Wolf Winter
I have taken time out to read some “Winter Tales” as it is now the height of summer here in Scotland and so I can face the “chill” for once. This was one of those tales where I found the writing of this novel “Odd” rather than bad or particularly good (as I noticed others have said) but rather, simply different. In places I loved the style, in others, unusually for me, I had to check back to make sure that I understood the sentence. Take that away for a second and there is a well told story hidden beneath that argument.
In Northern Sweden in the early seventeen hundreds a family relocates from the coast to take over a farm. This tale centers around Maija, her eldest daughter Dorotea and a disemboweled corpse found in the forest. It is a tale of hardship, strict Christianity and old enmities slowly surfacing after a thaw. It is bleak at times but also wonderful in its own way (do not expect many laughs along the way) as it draws you into the lives of Maija and her children as well as her neighbors and the local priest. They have the mystery of the corpse to solve with no idea how to do so other than asking questions.
I really enjoyed this book and suspect that others also will.