The Author (Katherine May)

Katherine May is a British writer of both fiction and non-fiction. Her writing here suggests she was in her early forties at the time of “Wintering” being written and published, married to a man she identifies only as “H” and mother to a son whom she identifies as Bert. The former figures prominently in the book’s Prologue, but is glimpsed occasionally throughout its remainder. Bert, however, plays a thematically significant role in triggering and defining several of May’s contemplations throughout the entire book.

While there is a sense in the style and tone of the text that May is fundamentally a private person, at times she and her writing offer significant glimpses of her life, glimpses juxtaposed with her consideration of the book’s themes and ideas. There are, for example, references to her cultural identity – specifically, how various perceptions associated with...