It was a dark and quiet winter afternoon when I decided to venture into Book Nook for a pleasant, joyful atmosphere. As soon as I walked into the café, the freshly-filled mystery book stand to my left stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t help but wonder what sort of winter mysteries hid behind the paper. “Fine”, I thought. “Let’s take a quick look”.
For those who know me, I’m unfamiliar with the concept of ‘quick’ when it comes to books.
I lingered in the same spot for around 15 minutes before I could move on. It’s hard deciding which description feels just right for a wintery read! Unlike last time, when a lone mystery book teased my curiosity, I read all the briefs carefully until my eyes finally glimpsed the words “a personal and poetic meditation on winter.”
Bingo. Nothing sounded more delightful.
At home, I gently unpacked the black wrapping paper and discovered a paperback beauty. It was The Nature of Winter by Jim Crumley. I didn’t know much about it, except that Crumley also wrote a book on autumn which I previously thought about buying.
In The Nature of Winter, Crumley presents his firsthand experiences and perspectives on the beautiful, quiet solitude of nature, as well as its disorder, as he observes its turbulency amid climate change.
A love letter to Scotland
Until now, I haven’t read much of nature writing besides Mary Oliver, but Crumley’s poetic descriptions immediately immersed me in it. The way he talks about nature, animals, and Scotland is comforting and without a doubt plants a smile on my face.
Here are a few of my favourites:
- “The white walls of an amphitheatre of snow.”
- “The year dwined towards midwinter. The sun had been a fleeting, pale-faced stranger in the hills…”
- “I was still thinking about the deer and what it must be like to carry that kind of map of the mountain in your head.”
I have to say, I’m not the biggest fan of winter. I dislike the freezing cold and having to dress in five layers every time I go outside. As cliché as it may sound, Crumley’s exquisite portrayal of winter made me appreciate it more.
The way I see it, this book is a 200-paged love letter to Scotland, its terrains, and its environment. Since Crumley peppers the book with climate change and its irreversible impact on nature, the issue appropriately feels even more immediate and threatening. It’s illuminating, however, and truly makes one realise that we haven’t had a proper winter in years. White Christmas is that of the past.
My business is to admire and applaud and marvel at this theatre of the wild, to question it, rather than to participate in it.
Jim Crumley.
Like Crumley, I love nature to bits. It felt validating to read that he, too, speaks to trees, mountains and birds, and sometimes simply sits on a rock, admiring all their beauty.
Educational, as well as poetic
That is another feature I adore about Crumley’s book: amid his reflections, there are lessons. I felt so educated reading it! Especially as someone who doesn’t know as much about Scottish nature as I would like, I was captivated by Crumley’s storytelling.
A story that stuck with me was that of a whale in Dundee in 1883. Crumley started the story by explaining how Dundee used to be a whaling port for 170 years, and eventually the largest one in Britain. In the winter of 1883, when the humpback whale appeared, there were about 800 whalers with nothing to do “because the whaling grounds were out of reach in the winter.”
When Crumley said, “if only [the whale] had stayed away,” I knew this story wouldn’t have a happy ending.
It was horrific, quite frankly, and beyond devastating. How someone could do that to an animal is unspeakable.
Reading more about it, I discovered I had seen that whale’s skeleton displayed in the Dundee Museum before. I didn’t know its full history then.
Jim Crumley was a journalist before he became a full-time book writer. It’s noticeable, for his research in this book is a strength. He quotes many journals, books and data, all of which back up his opinions and thoughts nicely.
I also loved learning about snow buntings and their origins, and about the Covenanter’s Grave (that’s a whole part of Scottish history I had no idea about!). Alongside reading, I also enjoyed researching the various Scottish locations I’ve not heard of before, like Beinn a’Chrulaiste or Medwin Water.
Chapter three, Sweet Medwin Water, was actually one of my favourites. I couldn’t put the book down; I was so immersed in the story of Crumley’s close friend George and his love of Pentland Hills, and the tale of John Carphin (the occupier of the Covenanter’s Grave). It was a very heartfelt chapter.
An honourable Stirling mention!
Unfortunately, chapter four had lost me a little. Most of it is an extract from Crumley’s fictional book, The Mountain of Light. While it was interesting to add a hint of fiction into an otherwise non-fictional book, I found it hard to concentrate because the writing was suddenly different, and I barely knew the characters so I couldn’t connect with them.
One thing I liked about reading this extract, however, is that The Mountain of Light was set in Stirling! There was something about seeing Stirling mentioned in a printed book that made me happy – it felt so close to home.
Towards the end of chapter four, Crumley dives deeper into his adventures in Stirling, and there is one sentence that particularly stands out to me: “That hub was suddenly galvanised by a burst of low sunlight from over my left shoulder, and a ragged patch of rainbow jived there for all of two minutes.”
This description encapsulates Stirling perfectly to me. I’ve never seen as many rainbows as I do in Stirling. Now whenever I see a rainbow, I will stand still, and enjoy its “hypnotic dance.”
Final thoughts
I’d definitely recommend reading The Nature of Winter if you are looking for something slow and lyrical. Whether you’re Scottish or not, it will make you want to put your hiking boots on and walk up a mountain – perhaps even befriend it – and quietly admire its wildlife.
I guarantee you will be enchanted by Crumley’s writing, as well as winter itself.
Featured Image Credit: Julia Benko
A 23 year old aspiring writer.
News Editor at Brig Newspaper, 23/24. / Comment Editor, 22/23.
Msc International Journalism.
Founder of https://midwaymagazine.co.uk/
