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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
2.5 stars. CSA tw for the book BTW. The best way to describe this book is that it feels like the kind of book you buy at the airport when you have nothing to do so you just grab one that you won't mind losing or leaving halfway through. It really wasn't all that great and was hard to follow at times as well. I especially felt like the mystical elements didn't fit in with the story all that well.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wolf Winter actually begins in summer, as a family of four Finns (Maija, Paavo and their two daughters, Frederika and Dorotea) travel across the Gulf of Bothnia to take up a relative’s old homestead beneath Blackåsen mountain. Formerly the domain of the Sami people, the land is still wild - a frontier manned by Swedes encouraged to move north to colonise and christianise.
Shortly after arriving, Frederika and Dorothea discover the mutilated body of one of their neighbours, a man known only as Eriksson. The other settlers quickly pronounce the death to be the work of wild animals, wolf or bear, but Maija refuses to let the matter drop, pursuing the truth against the wishes of the local priest for reasons she can’t quite articulate. She travels from homestead to homestead asking her questions, uncovering a darkness lurking beneath the mountain greater than one simple murder.
On Goodreads the book is listed as historical fiction, and the world the characters inhabit is a closely researched version of 1717 Lapland: Olaus, a priest who has recently been removed from the court of King Charles XII and one of the three POVs in the novel, provides us with reams of historical context and details of events taking place to the south. However, as the book progresses and the world closes in, the mystical and fantastical elements grow in number:animals which only Frederika and Maija can see ; Sami tribesmen who use a drum to travel between worlds; restless spirits walking the woods. It’s never made entirely clear whether these events are genuinely happening, but it is clear that the characters themselves believe they are witnessing magic. Depending on your reading the book can be either a straight fantasy novel, or a comment on how a combination of cultural traditions and horrific events can mess with a person’s sense of reality. In some ways it reminded me a little of Pan’s Labyrinth.
As the title Wolf Winter suggests, darkness, cold and snow are a major part of the story. There are large sections where the plot is put on hold as Maija & Frederika focus instead on survival: crafting skis and snowshoes, shovelling snow against the walls to insulate their house, mixing bark into flour to make their food stretch longer. Winter in Blackasen is not beautiful, there are brutal storms, gnawing hunger, limbs blackened by frostbite. And that’s just October!
You can understand why living in such extreme conditions might drive people to despair or fear. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book which has made me shiver and wrap myself up in my quilt quite so often.
Despite all of the above, I think the true strength of the novel is in the characters. The small, almost claustrophobic setting and subsequently small cast lets us get to know each of them in detail, just like in any good murder mystery. Even Eriksson, the murder victim, receives some terrific characterisation. The three POV characters have distinct voices: Olaus, proud and blasé; Maija, cold and iron-willed; Frederika, passionate and spiritual. Each sees the world in a profoundly different way- it’s one of my favourite things about multi-POV books, how shifting perspectives can create a kind of mosaic out of the world where we can’t be quite sure whose version is right.
Shortly after arriving, Frederika and Dorothea discover the mutilated body of one of their neighbours, a man known only as Eriksson. The other settlers quickly pronounce the death to be the work of wild animals, wolf or bear, but Maija refuses to let the matter drop, pursuing the truth against the wishes of the local priest for reasons she can’t quite articulate. She travels from homestead to homestead asking her questions, uncovering a darkness lurking beneath the mountain greater than one simple murder.
On Goodreads the book is listed as historical fiction, and the world the characters inhabit is a closely researched version of 1717 Lapland: Olaus, a priest who has recently been removed from the court of King Charles XII and one of the three POVs in the novel, provides us with reams of historical context and details of events taking place to the south. However, as the book progresses and the world closes in, the mystical and fantastical elements grow in number:
As the title Wolf Winter suggests, darkness, cold and snow are a major part of the story. There are large sections where the plot is put on hold as Maija & Frederika focus instead on survival: crafting skis and snowshoes, shovelling snow against the walls to insulate their house, mixing bark into flour to make their food stretch longer. Winter in Blackasen is not beautiful, there are brutal storms, gnawing hunger, limbs blackened by frostbite. And that’s just October!
You can understand why living in such extreme conditions might drive people to despair or fear. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book which has made me shiver and wrap myself up in my quilt quite so often.
Despite all of the above, I think the true strength of the novel is in the characters. The small, almost claustrophobic setting and subsequently small cast lets us get to know each of them in detail, just like in any good murder mystery. Even Eriksson, the murder victim, receives some terrific characterisation. The three POV characters have distinct voices: Olaus, proud and blasé; Maija, cold and iron-willed; Frederika, passionate and spiritual. Each sees the world in a profoundly different way- it’s one of my favourite things about multi-POV books, how shifting perspectives can create a kind of mosaic out of the world where we can’t be quite sure whose version is right.
I found this book on a "cold Winter reads" booklist and it definitely fits the description! Like other reviewers I found the descriptions to be lovely and drew me into the story. The setting felt both realistic and educational. Unfortunately, as a plot-driven reader, there were too many unresolved hooks and the magical realism seemed inconsistently applied.
