Best #backlist book of 2023?

“So, time heals. Mostly. Sometimes carelessly. And in unsuspecting moments, the pain catches and reminds one of all that's been missing. The fulcrum of what might have been. But then it passes. Winter moves into spring and swallows return. The proximity of new skin returns to the sheets. Beauty does what is required. Jobs fulfil and conversations inspire. Loneliness becomes a mere Sunday. Scattered clothes. Empty bowls. Rotting fruit. Passing time. But still life in all its beauty and complexity.”― Sarah Winman, Still Life

I've been sitting on this one for the last month, trying to capture my feelings about it, why it has become so beloved to me. And, its simple really, its about family. Family that is chosen over biological; found family. At its very core this book is about love, and wanderlust, and longing...

Still Life, by Sarah Winman is historical fiction, at its finest, a novel that takes us from Florence during WWll, to East End London, and back again to Florence. But, it is more than just history, this book is character driven, but driven by people that seem so real to you, that you will laugh and cry along with them. Its powerful.

The cast of characters is fantastic. We meet Evelyn Skinner at the age of 64, she is an Art Historian. She meets Ulysses Temper aka "Temps" during the war, and shows him the true power and beauty of art, that he carries with him. You have Peg, Temps wife back home, who struggle's to keep it together while he is gone, but falls in love with an American Soldier. This love affair that Temps and Peg have will cross time and several decades; it will break your heart. There is so much to say here, so many well written and unforgettable characters; Cress, who talks to trees, Claude, the talking parrot, Col, the stodgy pub owner, and Alys, Pegs American Solders daughter that Temps takes to Florence to raise himself. The heartache of it all.

What makes this an exceptional book, in my view; the writing. The prose is simply beautiful. Winman has constructed a novel full of well chosen words and phrases, that make the pages meld into one another. I have tabs through out of favorite quotes. Winman is a masterclass in beautiful writing. She is able, with the stroke of her pen to capture the essence of being human. Each of her characters has a unique and clear voice. Through her writing, and exceptional use of precise language, we become connected, we can tap into our own experiences, and bring those emotions to life for the character.s

Love, heartache, friendship, found family, art and Florence. If this books doesn't make you want to pack all your bags and move to Italy, I don't know what will.

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