Winter Sun
Published on 13. March 2024
208 pages
978-1-7385552-0-8 (ISBN)
Description
A spiky father-son relationship is tested to its limits on their last holiday together.
A nine-day winter break in Tenerife. Nothing is quite good enough. A son tries in vain to ask his ailing, elderly Irish Jewish father questions about their past before it's too late. The absurdity and hilarity of family holidays in the sun are brought to life in this sharp and fiercely honest novel that crosses borders, carrying the reader on a tide of childhood pain, a search for identity, and growth.
The narrator agrees to his father's wish to get an annual dose of winter sun, in the hope that it would help to cure his aches and pains. He wants to understand why his father, Abba, behaved the way he did when he was younger. Through the events of each day and the characters they meet, the book explores a different aspect of Abba's life and personality; Abba's health, their Irish Jewish identity, their views on Israel, Palestine, their anxieties and feelings of loneliness. He tries to gain enough confidence to ask his father questions he has written on a piece of paper. They are the result of conversations he had with his shrink. Tension between them builds up.
A nine-day winter break in Tenerife. Nothing is quite good enough. A son tries in vain to ask his ailing, elderly Irish Jewish father questions about their past before it's too late. The absurdity and hilarity of family holidays in the sun are brought to life in this sharp and fiercely honest novel that crosses borders, carrying the reader on a tide of childhood pain, a search for identity, and growth.
The narrator agrees to his father's wish to get an annual dose of winter sun, in the hope that it would help to cure his aches and pains. He wants to understand why his father, Abba, behaved the way he did when he was younger. Through the events of each day and the characters they meet, the book explores a different aspect of Abba's life and personality; Abba's health, their Irish Jewish identity, their views on Israel, Palestine, their anxieties and feelings of loneliness. He tries to gain enough confidence to ask his father questions he has written on a piece of paper. They are the result of conversations he had with his shrink. Tension between them builds up.
Reviews / Votes
"Bittersweet, funny and tender, Winter Sun is about the mysterious relationship between parent and adult child, the fragility of the ageing body, the strangeness of family holidays and the comforts of alcohol and literature. You can't help falling in love with Miki and Abba, willing them on to find a common language-and ideally a whiskey they can both agree on." Viv Groskop, author of The Anna Karenina Fix; "Written from the heart, with skill and honesty, this is a warm, highly intelligent novel. Just beautiful. I was thoroughly moved by Winter Sun. An elegantly constructed, moving and hilarious read that brings the reader to Tenerife, the Hotel Optimist and home again, with some elegant twists and thought provoking questions about how we love each other, and how maybe imperfect love is love enough. A page turner!" Niamh Boyce, author of The Herbalist and Her Kind; "A gentle, finely crafted novel with a brilliantly realised father-son relationship, and a nuanced, beautifully written observation of old age. It's fitting our narrator reads Saul Bellow in this book, because for me, Lentin's achievement in Winter Sun sits alongside Bellow's in Seize the Day. they both create such a memorable and vivid rendering of a father-son relationship in adulthood." Kevin Curran, author of Youth, Citizens and Beatsploitation; "I enjoyed this very much. The situation and location added a wonderfully strange atmosphere. By making his story very specifically Jewish/Irish, Lentin actually releases its universal quality. Everything about the characters and their relationship feels recognisable and true for sons and fathers everywhere. There will be no final answers. Beautifully achieved." Gerry Stembridge, author of The Effect of Her, Ordinary Decent Criminal and the film Nora; "Winter Sun is a candid, sometimes darkly humorous book, about a man who goes on holiday with his elderly father to Tenerife. A clever portrait of a stormy but ultimately loving relationship between father and son, the story falls somewhere between novel and memoir, exploring themes of loss and identity through beautiful prose, with moments of sharp wit and insight. Winter Sun will no doubt speak to fathers and sons everywhere - an engrossing read, with lots of heart!" Jane Labous, author of Past ParticipleMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
File size
0,63 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-7385552-0-8 (9781738555208)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Miki Lentin took up writing while travelling the world with his family a few years ago. He completed an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck in 2020 and was a finalist in the 2020 Irish Novel Fair. He has been placed highly in competitions including Fish Publishing Short Memoir Prize 2020, Brick Lane Bookshop New Short Stories 2022 and Leicester Writes, and published in Litro, MIR and other publications. His collection of short stories Inner Core was published by Afsana Press in 2022. Winter Sun is his debut novel. Miki dreams of one day running a literary cafe. For more information, you can visit: www.mikilentin.net/my-writing
Content
Day one, Steak Tartare 7
Day two, The Germans 30
Day three, Insulin 54
Day four, Wine Tasting 76
Day five, Homesick 96
Day six, Veronica's 112
Day seven, Bypass 122
Day eight, The Last Supper 148
Day nine, Alone 170
Acknowledgements 195
Day two, The Germans 30
Day three, Insulin 54
Day four, Wine Tasting 76
Day five, Homesick 96
Day six, Veronica's 112
Day seven, Bypass 122
Day eight, The Last Supper 148
Day nine, Alone 170
Acknowledgements 195
