THE WINTERLINGS

The Winterlings by Cristina-Sanchez Andrade

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Set in the Galician village of Tierra de Chá in the 1950s, The Winterlings tells the story of two sisters, who have been absent from their childhood home for 25 years, after being sent away by their Grandfather during the Spanish Civil War. They are outsiders who struggle to root themselves back into the village, which has remained exactly as they left it. An air of mystery surrounds the sisters and we soon find out they have a secret. What is this secret? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

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There is no sense of a conventional plot here. Instead, the storyline is driven by smaller stories woven together, with Spanish oral traditions being at the heart of the novel, along with elements of magic realism and the gothic. The ‘Winterlings’, as the villagers christen them, act as foils for one another, which only draws them closer. There is a nod to Shirley Jackson’s short story, The Lottery as the darker side of characters are gradually revealed; the old lady ‘with a face like a root’ living on Bocelo Mountain, refusing to die because of a ‘piece of paper’ signed years ago; the dentist who has a ‘dark passion’, and the priest, Don Manuel giving off a rather pungent stench. Not to mention that curious, unspoken business regarding the Winterlings’ grandfather.

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The villagers are curious about the sisters, and their reason for returning. Their time in England makes them stand out in the traditional, rural setting. When word reaches them that Ava Gardner is coming to Spain to shoot a new film, the sisters believe they have a chance of fulfilling their dream of becoming actresses; a dream inspired by their taste for Hollywood films.

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Cristina skilfully alludes to the sister’s dark secret, giving the reader small hints, yet holding back enough to keep the reader in the dark until the last moment. The smaller plotlines act as distractions from the main event; later, these are drawn together to enrich the revelation in the end.

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Her language blends poetic with prose to create an almost fairy-tale ambience. The town is almost timeless in the way that it has hardly changed since the sister’s departure, and this only highlights the distinction between the ‘Winterlings’ and the other characters.

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More of a focus on the sisters’ lives in England could have been made. It probably wouldn’t have added much in the way of the story, but it would have given a more defined contrast between the rural, Galician village and modern, cultural England. The information that Cristina does include of their English lives is rich with authenticity. Readers will find themselves immersed into the time, where films were still gloriously romantic; you might even encounter some familiar names of fame. All of this is beautifully contrasted with the repetitive nature of life in Tierra de Chá, in which the sisters find themselves once again.

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What is this lingering secret the sisters are reluctant to reveal? Why are the villagers so curious to find out more about their return? How is this business with pieces of paper connected with their grandfather?

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Cristina’s intriguing story will leave you with a colourful insight into the lives of a small Spanish village, and the peculiar goings-on that happen to occur there. There is no other book quite as compelling as The Winterlings, in the way it explores the hidden desires of these characters.