With praise from such diverse people as Lee Child to Ruby Wax, the synopsis of Wolf Winter, written by Cecilia Ekback sounded like a Swedish woman turns detective, when a mutilated body turns up in her town. A bit of marketing to current trends that, while not incorrect does a disservice, making it seem less than the rich novel it is.
In the harsh northern landscape of Swedish Lapland in 1717, Maija and her family arrive from Finland to work a farm on the forboding Blackasen mountainside. When they find they can't sustain themselves, her husband goes off to work at the coast, leaving Maija and her two young daughters to fend for themselves. The other houses are not nearby, the community not close. Herding goats, the eldest daughter Frederika comes across the body of a neighbour, which is dismissed as a wolf attack. As Maija begins to discover, there are underlying tensions and betrayals in the small group that cause her to believe it was murder.
Nearby there is a small town, where a new priest is trying to implement the structure of church rules as prescribed by law. North of the community, the nomadic Lapps have set up a forest camp for the coming winter, predicted to be one of the worst - a wolf winter. Frederica has an affinity for the spirits of nature, and the Lapps reindeer and natural ways seem magical to her as she befriends them. With winter approaching, with days of near darkness and low food supplies, they must all discover the true cost of survival in the mountains.
Wolf Winter is bleak and full of tension, the writing pulling you into the snowbound cabin - sending you into the danger outside. There is a great deal about the culture and traditions, the mythical fables and living presence of the mountain, and the church struggle to impose the Christianity of the King. There is also a mystical element as characters long dead are so close you can hear them answer your questions.
Atmospheric and chilling, with political struggles and magical encounters, this is more historical fiction than a murder mystery as the death is equal to many other events of basic survival Maija and her daughters will face. It's been highly praised in published and amateur reviews, and I agree. Recommended.
2015 / Tradeback / 407 pages
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