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A review by gill
Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck
4.0
"Like a silent fall of snow; suddenly the reader is enveloped ... visually acute, skilfully written; it won't easily erase its tracks in the reader's mind" Hilary Mantel
A quietly building story of Maija and her family when they move to Swedish Lapland in 1717. Her daughters find a dead man in a clearing, traumatic enough but what really disturbs is the settlers reaction to it. Spanning a harsh Lapland winter, this story reveals people's secrets, their prejudices and ultimately their humanity.
In truth this story could have been set in any time in history (indeed the author explains in the back of the book that she originally set it during 2005, then 1930, then 1865 before it found it's home in 1717). This story is about people, relationships and wanting to belong, I don't think that changes much over time.
Maija is trying to deal with an unstable husband who fails to provide for his family, the new start promised when they move from Finland to Sweden doesn't live up to expectations and Maija is left to settle in and battle the elements by herself. This allows her to find out what happened to the murdered man (something her husband wanted her to leave alone), why do the other settlers nearby seem happy to put it down to a wolf attack? We later find out that everyone is running or hiding from someone or something, including Maija.
The ending surprised me but it was the only ending possible which made total sense, finishing this book made me feel content, content that I had read a really good story which transported me to another world. That only happens when the writing is excellent. Highly recommend this novel, a great start to my Autumnal reads.
A quietly building story of Maija and her family when they move to Swedish Lapland in 1717. Her daughters find a dead man in a clearing, traumatic enough but what really disturbs is the settlers reaction to it. Spanning a harsh Lapland winter, this story reveals people's secrets, their prejudices and ultimately their humanity.
In truth this story could have been set in any time in history (indeed the author explains in the back of the book that she originally set it during 2005, then 1930, then 1865 before it found it's home in 1717). This story is about people, relationships and wanting to belong, I don't think that changes much over time.
Maija is trying to deal with an unstable husband who fails to provide for his family, the new start promised when they move from Finland to Sweden doesn't live up to expectations and Maija is left to settle in and battle the elements by herself. This allows her to find out what happened to the murdered man (something her husband wanted her to leave alone), why do the other settlers nearby seem happy to put it down to a wolf attack? We later find out that everyone is running or hiding from someone or something, including Maija.
The ending surprised me but it was the only ending possible which made total sense, finishing this book made me feel content, content that I had read a really good story which transported me to another world. That only happens when the writing is excellent. Highly recommend this novel, a great start to my Autumnal reads.