In the Midst of Winter

It is the middle of a very cold winter in New York when Richard Bowmaster's car runs into the car in front of him. He gives his details to the young driver and goes home. Later Evelyn Ortega appears at his house asking for help. She speaks little English so Richard calls a neighbour, Lucia Maraz, who speaks Spanish to asist him when communicating with Evelyn.

In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende tells the stories of the lives of these three different people and how they came to be in New York that winter. The reader learns of the former lives of the characters as Richard and Lucia seek ways of assisting Evelyn who borrowed her employer's car without permission and then found a body in the boot.

Isabel Allended began writing the novel in 2015 when Donald Trump was promising to build a wall to prevent illegal entry into the USA from countries to the south. Evelyn is an illegal immigrant and much of the book deals with her experiences - why she was forced to leave her country and the challenges that she faced into getting in America. Lucia also left South America looking for a new life while Richard had lived in South America for many years before returning north. This book is primarily a moving story about people who are attempting to escape danger and tragedy to rebuild their lives.