In the Midst of Winter, by Isabel Allende

An unlikely friendship forms between three very different people in the depths of a New York winter. Exuberant Chilean writer Luisa Maraz has lived in the Brooklyn basement flat of her boss, stitched up academic Richard Bowmaster, for several months but he has resisted her friendly overtures. A minor bingle and a dreadful storm sees them holed up in the house with a young Guatemalan woman, Evelyn Ortega, who is undocumented and living in fear. As they share their stories and slowly build a connection the three embark on a road trip in the snow to try to secure Evelyn’s future. The somewhat ludicrous road trip is a vehicle for exposure of the two women’s traumatic pasts. Both have been refugees but Luisa received more support in her escape from 70s political violence than Evelyn’s 2008 flight from a country overrun by gang violence. This novel is set in 2016 and one can only shudder at their likely experiences now. Richard’s history of more emotional turbulence is rather tacked on later in the book. His character is less well-rounded and less credible than the two women, making the romance that develops towards the end of the tale even less likely.