Book review: The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry (Canongate Books, £9.99)

Occasionally I’ll spy a book on an Instagram post, and that’s how the paperback of THE HEART IN WINTER by Kevin Barry found its way into my hands. I’m always intrigued by historical novels set in the 19th century, and even more so, if they’re set in the American West. It’s even better if the plot involves two lost souls on the run. This is the first book I’d read by Kevin Barry, and I was knocked sideways by his evocative and lyrical prose. If ever there were a book to make me want to pick up my highlighter pen and mark beautiful sentences, this was the one. The plot revolves around Tom Rourke, a poet who drinks too much, who finds life tough in Butte, Montana. When he sets eyes on newly married Polly Gillespie, he falls in love - and so does she. As they take flight from the world across the vast plains and mountains of Montana, their love story builds, but jeopardy stalks them every step of the way. If I had to make a single criticism, I felt the ending was too rushed, but otherwise, this is a wonderful read, modern yet historical, and gloriously funny and irreverent..

The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry (Canongate Books)