The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
Book Summary
West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who, in 1908, was found dead in the field behind her house just months after the tragic death of her daughter.
Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara's farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that has weighty consequences when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished. In her search for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother's bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked into the historical mystery, she discovers that she's not the only person looking for someone that they've lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.
Book Details
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
Published February 11th 2014 by Doubleday
Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense / Paranormal
Hardcover, 317 pages
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Review
THE WINTER PEOPLE is a dark and haunting blend of writing which combines elements of a suspense novel with that of a supernatural horror-thriller.
The atmosphere is chillingly atmospheric. Set in a picturesque small town of Vermont, West Hall is home to strange occurrences and whispered old legends.
Jennifer McMahon weaves a tale of ghosts, murder, and the bonds between mother and child that reach beyond death, creating a spine-tingling read.
I’ve had this book on my to-read shelf and finally sat down to read it. Warning: it is hard to put down novel as the writing lulls you into a world of secret diaries, folklore, and legends. Where some things should be left alone and others are forgotten.
I was in the mood for a mystery but also wanted to read something with a supernatural bent. The Winter People filled that craving.
This is a story that weaves two timelines, both set at West Hall, one in 1908 with the murder of Sara Harrison Shea and one in the present day where nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara's farmhouse whose mother, Alice, has suddenly disappeared.
Expertly weaving the past and present, this is a story of twists and surprises.
The connection between the ghostly house, the haunted Vermont landscape, and folklore of The Devil's Hand come together, wrapping the story in a cloak of Wintery eeriness.
The two story-lines come together with a satisfying if uncanny, conclusion. I’m very excited to read more by this established author.
This is one of those reads where it really is perfect for Fall but I read it during the 110 plus digits of August and it still swept me away to a land of forests and ice.
