New York Times Bestseller Worldwide bestselling &;dazzling storyteller&; (Associated Press) Isabel Allende returns with a sweeping novel about three very different people who are brought together in a mesmerizing story that journeys from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil.In the Midst of Winter begins with a minor traffic accident&;which becomes the catalyst for an unexpected and moving love story between two people who thought they were deep into the winter of their lives. Richard Bowmaster&;a 60-year-old human rights scholar&;hits the car of Evelyn Ortega&;a young, undocumented immigrant from Guatemala&;in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn. What at first seems just a small inconvenience takes an unforeseen and far more serious turn when Evelyn turns up at the professor&;s house seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant Lucia Maraz&;a 62-year-old lecturer from Chile&;for her advice. These three very different people are brought together in a mesmerizing story that moves from present-day Brooklyn to Guatemala in the recent past to 1970s Chile and Brazil, sparking the beginning of a long overdue love story between Richard and Lucia. Exploring the timely issues of human rights and the plight of immigrants and refugees, the book recalls Allende&;s landmark novel The House of the Spirits in the way it embraces the cause of &;humanity, and it does so with passion, humor, and wisdom that transcend politics&; (Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post). In the Midst of Winter will stay with you long after you turn the final page.