Summary of Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

Drawing on lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, Wintering reveals how moments of hibernation—whether inspired by dormice curled beneath the earth, icy swims in frigid seas, or the quiet rituals of solstice—can become spaces of restoration. May’s journey, marked by her husband’s sudden illness, her son’s struggles, and her own health challenges, transforms into a guide for embracing the cycles of loss, rest, and renewal.

More than a memoir, Wintering offers a philosophy for how to live through our fallow times: with acceptance, with grace, and with the understanding that winter is not an ending but a beginning. In the silence and the frost, May finds nourishment, beauty, and hope—reminding us that, like the seasons, our lives are cyclical, always moving toward light again.