Ways to Hide in Winter

Deep in Pennsylvania’s Blue Ridge Mountains, a woman befriends a mysterious newcomer from Uzbekistan, setting in motion this suspenseful, atmospheric, politically charged debut.

After surviving a car crash that left her widowed at twenty-two, Kathleen has retreated to a remote corner of a state park, where she works flipping burgers for deer hunters and hikers—happy, she insists, to be left alone.

But when a stranger appears in the dead of winter—seemingly out of nowhere, kicking snow from his flimsy dress shoes—Kathleen is intrigued, despite herself. He says he’s a student visiting from Uzbekistan, and his worldliness fills her with curiosity about life beyond the valley. After a cautious friendship settles between them, the stranger confesses to a terrible crime in his home country, and Kathleen finds herself in the grip of a manhunt—and face-to-face with secrets of her own.

Steeped in the rugged beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains as America’s War on Terror rages in the background, Sarah St.Vincent’s Ways to Hide in Winter is a powerful story about violence and redemption, betrayal and empathy, and how we reconcile the unforgivable in those we love.

Are you reading Ways to Hide in Winter with your book group? Check out our reading group guide to get the conversation started.

SARAH ST.VINCENT grew up in a rural Pennsylvania community similar to the one in which this novel is set. She has worked as a legal fellow at the Center for Democracy & Technology and as a clerk at the International Court of Justice. She is currently a researcher and advocate on national security, surveillance, and domestic law enforcement for Human Rights Watch. She frequently writes on these topics and has been interviewed recently by such outlets as the Washington Post, the Daily Beast, Reuters, NPR, and Bloomberg West. She lives in New York.

“Especially eye-opening. Ways to Hide in Winter makes it clear that you can hide for a season, but spring thaw will catch up to you eventually.” – BookPage

“Written with… careful wording, rigorous research, and righteous fury.” – CrimeReads

“The author’s background as a human rights attorney and advocate for victims of domestic violence serves her well… Sensitive prose conveys both compassion and outrage in this impressive debut.” – *STARRED* Kirkus Review

“This novel of suspense has many strengths… This is a book to keep one up late into the night, its considerable momentum pulling the reader toward its finale. An impressive, compelling first novel, with characters that will be missed after its conclusion.” – Shelf Awareness

“Ways To Hide In Winter gives us a human-scale drama that seems a necessary answer to action-focused war and espionage fiction; fraught and unexpected, it rightly rebuts the cliche that world events don’t creep into secluded, sleepy places.” – Criminal Element

“Steeped in the rugged beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and playing out against the background of America’s war on terror, ”Ways to Hide in Winter” is all the more impressive considering that it is author Sarah St. Vincent’s debut as a novelist with a genuine flair for originality and narrative driven storytelling.” – Midwest Book Review

“A nuanced look at tragedy and reconciliation… Ways to Hide in Winter is an atmospheric exploration of abuse, endurance, and life-altering choices.” – Booklist

“A compelling mystery… The author’s experience as a human rights attorney informs the drama of the novel in a convincing way.” – Arkansas International

“Outstanding … St. Vincent sensitively explores her believable characters’ motives in this tightly plotted tale.” – Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)

“Atmospheric suspense novel.”  – Oprah Magazine

“A tautly plotted thriller cradled by a well of emotion.” –

“The tightly plotted tale combines a story of regret with the war on terror.” – Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, Best Mystery Books of the Year

“WAYS TO HIDE IN WINTER is one of those novels that should be discussed among readers, as its stark juxtaposition of political and domestic violence offers so much space for catharsis and debate alike.” – Book Reporter

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