A Week in Winter

Although the novel is driven by character and human need, each character’s journey centers around, or concludes with, this one particular physical structure. Stone House is the only constant across the characters’ stories, including the stories of supporting characters like Miss Queenie and Carmel. For the first three stories, as the characters live and work in the house, it represents regeneration and rebirth as well as a connection to the past. While the house’s origins aren’t explored in detail, it’s known that it has existed since Chicky and Nuala’s childhoods and that it housed the three Sheedy sisters throughout their life and up until their deaths. Many of the features are original, a point of contention between Orla and the hired designers, and these details root it in the village’s local heritage. At the same time, the house is updated with contemporary comforts so that it can offer a positive and value-driven experience for guests. This renovation creates a bridge between the old and the new, reflecting the novel’s interest in transformation and self-discovery.

For Rigger in particular, the house becomes a place of renewal. He is directly involved in the physical restoration of the house and its land, which leads to his own internal restoration as he becomes increasingly invested in the house’s wellbeing: “He dug the wild, unkempt gardens of Stone House until his back ached and his face was roughened by the constant sea spray” (49).