Reviews - Χειμώνας

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1.9k reviews for:

Χειμώνας

Ali Smith

3.84 AVERAGE

peanut14's review against another edition

3.75

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

solveggie's review against another edition

really surreal, it grew on me and I enjoyed it a lot

knkoch's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I love that it's hard to figure out what I want to say about Ali Smith's books. I have a special place in my heart for books like this, books that feel like they're about everything and yet if I had to talk about what it's about, I'd struggle, then eventually say way too much. My enjoyment of Smith's work reminds me a lot of the feeling I have when I read Iris Murdoch or Hilary Mantel, even though they have very different styles. At their core, they drill down into the emotions of being alive and moving through the world in a way that really resonates with me. Smith's becoming a new favorite author of mine.

So, what is this about? I thought initally that I didn't like it as much as Autumn, but I also think of it often, espciallythe character Lux. She feels so real to me, I think because Smith tricked my brain and I keep wondering where she is and

if she's ok out there somewhere

. Smith captures so excellently the terrible, boring inhumanity of the policies and systems that hold us, and yet the great humanity that's possible, still, in us. We are still human even though we continuously navigate structures built to dehumanize. Smith has this beautiful, distinctive writing style that's informal without being colloquial, pared down without being empty. Often it's unbound by conventional rules and punctuation, and all the more feeling for it.

Ok, so this is sort of about tangible things (a country house, elderly sisters, a son, a young woman), but it's also not fully graspable as simply a narrative with those characters. It's a wonderful low-plot sort of novel, and reading it feels like floating. I think I'll have to read it again to say more.