Our story begins in 1891 in Butte, Montana, a rowdy mining town high in the Rocky Mountains full of immigrants seeking their fortune, and many Irish among them. Here we meet dope-smoking, hard-drinking Tom Rourke, burdened by premonitions, full of despair and yet clinging to hope; a writer who writes songs for those in need of entertaining, letters for the lonely in need of a good match, and who assists the town’s portrait photographer in capturing the locals. When he meets Polly Gillespie, who has a murky past and troubles of her own, the attraction is quick to spark, and it’s not long before they hatch a wild plan and begin their escape by stolen horse across the plains, forests, valleys and rugged landscape towards their shared vision of a loved-up life by the sea in California. But Polly is another man’s wife, and soon a trio of vicious hired men are hot on their heels. 

The Heart in Winter is full of Barry’s trademark wit, dynamic dialogue, rich, playful, lyrical language full of vitality, and a diverse cast of colourful characters that our lovers meet on their journey. Add to this some beautiful descriptive passages of the harsh winter landscape they are moving through. Barry has a wonderful way of capturing his characters at their most brazen and at their most vulnerable, in their often short-lived ecstasies and at their lowest ebb. The main storyline is occasionally interspersed with vignettes of supporting characters the lovers pass on their way, as we get brief glimpses into the lives, thoughts and troubles of others far from their first homes. There’s love and violence, passion and tenderness, humour and tragedy, brutal hardship, thrilling chase and the steadfast pull of fate that draws us forward. A sweeping, gripping novel from a master wordsmith and storyteller.

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The Heart in Winter is published today June 6th by Canongate. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the DRC.

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Kevin Barry is the author of four novels and three story collections. His awards include the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Goldsmiths Prize, the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award and the Lannan Foundation Literary Award. His stories and essays have appeared in the New Yorker, Granta and elsewhere. His novel, Night Boat to Tangier, was an Irish number one bestseller, was longlisted for the Booker Prize and named one of the Top Ten Books of the Year by the New York Times. He also works as a playwright and screenwriter, and he lives in County Sligo, Ireland.