To Read, Perchance to Dream: Book Review: The Winters in Bloom: A Novel by Lisa Tucker

Kyra and David Winter are happier than they ever thought they could be. They have a comfortable home, stable careers, and a young son, Michael, whom they love more than anything. Yet because of their complicated histories, Kyra and David have always feared that the life they created was destined to be disrupted. And on one perfectly average summer day, it is: Michael disappears from his own backyard.

The only question is whose past has finally caught up with them: David feels sure that Michael was taken by his troubled ex-wife, while Kyra believes the kidnapper must be someone from her estranged family, someone she betrayed years ago.

As the Winters embark on a journey of time and memory to find Michael, they will be forced to admit these suspicions, revealing secrets about themselves they’ve always kept hidden. But they will also have a chance to discover that it’s not too late to have the family they’ve dreamed of; that even if the world is full of risks, as long as they have hope, the future can bloom.

Lyrical, wise, and witty, The Winters in Bloom is Lisa Tucker’s most optimistic work to date. This enchanting, life-affirming story will charm listeners and leave them full of wonder at the stubborn strength of the human heart.

Winters in Bloom is a stark, realistic view of modern families. It brings up often hidden issues such as post partum depression, anxiety, parental neglect, and drug addiction. The author, Lisa Tucker, shows how these issues affect the individuals inflicted with them as well as how the family members are affected. Perhaps most powerfully, it shows how the family members can be permanently disturbed and end up passing on their troubles to their own children.

This book is deep and dark, with nothing to lighten it up for the reader. Maybe because of this, I found it a very slow read. There were some places that I felt were too long, some bits that didn't really help the book could have been cut out - like the part describing Sandra's father. Having said that, I did like how parts of the story were doled out in tiny pieces, keeping me reading to find out what had actually happened.

The characters were just okay. It seemed they were all beaten down by incidents in their lives, nothing particularly good happening to anyone. This felt unrealistic, and some happiness would have helped the story and the reader breathe a little.

If you like darker novels with some suspense, this book is just right for you.

I was given this book to review by the publisher, Atria Books, through Netgalley.