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salemnities's review
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Points off for dead baby. But very effective thriller.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
jacki_f's review
3.0
This chilling novel is by a New Zealand author and it has similarities to The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud or Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller.
It’s narrated by Olga, an older woman who is very invested in her friendship with one of her neighbours, Lara. Lara is a new grandmother and Olga gets heavily involved with helping to care for baby Michael. At first her help is gratefully received, but as Michael’s mother grows more confident in her role you can tell that Olga is being gently rebuffed, although she resists it.
Olga is an unpleasant character and the book’s central flaw is that I actively disliked spending time in her head. Having said that, there’s the sickening feeling of watching a slow motion car crash as you can see where her distorted thinking is taking her and get a sense that she’s going to do something irrational. The ending is powerful and shocking. Not a book you like necessarily, but one that you won’t forget easily.
It’s narrated by Olga, an older woman who is very invested in her friendship with one of her neighbours, Lara. Lara is a new grandmother and Olga gets heavily involved with helping to care for baby Michael. At first her help is gratefully received, but as Michael’s mother grows more confident in her role you can tell that Olga is being gently rebuffed, although she resists it.
Olga is an unpleasant character and the book’s central flaw is that I actively disliked spending time in her head. Having said that, there’s the sickening feeling of watching a slow motion car crash as you can see where her distorted thinking is taking her and get a sense that she’s going to do something irrational. The ending is powerful and shocking. Not a book you like necessarily, but one that you won’t forget easily.
kcfromaustcrime's review
4.0
The second non-fiction book from New Zealand writer, Gigi Fenster, A GOOD WINTER is a story of a group of women, after Lara moves to the city to be near her widowed, pregnant daughter. Sophie really starts to struggle after Michael is born, her grief compounded by post-natal depression. The city apartment block Lara has moved to was already home to Olga, and their friendship commences with the simplest of things - Olga's green fingers and Lara's uncanny ability to kill all sorts of pot plants, moving quickly to something closer when Sophie's crisis draws them together, as Olga steps in to care for Sophie and Michael when Lara can't.
But Sophie is increasingly hopeless with Michael, and to be honest, seems like more than a bit of attention soak, so Olga's calm competence seems to be exactly what Lara and Sophie need - to keep their own sanity and their relationship on an even keel. What mother and daughter don't seem to notice is that Olga is deeply jealous of Sophie and Michael's place in her new friend's life. The reader, on the other hand, is acutely aware of Olga's viewpoint - she takes the place of the first-person narrator of A GOOD WINTER which makes for a very discomforting experience. Olga's unhinged, Sophie is somebody that enjoys hopelessness too much, and Lara's simply not able to set the sort of boundaries her daughter (and Olga for that matter) desperately need.
Claustrophobic and very disconcerting, A GOOD WINTER seems to be pitched at maximum discomfort level, with all sorts of perceived slights, unintended meanings and over-reactions designed to conflate Olga's position in her own mind. She's obviously an unreliable narrator, but it's also pretty clear she's dangerous as well. Sophie is, not to put too fine a point on it, a drama queen of the highest order, and despite the reader seeing everything from Olga's skewed viewpoint, somebody that it was really easy to dislike intensely. Meanwhile Lara seems like a victim walking right from the start - before Olga starts to become increasingly fixated, before Olga works up a head of steam about her and Sophie's friends, before the inevitable happens.
A couple of things on form - for reasons which are never clear to me, this is another one of those novels that forgoes quote marks for speech. It also use repetition as a narrative technique. The former for reasons that escaped this reader, the latter adding to the overwhelming sense of claustrophobia, creating an odd feeling of flight or fight as Olga's obsession and weirdness got more and more pronounced. A reaction supported by the fact that these are all deeply unpleasant people, making a connection tricky for a reader, who is instantly caught up in a game of "who's worse" which spins around at a truly breathtaking pace.
