Wolf Winter

November 10, 2014
Set in 1717, Ekbäck’s diverting debut focuses on a Finnish family—Maija Harmaajärvi; her husband, Paavo; and their daughters, 14-year-old Frederika and six-year-old Dorotea—as they start a new life in Swedish Lapland. One day while herding goats, the girls discover a body. Their neighbors believe the dead man, Eriksson, was killed by wolves or a bear, but Maija is convinced that he was murdered and aims to prove it. Ekbäck does a good job depicting a terrifying snowstorm, the conflicting cultures of settlers and Lapps, and the endless winter darkness. But the novel also contains a disorienting mix of obsolete words and current phrasing, realistic glimpses of pioneer hardships, and far-fetched plot devices involving the local bishop and a pack of wolves that may or may not exist. Two resident ghosts—Maija’s grandmother, who constantly offers advice, and the reincarnated Eriksson, who prods Frederika to unearth his killer—add to the incongruity. Agents: Janelle Andrews and Rachel Mills, Peters, Fraser & Dunlop (U.K.).

December 15, 2014
Ekback takes readers on a journey to Swedish Lapland in 1717, a harsh and unforgiving place where the supernatural bleeds over into the difficult lives of the few settlers trying to make it through a hardscrabble winter. It's June, and 14-year-old Fredericka and Dorotea, her 6-year-old sister, are herding goats in the glade near their cabin when they stumble across the horribly mutilated body of a man. Ever since the family moved to Blackasen Mountain from their seacoast home, they've spent most of their time preparing for the difficult winter headed their way. Their parents, Paavo and Maija, recently migrated from Finland after trading their boat for a patch of ground and a cabin. Paavo couldn't wait to leave fishing once he discovered his hereditary aversion to water. Now they're wondering what type of place they've settled in, with murdered men and secrets swirling around them. The dead man, identified as Eriksson, had been missing for three days, but no one seems particularly disturbed at his slaying, and word is out that bad things happen on the mountain. Maija decides to keep investigating Eriksson's death, even though it's not a popular move with the mountain's other inhabitants, and soon begins uncovering evidence of supernatural happenings on Blackasen, along with a litany of unexplained deaths and events. And despite the unpopularity of Maija's moves, she refuses to let it go, even when events begin to spin out of her control and her family is threatened. Ekback's straightforward prose lacks nuance, but her first novel takes readers into places that few will ever have gone. This snapshot of life in a place where winter can be unspeakably cruel, where simply staying alive is a victory, proves irresistible.

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2014

Maija and her family move from their native Finland to Swedish Lapland in the summer of 1717, hoping for a fresh start. That dream is shattered when Maija's oldest daughter, Frederika, discovers the mutilated body of a fellow settler on nearby Blackasen Mountain. While the community insists a wolf is to blame, Maija is convinced he was murdered, and her investigation triggers events that will change their lives forever. As a harsh winter sets in and the settlers struggle to survive, Maija becomes entangled in the secrets, past tragedies, and religion of her neighbors and the native Lapps. Both Maija and Frederika are at once guided and tormented by the spirits of the dead, as they each attempt to solve the murder. VERDICT Swedish-born debut author Ekback writes with deliberate pacing and immerses the reader in the endless snowfall of winter with her hypnotic prose. The novel will appeal to readers who like their historical fiction dark and atmospheric, or mystery fans who are open to mysticism and unconventional sleuths. Readers who enjoyed the winter landscape and magical realism of Eowyn Ivey's The Snow Child may also want to try this. [See "Editors' Fall Picks," LJ 9/1/14.]--Emily Byers, Tillamook Cty. Lib., OR

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2014
Ekbck's thrilling debut, part historical fiction, part murder mystery, part supernatural chiller, takes place in Lapland in 1717. Resourceful Maija; her emotionally fragile husband, Paavo; and their two daughters, Frederika and Dorotea, have left their native Finland to settle in rural Sweden. They are hoping for a new start, but, almost immediately, Frederika stumbles on the badly mutilated body of a neighbor. The villagers are convinced it was a wolf attack, but Maija suspects murder. As paranoia and suspicion take root, Maija continues to investigate, though her inquiries are met with resistance from both her neighbors and the church, which wields considerable authority. Meanwhile, Maija is ill prepared for the brutal winter, one of the harshest in memory, which has her frantically storing food and supplies to withstand the onslaught of snow and cold. And looming over the village is the specter of Blackasen Mountain, which seems to harbor a malevolent spirit. Like Hannah Kent in Burial Rites (2013), Ekbck evokes the forbidding landscape and the inclement weather in beautiful prose while also crafting a layered, suspenseful story. Perhaps the richest gift of the many riches on display here, though, is Maija, a brave, intelligent woman whose skill and persistence bring closure to a suffering community.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)