Review: Roisin Meaney’s A Winter to Remember

A Winter to Remember by Roisin Meaney. Hachette Books Ireland, 2023. €15.99, 371 pages.

“Here, around this big table, she wasn’t alone.” One of my favourite lines, it pretty much sums up this novel: A Winter to Remember follows the lives of four families, each with different backgrounds and each character with a complex past, as they seek compassion and community in this cosy Christmas tale.

Emily, the owner of “The Food of Love” restaurant, is introduced first. She joined forces with Bill, her older partner, to care for his grandson, Pip. Bill’s daughter, Christine, having faced addiction issues from a young age and struggled with motherhood, is determined to turn her life around and reclaim her son. Emily’s lifelong friend, Heather, has her own problems. She met her partner, Shane, and transitioned from single motherhood to a blended family. Above Emily’s restaurant, Tom and Lil, the new tenants, are trying to leave their old lives behind.

As I began reading, I felt like I was missing a few little details. Although A Winter to Remember can be read as a stand-alone book, it contains the same characters from Meaney’s previous books The Restaurant and The Book Club. The characters are fully fleshed out throughout this book, and it is a perfect stand-alone read if you only want to read this singular story. However, for me, I felt that I was a little lost in the beginning: I was missing some information while getting to know all the characters in such a short, albeit beautifully written, time.

I have always loved books that play around with the point of view and the timings of each chapter. Meaney executed this perfectly. I was never confused by who I was listening to and why I was listening to their story. Meaney makes this as reader friendly as possible: the point of view was always shown with a page with only the name of the character that you are about to hear from.

Meaney created an amazingly atmospheric read. With the story being set in the run up to Christmas, I couldn’t help but think of all my favourite parts of Christmas. “She danced around the empty kitchen with a broom as her partner when ‘The Christmas Waltz’ came on.” Just like Emily’s solo dinner dance, the simple joys of Christmas were laced throughout the Christmas scenes. Meaney was even able to put into words how special the Church bells can feel on a Christmas morning, “They always seemed extra joyous to her on a Christmas morning...” Nevertheless, Meaney’s ability to handle difficult topics in such a sensitive manner while painting a beautiful scene around them is incredible. Even with the struggles of all the characters, this story was filled with hope, optimism and even some humour. As the book title rightfully says, this is a story to remember.

I loved all the characters that Meaney introduces, each one having their own challenges, that they must learn to overcome. I do admit, I originally did not really care for Christine throughout the beginning of story. I can confess that I wasn’t as empathetic as I like to believe I am. I believe that this was intentional from Meaney. There are no outright antagonists in this novel and the first image of Christine is a negative one. “A boy whose mother had run out on him,” and “Astrid had left her precious necklace to the very person who’d stolen it from her two years ago,” are the first experiences we have with Christine. Without an understanding of her individual experience, it’s hard not to be at least weary of her.

However, after hearing much of the story from her point of view, I came to love and root for her just as much as every other character. Christine has struggled with addiction for many years and had found it hard to get the help she needed for a long time, “I am clean. I am grateful. I am determined.” Now she is surrounded by the love she deserves, and she is ready to get back on track. She wants to be the mother that Pip deserves, the mother she lost too early.

Some of my favourite tropes are family-based stories or found family. Everyone has their own struggles and issues to overcome, and having family and friends around is important. This is seen throughout the novel but especially in the final chapter. All the characters came together for Christmas dinner: “It didn’t matter that she hardly knew some of the others, it just mattered that they were there.” There is a huge emphasis in the novel on the need for community and love. Life is messy, love is messy, and family is messy. But all three provide joyful experiences in bucket loads, especially if you are willing to open yourself up to new opportunities and experiences.

One of my favourite descriptions was “a mouth that had forgotten to smile.” This line was near the beginning of the book and, for me, set the tone of the sadness that was to come. The line really resonated with me. I feel like most people – if not everyone – has felt that at one point in their life, that something so sad and unfortunate happens to you, and you don’t believe that you’ll ever feel better. Meaney’s message to us all is that everything gets better with time.

The contrast from the beginning of the book which depicts a sad, lonely Christmas morning, to the ending, a Christmas day where love, friends and family have found their way back to each other was beautiful. “It was that time of year, when the world fell in love. She knew all about love. She was an expert on love.” Although the story does not end with everyone’s problems being completely fixed, it ends on a truly hopeful note. Everyone has found their way to each other, and they are all ready to tackle their issues, with the power of the love they share to help them.

The last line of the book, “she felt the time might come when there would be hope again,” comes from the viewpoint of Christine. Although she isn’t full of hopeful yet, being surrounded by her friends and family, helps her begin to see past her struggles. She is finally ready to accept hope into her life.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a story filled with family, love, and a healthy mix of hurt and comfort. I personally cannot wait to reread this book closer to Christmas, mug of hot chocolate in hand and twinkly Christmas decorations surrounding me.