Two Sides of the Face: Midwinter Tales

"Two Sides of the Face: Midwinter Tales" by Arthur Quiller-Couch, is a compilation of short stories from the early 1900s, beginning with the story of Roger Stephen, a pewterer whose life in Cornwall is overshadowed by his family's troubled history. Set against a harsh landscape, Roger's story unfolds around Steens, a house steeped in mystery and violence, where Roger wrestles with a bitter nature inherited from a controlling father and the unrest caused by family disagreements. As Roger deals with his father's death and the arrival of a stepmother, simmering tensions ignite conflicts centered on inheritance, fairness, and acts of defiance, setting the stage for intense dramatic confrontations.