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A review by nina_reads_books
A Good Winter by Gigi Fenster
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.