A GOOD WINTER is an intense, discomforting, uncomfortable novel (on purpose), and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see readers reacting with praise or repulsion and not a lot in the middle-ground.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/good-winter-gigi-fenster
But Sophie is increasingly hopeless with Michael, and to be honest, seems like more than a bit of attention soak, so Olga's calm competence seems to be exactly what Lara and Sophie need - to keep their own sanity and their relationship on an even keel. What mother and daughter don't seem to notice is that Olga is deeply jealous of Sophie and Michael's place in her new friend's life. The reader, on the other hand, is acutely aware of Olga's viewpoint - she takes the place of the first-person narrator of A GOOD WINTER which makes for a very discomforting experience. Olga's unhinged, Sophie is somebody that enjoys hopelessness too much, and Lara's simply not able to set the sort of boundaries her daughter (and Olga for that matter) desperately need.
Claustrophobic and very disconcerting, A GOOD WINTER seems to be pitched at maximum discomfort level, with all sorts of perceived slights, unintended meanings and over-reactions designed to conflate Olga's position in her own mind. She's obviously an unreliable narrator, but it's also pretty clear she's dangerous as well. Sophie is, not to put too fine a point on it, a drama queen of the highest order, and despite the reader seeing everything from Olga's skewed viewpoint, somebody that it was really easy to dislike intensely. Meanwhile Lara seems like a victim walking right from the start - before Olga starts to become increasingly fixated, before Olga works up a head of steam about her and Sophie's friends, before the inevitable happens.
A couple of things on form - for reasons which are never clear to me, this is another one of those novels that forgoes quote marks for speech. It also use repetition as a narrative technique. The former for reasons that escaped this reader, the latter adding to the overwhelming sense of claustrophobia, creating an odd feeling of flight or fight as Olga's obsession and weirdness got more and more pronounced. A reaction supported by the fact that these are all deeply unpleasant people, making a connection tricky for a reader, who is instantly caught up in a game of "who's worse" which spins around at a truly breathtaking pace.
A GOOD WINTER is an intense, discomforting, uncomfortable novel (on purpose), and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see readers reacting with praise or repulsion and not a lot in the middle-ground.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/good-winter-gigi-fenster
nina_reads_books's review
4.0
The Good Winter is by New Zealand author Gigi Fenster. It centres on Olga who befriends Lara when she moves in upstairs at Olga’s apartment block. Lara is widowed and has downsized to be closer to her daughter Sophie who is also recently widowed and pregnant with her first child.
Once Sophie gives birth to Michael post-natal depression kicks in and Lara must help. Except she has to give two weeks’ notice to quit her job and Olga volunteers to help take care of Sophie and Michael in the meantime. Olga soon becomes a vital part of the household, sensibly helping out and providing support to a seemingly ungrateful Sophie as well as being a good and supportive friend to Lara.
This arrangement goes on throughout the whole winter. When the weather warms up things begin to change as Lara goes back to work and Sophie starts to feel a lot better. Olga cannot shake the belief that Sophie isn’t better and she still needs to insert herself in order to make sure Michael is safe.
Well if you like a taut psychological thriller then you may very well enjoy this book. You spend the entire novel in the head of Olga and it is through this perspective that you quickly realise Olga is just a little bit unhinged. She is jealous of anyone that gets in the way of her friendship with Lara and she denigrates anyone who doesn’t approach caring for Michael in the way she thinks is “right”. She believes she is the saviour here and that she is entitled to insert herself into this family. Through glimpses of her childhood an understanding about why Olga is so troubled emerges.
Olga’s disturbed thinking increases and she rationalises her behaviour. The manipulation and stalking builds and builds leaving the reader uneasy and full of foreboding. Olga seems capable of anything and by the end you are so sure of the climax until well you are not. And that final page will just knock the wind out of you and leave you completely gobsmacked!
A huge thanks to @text_publishing for sending this book my way. I thought it was an excellent example of a psychological unpacking of a very unstable character.
Once Sophie gives birth to Michael post-natal depression kicks in and Lara must help. Except she has to give two weeks’ notice to quit her job and Olga volunteers to help take care of Sophie and Michael in the meantime. Olga soon becomes a vital part of the household, sensibly helping out and providing support to a seemingly ungrateful Sophie as well as being a good and supportive friend to Lara.
This arrangement goes on throughout the whole winter. When the weather warms up things begin to change as Lara goes back to work and Sophie starts to feel a lot better. Olga cannot shake the belief that Sophie isn’t better and she still needs to insert herself in order to make sure Michael is safe.
