Book Review: The Winter-Blooming Tree by Barbara Langhorst
The Winter-Blooming Tree is a tender account of the Koehl-Niederhauser family as they manoeuvre through life changes, deal with miscommunications, and heal from past hurts. Can this family of three find a way to start over?
Ursula is losing her memory, or so she believes. She forgets things, regularly, but also finds herself distracted by devastating memories from her past; things she’s never shared with her husband, Andreas, or daughter, Mia. Meanwhile, Andreas is too consumed with his own career woes to fully appreciate the distress Ursula is experiencing. He throws himself into a new running routine, an outlet for his mounting frustration and confusion, while their unemployed adult daughter moves back home and busies herself cleaning house. Mia is a writer and journalist, but after losing her big-city job she finds herself back in rural Saskatchewan directionless and living with her quarrelling parents. It isn’t long before the tension builds between all three.
Barbara Langhorst deftly captures the dynamics of a family in flux. Each character is convincingly authentic and the conflicts they struggle through are startlingly relatable. The author clearly knows all three protagonists exceptionally well; she has made a study of their complicated dynamic and has written them with love and empathy. By the end, readers will be rooting for them and championing them on!
If you’re from Saskatchewan, or are familiar with the Humboldt area, this novel provides an extra treat! Langhorst weaves her fondness for rural Saskatchewan and for the people who live there into the fabric of this novel. Her deep admiration for small-town living is palpable and her characters are richly depicted. If you are looking for a kind-hearted and sensitive read about human fragility and the family bonds that keep us strong, then The Winter-Blooming Tree is for you. This detail-rich novel will leave you satisfied and full of hope.
Publication Date: October 15th, 2021
Learn more about author Barbara Langhorst by visiting https://www.barbaralanghorst.com
The Winter-Blooming Tree by Barbara Langhorst Palimpsest Press, 2021, p. 304 ISBN: 978-1-989287859