I'm sure we can all relate to this New Yorker cover - the reading part, if not the winter sports ... Anyway, snug here in my warm house I can contemplate some wintery fiction, and a recent arrival would seem to fit the bill:
Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck is set in Swedish Lapland in 1717. "There, a group of settlers from across Scandinavia, all with reasons to escape the past, have come to forge a new life in the shadow of the Blackåsen Mountain, among them intelligent, resilient Maija.
Not long after their arrival, her fourteen-year-old daughter Frederika stumbles across a mutilated body in a picturesque glade. The other settlers are quick to dismiss this as a wolf attack, but Maija is certain that it is a vicious murder - and one committed by someone within their small community.
As the seasons change and that harshest of winters - a 'Wolf Winter' - descends, Maija begins a dangerous quest to unearth the secrets that both her neighbours and the Church that dominates their lives have conspired to bury. But past tragedies and betrayals still haunt the community and as the truth begins to emerge, Maija will learn the full cost of survival demanded from the mountain - and the terrible truth about those who have paid its price."
"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." That praise for this debut novel comes from Hilary Mantel, no less, while its publishers describe it as "a story built up layer by layer, simultaneously a labyrinthine mystery, an evocative exploration of a time and place far from our own, and an exquisite literary novel." It's due out here on the 12th. of February.
Wolf winter looks amazing. Really looking forward to seeing what you have chosen for the reading group.
Hope you are recovering well and enjoying getting back into your reading.
Posted by: Wilma | 23 January 2015 at 09:14 PM
Looks excellent, gone on the list. I CAN relate to the cover, lol, snowshoes were my early birthday present but not tried to read a book as well........
Posted by: Gillie | 24 January 2015 at 03:06 PM
Thank you, Wilma.
Posted by: Cornflower | 28 January 2015 at 03:07 PM
I tried snowshoes once, but I don't think I'm a natural!
Posted by: Cornflower | 28 January 2015 at 03:09 PM
My copy is waiting for me in Waterstone's Chiswick High Road, can't wait....
Posted by: Rose | 09 February 2015 at 03:51 PM
Great!
Posted by: Cornflower | 09 February 2015 at 08:55 PM
Just Finn-ished (!) Wolf Winter. I copied and pasted this from The Guardian's review "...Blackåsen is remote and otherworldly, and the impact of the new geopolitical realities on its settlers arrives too late in the narrative make much difference..." - agreed - a good read, the Wolf Winter beautifully drawn but some clunky devices - I am off to The British Museum to see what is believed to be the only surviving Sámi drum, most were burned. "Before Christianity became widespread among the Sámi, drums were used by shamans to reach a state of ecstasy through which he could interact with the spirit world, and as an instrument of divination. Perhaps because little is known about Sámi shamanism, the drums have become a particular focus of research" - so says the BM entry online.
Might there be a sequel to Wolf Winter? The author says not but Frederika, her mother and Fearless are left very much in limbo between two worlds...thanks for this recommendation Cornflower
Posted by: Rose | 24 February 2015 at 10:15 AM
I've just finished it, too!
Very much enjoyed it - would love to know what happens to Frederika, etc., as you say, Rose, and would like to see the drum.
Posted by: Cornflower | 27 February 2015 at 05:02 PM