Well if you like a taut psychological thriller then you may very well enjoy this book. You spend the entire novel in the head of Olga and it is through this perspective that you quickly realise Olga is just a little bit unhinged. She is jealous of anyone that gets in the way of her friendship with Lara and she denigrates anyone who doesn’t approach caring for Michael in the way she thinks is “right”. She believes she is the saviour here and that she is entitled to insert herself into this family. Through glimpses of her childhood an understanding about why Olga is so troubled emerges.
Olga’s disturbed thinking increases and she rationalises her behaviour. The manipulation and stalking builds and builds leaving the reader uneasy and full of foreboding. Olga seems capable of anything and by the end you are so sure of the climax until well you are not. And that final page will just knock the wind out of you and leave you completely gobsmacked!
A huge thanks to @text_publishing for sending this book my way. I thought it was an excellent example of a psychological unpacking of a very unstable character.
textpublishing's review
The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of A Good Winter
‘A gripping portrait of obsession and jealousy.’
Listener (Best books of 2021)
‘This tense and menacing thriller lives up to the hype…Fenster neatly and skilfully twists [the plot] away from easy predictability: precise language and short, sharp, prickling sentences ratchet the tension as high as it can go…The savagery—and brilliance—of A Good Winter is how the inevitable still feels like a shock.’
NZ Listener
‘A powerful psychological thriller. Horrifying, relentless, masterful. Nothing will prepare you for the end.’
Loraine Peck
'A Good Winter is both a terrifying thriller and an intricate portrait of an obsessed and troubled mind. With great insight and empathy, Gigi Fenster demonstrates how the most monstrous obsessions begin with trauma and repression, and how broken hearts have the power to break lives apart. Complex, confronting, and utterly compelling. I couldn't put it down.'
Suzanne McCourt
'Fenster creates a chilling character in Olga. She will set up camp and loiter in your mind for days to come...A Good Winter has made me want to upgrade my health fund to include therapy after this wild ride.’
Good Reading
'Superbly executed…Brilliantly constructed.’
NZ Booklovers
‘Well-paced and beautifully written.’
Canberra Times
‘Confident, suspenseful and ultimately extremely satisfying.’
North & South
'A Good Winter is a character study, a deep dive into a particular, warped perspective and an exploration of some of the drivers of that perspective. It is not comfortable, but it is also hard to look away.’
Pile by the Bed
‘Beautifully disturbing... I highly recommend this as a must-read from 2021, and I can’t wait to see what Gigi has to offer next.’
Cheerful Worrier
‘An exceptional psychological thriller that places you in the mind of a delusional, obsessive woman.’
Cheryl Akle, Australian
'A Good Winter arrived in the post. During the afternoon, I gave it a bit of a look-through. At 3:30am I was reading the final pages...A Good Winter draws us into a disturbed and damaged mind and carries us relentlessly through the seasons.’
Paddy Richardson, Newsroom
'This is a story of an unsettled mind, of tragedy and abandon, one which is riveting and thrilling, one which doesn’t shy from a building sense of alarm while also gently taking us along, allowing us glimpses into Olga’s past, her desires and sadness. The pace is pitch-perfect, the language, with its cleverly constructed conversations and staccato memory snippets, successfully reflects a troubled mind.’
Volume NZ
‘A short, powerful portrait of a mind on the edge.’
Canvas (NZ Herald)
'That Fenster never slackens the pace or signposts exactly who will pay the price for her narrator’s deranged thinking is a credit to the author’s hold on the storyline and an indication of her unflagging allegiance to the manipulative, delusional and utterly awful nature of her main character...Fenster builds a knife-edge tension that is as compulsive as it is alarming.’
Sally Blundell, Landfall Review
‘A gripping portrait of obsession and jealousy.’
Listener (Best books of 2021)
‘This tense and menacing thriller lives up to the hype…Fenster neatly and skilfully twists [the plot] away from easy predictability: precise language and short, sharp, prickling sentences ratchet the tension as high as it can go…The savagery—and brilliance—of A Good Winter is how the inevitable still feels like a shock.’
NZ Listener
‘A powerful psychological thriller. Horrifying, relentless, masterful. Nothing will prepare you for the end.’
