Winter Lights is a series of short stories based around the fictional town of Henford and some of its denizens. For me, the building connections which I discovered as I read each story were a large part of my enjoyment of them, as I recognised characters already encountered and began to understand how their stories linked.
Deborah Jenkins is an accomplished and fluent writer, and there are sentences that are so immaculately phrased that they bring the scene to vibrant life. She does not flinch from the realities of life: there is trouble and tragedy here, and the stories are not cosy. Nevertheless, overall they demonstrate humanity and heart, and a pervading sense of hope, which makes them both memorable and a joy to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fairlight Books for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Winter Lights consists of these one chapter stories of all these completely different people whose timelines are slightly intertwined during the Holidays. Each chapter takes the POV of a different character, and tells the reader a lesson that brings on the Holiday nostalgia. The true lesson? You never truly know a person’s whole story just by a few moments with ‘em. Or at least, that’s what I gathered. I gave it three stars because it just seemed a bit dull. Nothing stood out. However I still recommend this book for Holiday nostalgia. I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt because I read it in September, not December.

A collection of short stories set around Christmas, perfect for snuggling up with on the dark winter nights. Each story involves ordinary people going about their lives, perhaps getting ready for the Christmas festivities, rushing around, feeling the pressure of life’s ups and downs and unexpected events.

They’re quite short stories and all end with something for us to take away. Don’t judge, be grateful for what you have, etc. Above all, the message is that even in the darkest of times, there is always a glimmer of light somewhere if you look hard enough.

At the end of the book, many of the characters from the stories come together for Christmas to celebrate together. I won’t go into detail but it brings a warm conclusion to the series of stories, perfect for a Christmas theme of kindness and sharing. The only thing I would say, if you’re like me and have a terrible memory for names, perhaps you might like to make a note of the characters names from each story so that when you get to the end, you remember who everyone is as I struggled a little recalling how everyone related to each other.

All said, this would make a lovely gift for Christmas.