Book Review: Winter, by Ali Smith (2017)
This is the second installment in Ali Smith’s series of four books, each of which is named after one of the seasons. There is no connection between this novel and the previous, with new characters, situations, and circumstances. Like the last, this book also highlights the work of a lesser-known female artist (in Autumn it was Pauline Boty; this time it is Barbara Hepworth). A narrative is also included of the attritional protest held at a US army base at Greenham Common in the early 1980s against the installment of nuclear weapons, which developed into a permanent female-manned peace camp that lasted for years. Winter has a stronger storyline than Autumn did, and I enjoyed reading this book more. Commentary on politics and society is still there, but more subtle and in the background than before. The plot involves few characters. Art is a somewhat aimless young man from London who has had one argument too many with his girlfriend Charlotte, prompting her...