A review by jmatkinson1
Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck
5.0
1717, Northern Sweden is a harsh place to live, almost on the edge of civilisation. Maija and her family have moved across from Finland to take over the homestead of her uncle close to Blackasen mountain. However on their first day Maija's daughters find the murdered corpse of one of their neighbours and the family hears tales of strange happenings on the mountain which leaves all the people in fear. The harvest fails and the winter is harsh so the settlers, Swedish, Finn and Lapp, all move to Settler Town for protection. It seems that their fears have followed them.
Maija's husband has to move away for work so Maija is left with her two daughters, Frederika and Dorotea. Maija has powers that could be interpreted as dangerous and her daughter has inherited them but the family wants to lay bare the secrets of the community. Despite its isolation Settler Town could also be very influential in the politics of Sweden and there are many secrets that need to remain hidden.
Apparently this book was subject to a serious bidding war from publishers and it is easy to see why. The story is very clever and the characters are well-drawn but are not defined as good or bad. Whilst Maija is the central character there are aspects of her that are not made clear until the very end and ask questions. The link between life and dream swirls around and the reader almost gets lost in the beauty of the writing and the harshness of reality intrudes. This is a magical book which draws the reader in and envelops them.
Maija's husband has to move away for work so Maija is left with her two daughters, Frederika and Dorotea. Maija has powers that could be interpreted as dangerous and her daughter has inherited them but the family wants to lay bare the secrets of the community. Despite its isolation Settler Town could also be very influential in the politics of Sweden and there are many secrets that need to remain hidden.
Apparently this book was subject to a serious bidding war from publishers and it is easy to see why. The story is very clever and the characters are well-drawn but are not defined as good or bad. Whilst Maija is the central character there are aspects of her that are not made clear until the very end and ask questions. The link between life and dream swirls around and the reader almost gets lost in the beauty of the writing and the harshness of reality intrudes. This is a magical book which draws the reader in and envelops them.