The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller

The winter of 1962-1963 has slid into folklore. Known as the ‘Big Freeze’, I am too young to remember it but I have heard of the stories of isolation, frozen pipes and food shortages from my parents and their peers. Was the snow really twenty feet deep outside their front doors? It may well have been.

This novel tells the story of two couples who went through this dreadful winter, in the rural outskirts of Bristol. A country GP and his wife live in a country cottage while their neighbours have taken over an old farm and are trying to build it up. Both of the women are pregnant and become friends, even though they are very different.

Winter is generally a time of reflection and transition before the regrowth of spring, and this is shown nationally with remnants of the Second World War still visible and raw in the collective memory. The world is about to change as the sixties begins, with social class, women’s roles and attitudes starting to evolve. There is even reference to music which, as we are all aware, The Beatles and their contemporaries had already planted their roots.

For the couples, this isolation gives them plenty of time to reflect. The thoughts of the four of them is explored. The new farmer thinks about silage and whether the bull would find Jersey cows, with their pretty faces and long eyelashes, more attractive than the cows he has available. Similarly, the GP thinks about spontaneous activities with other women. With the arrival of the babies they know that their lives are going to change, but there are issues from the past and loneliness to deal with too.

Miller creates four distinct and detailed characters and ties them in to the landscape in a simple yet complex manner. Harsh and somewhat depressing at times, – connections to the war, mental asylum and a children’s school for the blind – this book is skillfully rounded and compelling. Demonstrating an understanding of the psychology of people, intimately portraying the warmth of some and the subtle unpleasantness of others, the author is a great observer of humanity. A wonderful study of life and change.