This book was really strange. Part murder mystery, part magic/sorcery, part ghost story. It had a Game of Thrones-like vibe. it was set in the 1700s, but felt more “modern” than that. The author did quite a good job describing the environment in which the story took place, and it made me feel like I was there. Unfortunately, she didn’t make as much effort at developing the characters, which made this book quite difficult to get into. I felt like the ending was quite rushed and don’t feel like some of the storylines were fully finished.
Oh my god, this book. A more in-depth review to come, but in short, I cannot wait till it's released so I can buy it for everyone in my life. These characters are going to be living in my head for a very long time, and I can't wait.
I have such a long TBR list that I don't often get to just pick a book up based on the cover and synopsis and just give it a try. But I had a gift card, I was in a book store, and I couldn't find any more of the books from my list. I picked Wolf Winter because it's a Canadian author born abroad, and that's a niche I've been pursuing lately. Plus, I tend to enjoy Scandinavian literary sensibilities.
The story starts as a murder mystery, but in the small settler community of Blackasen, an investigation quickly starts to turn up secrets in every closet. As one character says, the settlers who choose such a harsh, isolated livelihood are all running from something.
The book is slow, and takes the time to build up its dark atmosphere. The mountain always seems to loom, the snow always seem to press in, and wolves stalk the forest. And in all of this is the hysteria that makes ones' neighbours the greatest danger of all - precisely the kind of atmosphere that makes The Thing (1982) one of my favourite movies.
The characters are all flawed, but feel quite solid. They all make terrible mistakes, but their mistakes are earned.
I loved that the book never talked down to the reader, but never erred in the other direction, becoming inaccessible. It's a delicate balance, but it really worked. Events will be described in vague terms, in allusions, approached sideways, but clear shapes emerge.
One of my favourite aspects was the handling of magic. I really enjoy ambiguous magic - magic that could be real, but could just be in people's heads. And this balance is also deftly handled in the book. It's never quite clear whether Frederika really is able to see ghosts and cast spells, or if she is just suffering from hereditary mental illness. The story works with either interpretation.
To sum up, I took a chance with this book, and it's an absolute gem. It's atmospheric and brooding, it's ambiguous but not pompously so, and it tells a solid story about superstition and family and survival in extreme environments.
The story starts as a murder mystery, but in the small settler community of Blackasen, an investigation quickly starts to turn up secrets in every closet. As one character says, the settlers who choose such a harsh, isolated livelihood are all running from something.
The book is slow, and takes the time to build up its dark atmosphere. The mountain always seems to loom, the snow always seem to press in, and wolves stalk the forest. And in all of this is the hysteria that makes ones' neighbours the greatest danger of all - precisely the kind of atmosphere that makes The Thing (1982) one of my favourite movies.
The characters are all flawed, but feel quite solid. They all make terrible mistakes, but their mistakes are earned.
I loved that the book never talked down to the reader, but never erred in the other direction, becoming inaccessible. It's a delicate balance, but it really worked. Events will be described in vague terms, in allusions, approached sideways, but clear shapes emerge.
One of my favourite aspects was the handling of magic. I really enjoy ambiguous magic - magic that could be real, but could just be in people's heads. And this balance is also deftly handled in the book. It's never quite clear whether Frederika really is able to see ghosts and cast spells, or if she is just suffering from hereditary mental illness. The story works with either interpretation.
To sum up, I took a chance with this book, and it's an absolute gem. It's atmospheric and brooding, it's ambiguous but not pompously so, and it tells a solid story about superstition and family and survival in extreme environments.
This is one of my favourite novels in a long time! Set in 1717 a family move to live in a sparce settlement on a Lapp mountain where dark things have happened.
Experiencing their first winter is harsher they could have imagined after moving from the Coastal Finnish town. As mysteries seem to follow the mother Maija, who has experience with fear and it's devastating effect, a force starts to grip her elder daughter Fredericka.
This story intertwined more mysteries as it throws red herrings in. Although I had a feeling what might occur or have happened, I loved the atmosphere all the way and was very pleased with the ending, which is not always the case. Perfect! I highly recommend you get a copy.
Experiencing their first winter is harsher they could have imagined after moving from the Coastal Finnish town. As mysteries seem to follow the mother Maija, who has experience with fear and it's devastating effect, a force starts to grip her elder daughter Fredericka.
This story intertwined more mysteries as it throws red herrings in. Although I had a feeling what might occur or have happened, I loved the atmosphere all the way and was very pleased with the ending, which is not always the case. Perfect! I highly recommend you get a copy.
This book married elegant writing with compulsive readability. Typically, I find page-turners to use simpler words and ideas (though still interesting), but this was a great example of a literary thriller. And quite creepy at times! 4.5 stars.
I loved this book: the descriptions of the weather and land, the glimpse into 18th-century peasant life, the pacing of the story, the mystery, the supernatural weirdness.