Loraine Peck
'A Good Winter is both a terrifying thriller and an intricate portrait of an obsessed and troubled mind. With great insight and empathy, Gigi Fenster demonstrates how the most monstrous obsessions begin with trauma and repression, and how broken hearts have the power to break lives apart. Complex, confronting, and utterly compelling. I couldn't put it down.'
Suzanne McCourt
'Fenster creates a chilling character in Olga. She will set up camp and loiter in your mind for days to come...A Good Winter has made me want to upgrade my health fund to include therapy after this wild ride.’
Good Reading
'Superbly executed…Brilliantly constructed.’
NZ Booklovers
‘Well-paced and beautifully written.’
Canberra Times
‘Confident, suspenseful and ultimately extremely satisfying.’
North & South
'A Good Winter is a character study, a deep dive into a particular, warped perspective and an exploration of some of the drivers of that perspective. It is not comfortable, but it is also hard to look away.’
Pile by the Bed
‘Beautifully disturbing... I highly recommend this as a must-read from 2021, and I can’t wait to see what Gigi has to offer next.’
Cheerful Worrier
‘An exceptional psychological thriller that places you in the mind of a delusional, obsessive woman.’
Cheryl Akle, Australian
'A Good Winter arrived in the post. During the afternoon, I gave it a bit of a look-through. At 3:30am I was reading the final pages...A Good Winter draws us into a disturbed and damaged mind and carries us relentlessly through the seasons.’
Paddy Richardson, Newsroom
'This is a story of an unsettled mind, of tragedy and abandon, one which is riveting and thrilling, one which doesn’t shy from a building sense of alarm while also gently taking us along, allowing us glimpses into Olga’s past, her desires and sadness. The pace is pitch-perfect, the language, with its cleverly constructed conversations and staccato memory snippets, successfully reflects a troubled mind.’
Volume NZ
‘A short, powerful portrait of a mind on the edge.’
Canvas (NZ Herald)
'That Fenster never slackens the pace or signposts exactly who will pay the price for her narrator’s deranged thinking is a credit to the author’s hold on the storyline and an indication of her unflagging allegiance to the manipulative, delusional and utterly awful nature of her main character...Fenster builds a knife-edge tension that is as compulsive as it is alarming.’
Sally Blundell, Landfall Review
epubprincess's review
5.0
From the first page of A Good Winter, readers can tell that Olga is a bit off. She’s delusional, entitled, judgmental, obsessive, and weird. When Olga befriends her upstairs neighbor Lara, she learns that her daughter is suffering from postpartum depression following the death of her husband.
Lara quits her job to help Sophia, incapacitated by grief and depression and unable to care for her newborn son Michael. Olga offers her constant daily help as she becomes more obsessed with Lara.
The entire novel is from Olga’s perspective, though it’s obvious that the other characters are confused and unsettled by her behavior. Being inside of her head is fascinating.
She constantly misinterprets the words and actions of those around her, makes wild assumptions, and is extremely pushy. Through her twisted logic and caustic observations, it is obvious that something truly awful is coming.
The ending, though very rushed, is powerful. This is a stunning character study and an addictive read.
The cons: I wish it could have gone on longer. Also, Olga’s style of thinking is repetitive and this can get a little tedious, but it makes sense in the context of her character. Finally, there are also no quotation marks. This is a stylistic choice but I always dislike it.
Lara quits her job to help Sophia, incapacitated by grief and depression and unable to care for her newborn son Michael. Olga offers her constant daily help as she becomes more obsessed with Lara.
The entire novel is from Olga’s perspective, though it’s obvious that the other characters are confused and unsettled by her behavior. Being inside of her head is fascinating.
She constantly misinterprets the words and actions of those around her, makes wild assumptions, and is extremely pushy. Through her twisted logic and caustic observations, it is obvious that something truly awful is coming.
The ending, though very rushed, is powerful. This is a stunning character study and an addictive read.
The cons: I wish it could have gone on longer. Also, Olga’s style of thinking is repetitive and this can get a little tedious, but it makes sense in the context of her character. Finally, there are also no quotation marks. This is a stylistic choice but I always dislike it.
dlight's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hopeslittlelibrary's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was so creepy...
But such an easy, engaging read that I couldn't stop devouring.
And that ending had me like, well shit....
Loved it.
But such an easy, engaging read that I couldn't stop devouring.
And that ending had me like, well shit....
Loved it.