PanOpen Letters Reviewdespite the interesting prose and fairly fast-paced plot, The Heart in Winter is an uneven piece of workmanship. Much of the plot feels precipitate, and the book’s narrative thrust is rather jolty. Besides their love of profanity, Barry’s characters are distinct enough, but their outlines are all a tad hazy. Barry might have been going for subtle characterization, but he has only managed slightly watered-down characterization. Things in The Heart in Winter happen, people get drunk and say cynical things, but none of it is very compelling. The feeling of emptiness that the novel’s tone creates is magnified by the uneven plot and not-fully-realized characters. By the time the story is finished, the reader will be left wishing there had been something more in the novel, more depth and conviction. The book’s prose style will be remembered by the reader, but it is doubtful that much else will.\
