The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

The Winter People

by Jennifer McMahon

The New York Times bestselling author of The Invited will shock you with a simmering psychological thriller about ghostly secrets, dark choices, and the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters.

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.

A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year  

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

4 of 5 stars

Share
The Winter People, shares a mystery that takes place on a small farm house in West Hall, Vermont. The journey to unlock the strange disappearance of a young mother named Alice reveals two stories. Those of Sara Harrison Shea, who was found dead behind her farm house in 1908 shortly after her daughter Gertie’s tragic death. The second story is present day and takes us into the lives of a recluse mother named Alice, and her two children, Ruthie and Fawn. Alice mysteriously disappears and her daughter, Ruthie begins searching for her. The answers she finds are disturbing and the tale that unfolds offers a suspenseful tale that leaves us deeply entangled in a macabre tale of love, loss and death.

The Winter People offers a clever tale about the bond between mother and daughter with dark paranormal twists. The author split our time between the present and past. Ruthie and her younger sister Fawn are searching for clues regarding the strange disappearance of their mother. Clues bring questions, and questions have them looking to the surrounding woods, strange disappearances and disturbing journal entries from Sara. The tale unfolded slowly with details surrounding both past and present. We know almost immediately what we are dealing with, and it only heightened the bone-chilling suspense. As the reader, I kept waiting for the boogie man to appear. This created a delicious, suspenseful feeling. I became so engrossed that wind and house noises made me gulp, and I shut closet doors before I continued. Usually I share my thoughts on the characters, but felt even my opinions of them might reveal things. Winter People reminded me of those tales whispered around the camp fire late at night. Those urban legends that gave you goosebumps and had you checking behind you shoulder. Within this creepy, bone-tingling horror tale there is a message or warning. Creep-tastic!

Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 22 January, 2014: Finished reading
  • 22 January, 2014: Reviewed