The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
1908: Sara Harrison Shea’s young daughter has died under tragic circumstances. Wracked with grief, seemingly unable to move forward, what would Sara do to bring her child back to her?
Present Day: Ruthie’s mom has gone missing. One night while Ruthie was out with her boyfriend it seems her mother simply walked out of their house and into the surrounding woods. With no note and no signs of a struggle, Ruthie is forced to care for her odd, little sister whilst investigating what happened to their mother.
What Ruthie doesn’t know is that she is living in the house once occupied by Sara Harrison Shea. When she discovers parts of Sara’s diary in secret hiding places in the old farmhouse, she discovers sometimes the past really can come back to haunt you.
Following both past and present, this haunting tale is filled with an overwhelming feeling of dread. Winter is the absolute perfect time to read this book. When it gets dark early, when it is cold, when the wind blows long and loud into the night. The atmosphere of this story was richly developed and absolutely my favorite part of this story.
I went into this book completely blind, only knowing that quite a few of my book friends have loved this one. I was impressed with McMahon’s writing. She has a very strong horror voice and I definitely look forward to reading more of her works. I actually received a copy of her next book, The Invited, that is being released at the end of April. I feel like with this one now under my belt, I know more what to expect from her, and I’m damned pumped for it.
There were a few issues I had with the story line. Nothing major but just things I wish would have had more information or context. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to anyone who wants to be creeped out for a bit. The use of diary entries was super well done and as always, I felt that made me feel more a ‘part’ of the story; like I was investigating it myself. If you like a ghost/monster story with an overriding, ominous atmosphere, you should definitely check this one out! Backlist BUMP!!
