Year of the Big Thaw

"Year of the Big Thaw" by Marion Zimmer Bradley tells a charming story about a farmer in Connecticut, exploring themes of love, family, and life-altering extraordinary events. The story, as told by Mr. Emmett, focuses on the unexpected arrival of a baby from another world and the relationships that develop because of him. During a significant thaw, Mr. Emmett finds a crashed flying machine containing a baby and his dying father, who claims to be from a faraway star. Mr. Emmett and his wife Marthy decide to raise the boy, named Matthew, as their son. As Matthew grows, his remarkable intelligence and mind-reading abilities create both funny and moving moments within the family. The story cleverly combines science fiction with aspects of rural life, celebrating the connections we make and how extraordinary events affect normal lives.