The Heart of Winter - by Jonathan Evison (Hardcover)

About the Book

"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 out of 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"--

Book Synopsis

A Seattle Times Bestseller

One of The Washington Post's 10 Noteworthy Books for January
One of The Los Angeles Times' 10 Books to Add to Your Reading List in January
One of The Seattle Times' 24 Books to Look Out for in 2025
One of Kirkus' Best 20 Books to Read in January

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.

Review Quotes

"Jonathan Evison, the brilliant American storyteller, has written a novel for the ages. Abe and Ruth Winter are in a long marriage, having experienced all the joy and pain that comes from living in a lifelong partnership. Ruth is a resplendent character, a mother and wife with dreams of her own, while Abe has to reinvent himself when the worst happens. Love, forgiveness and redemption built the soul of this story. A must read." --Adriana Trigiani, author of The Good Left Undone

"One of our very best writers, Evison expertly details the hopes and dreams, sacrifices and tragedies of family life." -Bill Kelly, Booklist (starred review)

"A savvy portrait of love and devotion. . . . [Evison] affords this aging couple a dose of realism and dignity that's often lacking in novels." -Kirkus (starred review)

"A poignant testament to the sustaining potential of marriage." -Publishers Weekly

"A rich portrait of a couple navigating decades of upheaval." -AARP

"Author Jonathan Evison is one of the best writers alive today." -Red Carpet Crash

"[Evison's] most personal novel yet." -Jim Thomsen, Bainbridge Island Review

"Spanning two generations and seventy-plus years in an ordinary marriage, author Jonathan Evison tells a comfortable, not-so-ordinary tale of love and patience made uniquely special because his characters have such rich lives and big flaws." -The Bookworm Sez

"Written with such heart, this is a profound portrait of a marriage. Evison takes us through 70 years with two people who love each other unconditionally. People who have managed to build a life together against the odds. It's the subtle moments, the unexpected circumstances thrown onto the path of their lives that will make this novel a classic." -Florida Weekly

"Jonathan Evison's superpower as a writer is bringing to life characters you don't frequently find on the page, and then imbuing these characters with such relatability that his readers can't help but root for them as if the characters themselves were superheroes. . . . With his latest novel, The Heart of Winter, Evison brings his careful eye for empathy to the story of a marriage. The result is the best novel yet in his now nine-book career." -Chicago Review of Books

"The Heart of Winter is a tender, poignant reminder of the fleeting nature of time." -Cascadia Daily News

"Affecting . . . . [Evison] offers a richly empathetic portrait of a 70-year relationship." -Zoomer Magazine

About the Author

Jonathan Evison is the author of the novels Again and Again; Small World; All About Lulu; West of Here; The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving; This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!; Lawn Boy; and Legends of the North Cascades. He lives with his wife and family in Washington State. He hosts the podcast A Fresh Face in Hell.