Staff Pick
Jennifer McMahon gets back to her roots with The Winter People (after her equally successful mystery-leaning last novel). This unsettling and odd novel tackles one of the biggest questions out there: Can the dead be brought back to life? The stories of several main characters are woven together between 1908 and present day. The plot involves a missing mother, a dead husband, a revenge killing, secret papers hidden in cubby holes, a grief-destroyed mother, something evil uncovered in a field, something terrifying buried in a field, and a closet door that has been nailed shut. Oh, how delicious! McMahon's central character is Gertie, one of the creepy little girls she has become so adept at creating (well... way, way beyond creepy this time around). An intricate, chilling "ghost" story, The Winter People will have you flying through its pages — definitely unable to stop! Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
“Everything you could want in a classic ghost story.” Chris Bohjalian, author of The Light in the Ruins
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“One of the year’s most chilling novels....Enthralling.” The Miami Herald
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“Crisp, mysterious and scary....Reminiscent of Stephen King.” USA Today
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“The Winter People is hypnotic, gripping and deeply moving....A dream from which I didn't want to wake.” Lisa Unger, author of In the Blood
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“McMahon is a scrupulous writer, nicely attentive to the nuances of character and landscape....The mournful voice of Sara Shea lingers in the memory, and McMahon, wisely, gives her the last word.” The New York Times Book Review
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“The Winter People blends the anguish of loss and the yearning for connection into one great story, well told.” Kate Alcott, author of The Dressmaker
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“McMahon gives readers just what they want: can’t-put-it-down, stay-up-until-dawn reading....[The Winter People] is also a poignant reminder of what grief can drive humans to do.” BookPage
About the Author
Jennifer McMahon is the author of six novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Island of Lost Girls and Promise Not to Tell. She graduated from Goddard College and studied poetry in the MFA Writing Program at Vermont College. She currently lives with her partner and daughter in Montpelier, Vermont.