The Brexit House

A keenly observant and gripping novel. My favourite mixture of facts, thoughts and feelings. I was allowed into each of the mind of each character which created a forum of different points of view. That in turn enabled me to see the complexity of the Brexit debate which is an added value for me as an outsider. It is also refreshing to get a female perspective on politics and religion. Brilliant!

A wonderfully gripping read that manages to perfectly articulate my personal views on brexit and convey the strain it has caused families and friendships across the country. The characters are well-developed, each with their own perspective on Brexit, and each character relatable in their own way. The novel links the motivations for Brexit to historical parallels which I found eye-opening and helped contextualise the current state of our country.

On one level this is a well-observed story about the social and emotional tensions that unfold during a week-long family holiday, with three women and their families. However, the carefully drawn intimate tensions and longings between these women - with their roots far back in childhood experience - are also used to mirror broader political tensions which colour the women's relationships. On another level this novel explores the contemporary frictions surrounding Brexit, class, national identity, wealth and power inequalities. Winter does a wonderful job of letting us inside each woman's mind in turn, and showing how each experiences differently the conversations and incidents that take place during the week, and has a very different perspective on wider political events. As the novel progresses we gradually come to understand better *why* each of them has come to see things as they do, and to feel empathy for their differing perspectives that transcends political rifts. Without resolving any of these painful political currents (which are also traced back through the centuries, through reference to historical writings), the novel invites us to step back and take a wider view on society, to understand where other people are coming from, and to question our own inherited assumptions. There is so much food for thought here - it would be a great book for a book club discussion!

This book explores the complexity of different responses to the 2016 referendum and, in the process, the complicated and fluctuating relationships between family members and between friends. Intellectually Winter offers an original and stimulating historical exploration of deeply rooted religious and social attitudes in England. At the same time she also explores, with great sensitivity, the hurts, resentments, assumptions and prejudices which accrue in families over the years. The characters, drawn with a light touch and telling detail and the descriptions of 'the Brexit house' itself, its garden, and its dramatic Dover location combine to provide haunting images and convincing reality. A subtle and memorable book.