The novel focuses on themes including war, historical medical practices, family, and the role of chance in the formation of relationships, history and penance.

Disappointed that their son did not choose a more illustrious career, they are pleased when war breaks out and Lucius enlists in the military, expecting that he will redeem himself to them via battle.

Lucius is surprised when he receives a position at a poorly staffed and equipped field hospital located in a church in the Carpathian Mountains, as this was the opposite of what he was expecting.

Mason began writing the novel around 2004, with The Winter Soldier taking about fourteen years to complete, during which time he published A Far Country and Death of the Pugilist.

"[6] Newsday's Tom Beer opined that while the book "happens to draw on history" it "does what all the best novels do: Creates a world in which readers pleasurably lose themselves.

"[7] A review in The Washington Post by Ron Charles notes that the "beauty of Daniel Mason's new novel, The Winter Soldier, persists even through scenes of unspeakable agony".

[1] The San Francisco Chronicle's Datebook named The Winter Soldier one of the top ten books of 2018 and in a review, praised the attention to detail in the work.