Winter Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Books Within Winter and our BookBrowse Review of Winter.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. How is the story rooted in winter? Why do you think Ali Smith decided to write a quartet of books about the seasons and the changing of the seasons? How is Winter different from Autumn, if you've read that novel? How is it similar?
2. Describe the various family dynamics and relationships in Winter—between mother and son, fathers and children, sisters, aunt and nephew. Are the Cleves a dysfunctional, divided family? Is there hope for them? Do the relationships change and grow stronger by the end of the novel? How and why/why not?
3. In Winter, what is the importance of art and the human connections that come out of art and creativity? How is Barbara Hepworth's art and story crucial to the novel? And why?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Anchor Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.