Engel Im Schnee by Stewart O'Nan

Set in a bitter winter in a small working-class town, the novel follows several interconnected residents whose lives are upended by a sudden, violent event; through shifting perspectives—a teenage romance turned tragic, the anguished reactions of neighbors and family, and the quiet, private reckonings of ordinary people—it traces how loss, guilt and longing ripple outward, offering a compassionate yet unflinching portrait of grief, regret and the small mercies that keep life moving forward.