In Sawgamet, a gold-mining village gone bust, the cold of winter breaks the glass of the schoolhouse thermometer and the dangers of working in the cuts are overshadowed by the mysteries and magic lurking in the woods.

Stephen, a priest, sits on the eve of his mother's funeral to write her eulogy. It is thirty years since his grandfather returned to Sawgamet with a bundle of bones in search of his beloved, long-dead wife. As the evening turns into night and memories of his childhood begin to haunt him, like his grandfather, Stephen must confront the losses of his - and Sawgamet's - past.

'A remarkable novel, full of mystery and beauty, it chills you to the bone and then warms your heart'
Mary Lawson, author of The Other Side of the Bridge

'As dazzling as the snow that fills its pages, Touch marks Zentner out as a talent to watch' Sunday Times

'A ravishing and phantasmagorical tale, written with the elegance and quiet menace of snowfall'
Chloe Aridjis, author of Book of Clouds