This book,by Irish poet Kerry Hardie,is a wholly realistic story: a work of stark realism,describing the problems and trials faced by a woman with a problematic son who marries an Irish widower and comes to live on his farm in a small Irish town.The story plays out almost like a Greek tragedy,where the fates of characters are (for the most part) determined by their natures,and the story unfolds against the backdrop of a fairly realistic portrait of life in a small Irish town and the way that this town's long-standing histories and relationships are affected by the arrival of an outsider.The basic plot of A Winter Marriage can be described as "the outsider in an insular town," which is a tried-and-true theme whose success or failure lies in the execution.Hardie achieves mixed results here.

This intoxicating tale of marriage,desire,and betrayal introduces one of the most irresistible heroines of recent fiction.She is Hannie Bennet,a battle-scarred divorce and widow who embarks upon her fifth marriage with a clear objective: to put a roof over her head and food in her stomach.But Hannie's relationship with aging Ned appears doomed from the start.In the unnervingly tranquil Irish countryside where the couple settles,an unwelcome visitor--the embodiment of a secret past--not only threatens their chance at a life of quiet accommodation but menaces the entire community.Ultimately,it is up to Hannie,facing the most difficult choice a mother could ever confront,to prevent a deadly finale.