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hutyluty 's review for:
Wolf Winter
by Cecilia Ekbäck
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.