The Winterlings

Cristina Sánchez-Andrade (trans. Samuel Rutter)

‘Rich sensual prose perfectly conjured by Samuel Rutter’s evocative translation.’

Lucy Scholes, The National

‘Gripping … With nods to magical realism and the American gothic tradition, [The Winterlings] follows a pair of sisters as they return to their deceased grandfather’s home in a Galician village – but their reappearance brings the insular parish’s dark secrets to the fore.’

Vogue

View all reviews

‘The haunting story of two witchy sisters who return to their late grandfather’s home in the Spanish village of their childhood … skilfully written and powerfully imaginative.’

Sydney Morning Herald

‘An intoxicating introduction to [Cristina Sánchez-Andrade’s] work.’

Lucy Scholes, Bookanista

‘The Winterlings reads like poetry and is filled with sly, sensuous charm and everyday magic … [it] blends Old World oral storytelling tradition, elements of magical realism, and hints of American gothic style and has been carefully translated from the original Spanish. Though the story is slow in unfolding, readers who appreciate beautiful prose will enjoy the novel’s sleepy-town setting, colourful characters, and strange happenings.’

Emily Brock, Booklist

‘An engaging slice of magical demi-realism, Cristina Sanchez-Andrade's The Winterlings tells the story of the Winterlings, two sisters who have returned to the out-of-time village of Tierra de Cha years after their grandfather's murder during the Spanish Civil War. Packed with sly wit, enchanting snippets of Flannery O'Connor-style gothic fantasy and period rural detail, Sanchez-Andrade's novel is a captivating read. A reminder in itself that a mélange of fascinating humanity can reside in the most removed of places: something worth remembering in an age where whole populations can get openly and broadly stereotyped based on their land of origin.’

Bill Sherman, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

‘Every month I’m confronted by at least a few titles that catch me with my proverbial pants down. The Winterlings was one of these, somehow balancing the blunt and the sentimental, making you feel all the feels despite your best intentions, and captivating from beginning to end.’

M. Bartley Seigel, Words without Borders

‘[The Winterlings] satisfies on multiple levels, uses a wide lens to observe the difficulties of returning home only to encounter a community still pickled in the past … Sánchez-Andrade keeps it real … She references an oral storytelling tradition in the family passed down through her aunts, and she thanks her mother for helping her search for family memories. Chekov famously told writers that if they hang a rifle on a wall in chapter one, the rifle must go off in chapter two or three. That Sánchez-Andrade deliciously substitutes an octopus for a rifle says something for her ingenious novel, full of eccentric details that anchor it to a very specific reality.’

Priyanka Kumar, Santa Fe New Mexican

‘The enigmatic characters and storylines prod the reader about the deeper, darker aspects of what it is to be human. Sánchez-Andrade’s writing is lyrical, never dull, and a joy to read. Details and dialogue are spare and well-chosen—tragic, humorous, often jarring. Every page contains surprises. The Winterlings is hard to put down and harder to forget.’

G.J. Berger, Historical Novel Review

‘Sánchez-Andrade’s dark humour and simple language befit the magical-realist realm of this enigmatic tale about how the repercussions of human action, however ancient, can re-emerge at unpredictable times.’

Carla-Rosa Manfredino, Times Literary Supplement

Finalist for the Herralde Novel Prize

Two sisters return to the small parish of Tierra de Chá in Galicia after a long absence, to the former home of their grandfather, from which they fled when they were just children.

At Tierra de Chá, nothing and everything has changed: the people, the distant little house in the rain, the acrid smell of gorse, the flowers, the crops, the customs. Yet the return of the sisters disrupts the placid existence of the villagers, stirring up memories best left alone.

When news arrives that the famous American actress Ava Gardner will be shooting a movie in Spain and that lookalikes are wanted, the sisters have a chance to make their dreams come true. But the past is catching up with the present, and the family secrets that led to the Winterlings’ return won’t stay buried for long.

‘Rich sensual prose perfectly conjured by Samuel Rutter’s evocative translation.’

Lucy Scholes, The National

Vogue

View all reviews

‘The haunting story of two witchy sisters who return to their late grandfather’s home in the Spanish village of their childhood … skilfully written and powerfully imaginative.’

Sydney Morning Herald

‘An intoxicating introduction to [Cristina Sánchez-Andrade’s] work.’

Lucy Scholes, Bookanista

Emily Brock, Booklist

Bill Sherman, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

M. Bartley Seigel, Words without Borders

Priyanka Kumar, Santa Fe New Mexican

G.J. Berger, Historical Novel Review

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Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 210mm × 135mm

Extent:256pp

ISBN (13):9781925228656

RRP:£12.99

Pub date:11 Aug 2016

Rights Held: UK & Commonwealth

High-res cover:Download Image

AWARDS

2015 English PEN Award - Winner

CATEGORIES / tags

AUTHOR

Cristina Sánchez-Andrade

Cristina Sánchez-Andrade has degrees in law and mass media, and writes for various Spanish newspapers and literary magazines as a critic and book reviewer. Her third novel, Your King No Longer Walks this Earth, won the prestigious Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz literary prize at the 2005 Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico, and has been translated into English and Portuguese. The Winterlings, her latest novel, has gained outstanding critical acclaim, and was a Herralde Novel Prize finalist in 2013.

TRANSLATOR

Samuel Rutter

Samuel Rutter is a writer and translator from Melbourne, Australia. He has translated contemporary authors including Daniel Sada, Hernán Ronsino, and Matías Celedón and his work has been recognised by English PEN. He is based in Nashville, TN, where he is a MFA Candidate in fiction at Vanderbilt University.

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