autumn, I think you may enjoy Winter, which in my opinion was more engaging. Yes, I guess many of us don’t feel the need for constant reminders about the Trump era in the literature… Thanks!
This quartet is one oof my tar list fr a long time now, and your review is really inviting. Is there a ‘first one’ we should start with?
I meant “This quartet is one on my tbr list for a long time now’. My keyboard is having trouble. Time to clean it up.
Haha, I know about keyboard problems. Sometimes, I write some really “interesting” comments as well. Technically, Autumn is the first in the series, so if you consider to read the whole quartet, I would start there. If you just want a taste of the writing, I would start with Winter, which I enjoyed more.
I’m happy to read this one won you over even more, Stargazer. I think I said when you reviewed Autumn that I found it challenging, but I didn’t want to give up. This makes me want to continue on with Winter!
I think you might enjoy Winter more. I certainly did and I’ve heard other reviewers saying the same. 😊