The Heart of Winter: A Novel [B1328]

2025 HCDJ. The extraordinary new novel by Jonathan Evison, about a married couple in their golden years, from when they met across big ups, deep downs, and survive-it-all, opposites-attract love. Abe Winter and Ruth Warneke were never meant to be together-at least if you ask Ruth. Yet their catastrophic blind date in college evolved into a seventy-year marriage and a life on a farm on Bainbridge Island with their hens and beloved Labrador, Megs. Through the years, the Winters have fallen in and out of lockstep, and from their haunting losses and guarded secrets, a dependable partnership has been forged. But when Ruth's loose tooth turns out to be something much more malicious, the beautiful, reliable life they've created together comes to a crisis. As Ruth struggles with her crumbling independence, Abe must learn how to take care of her while their three living children question his ability to look after his wife. And once again, the couple has to reconfigure how to be there for each other. In this bighearted and profound portrait of a marriage, Jonathan Evison explores seventy years of big moments in subtle ways, elegantly braiding the Winters' turbulent history with their present-day battles, showing us how the oddly paired college kids became parents, fell apart and back together, and grew into the Abe and Ruth of today. Endlessly heartwarming and moving, The Heart of Winter is a reminder that true love lives in small, everyday moments.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "In The Heart of Winter author and punk rock musician Jonathan Evison has created a beautifully moving story of one marriage -- realistically portrayed with all the ups and downs that come with a long-term love affair. It explores themes of aging, health, love, marriage and family. If all romance stories were like this one, it would be my favorite genre."; "i did not want this to end. I've been thinking about it days after finishing. highly recommend!"; "Delightful, albeit sometimes heartbreaking, book. Such a realistic portrait of long-term relationships and what 'love' really means."