A beautifully written, poignant book for the times we are in. Katherine May combines memoir with fascinating research on how the dark times – times marked by grief, loss of a job, breakup of a relationship, or sudden illness – are an opportunity to slow down and look around and learn. The book recognizes the need for wintering and embracing the cyclical, not linear, journey in life. May references the natural, mythical and spiritual world in relation to winter and ties this in to people’s personal phases of wintering. “Those darkest moments are where the true learning of winter happens, and they’re often where we can begin to imagine our next steps.”