Closed For Winter

by Georgia Blain

Twenty years have passed since that day on the jetty, but it is only now that Elise has found the strength to go back and face the events of her past. She begins to unravel all that has been tying her up, picking through that day, piece by piece, from beginning to end. Over and over again. But sometimes what you uncover is not what you were searching for, and Elise finds herself face-to-face with a truth she had not expected. Closed for Winter is a gripping novel that will haunt you to the very end, and a powerful, positive story about the pain of letting go.

Genres: Fiction, Australia, Book Club, Literary Fiction, 20th Century

Paperback

First published February 2, 1998

About the author

Georgia Blain has published novels for adults and young adults, essays, short stories, and a memoir. Her first novel was the bestselling Closed for Winter, which was made into a feature film. She was shortlisted for numerous awards including the NSW and SA Premiers' Literary Awards, and the Nita B. Kibble Award for her memoir Births Deaths Marriages. Georgia's works include The Secret Lives of Men, Too Close to Home, and the YA novel Darkwater. In 2016, in addition to Between a Wolf and a Dog, Georgia also published the YA novel Special. She lived in Sydney, where she worked full-time as a writer.

Reviews

[notgettingenough · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this, her first, was an improved version of her second book, Candelo. But still, it has the same monotony of repetitious reflection and non-action throughout. I suspect I’ve picked up another of Blain’s in my travels and whether I should open it or not is the question.

For Finley's pictorial review go here.

[Helen McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elise has lived most of her life in the shadow of her sister's disappearance from an Adelaide beach one hot summer's day. Although she was on the beach too, she did not see what happened to Frances. There are no clues, no evidence - just a gaping hole in the life of Elise and her mother, a hole that continues to haunt them both twenty years later.

Elise lives her life desperately blending into the shadows, careful not to be noticed or offer an opinion. She keeps a photo of herself and her sister taken that fateful summer and replays the day in her mind over and over. Her mother Dorothy has become obsessed with missing child stories, buying every newspaper available and cutting out any similar stories.

Closed For Winter is a haunting but powerful story that explores the devastating impact a tragedy has on a family. Even worse than a death is a disappearance with no answers and no resolution. Elise and Dorothy live their lives each locked in their own prison and neither capable of helping the other. I found Elise frustrating at times, but on the other hand I could empathise with her desire to remain invisible and her inability to speak out.

This is a beautifully written book, but I'm not sure I would have connected with the story as well if I had not seen the movie which gave such a powerful visual of the place and characters. I enjoyed the Adelaide setting, as it is a very under represented city in Australian fiction.

[Debbie Robson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closed for winter is a wonderful haunting idea, skillfully done. A missing person, particularly a child is an event that has such wide spread repercussions. As a child the blown up photos of the missing Beaumont children had such a profound effect on me that I still remember how I felt when I saw the posters.
I think Blain has written this very diffent novel exceedingly well. I only have two complaints. I felt there was just two much repetition in the first half of the novel and the mother was more caricature than character. Otherwise a thoughtful novel with a cleverly wrought ending.

[maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The painstakingly explored life of Elise to whom nothing much happens but whose character has been crushed since childhood by the experience of her older sister going missing. I read this on a visit to Adelaide so I enjoyed visual cross references but struggled to keep turning the pages and sometimes turned three at a time with seemingly no loss in the narrative.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging read, wonderful writing.

[Luisa Gough · Rating 2 out of 5]

my workmate asked me what this book was about and I had to honestly say "not much really". This book reeks of Literature, which seems to be an excuse for slow to no plot. I get the feeling we will not resolve the case of the missing sister, rather spend a lot of time painstakingly analysing the world through a broken narrater. I don't think I will bother finishing this book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closed for Winter is a sad and haunting tale of a family broken by one life changing day. This book has so much depth to it. So many unspoken words yet the actions say so much. Blain has created unforgettable characters that you can't help but feel anguish and sadness for. And her setting was perfect for this harrowing story.

[Robyn333 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never let anything get hold of you it could last for twenty years. Always find the answer and don't believe everything you are told. (Especially by your mother)

I absolutely loved it, finding someone who has been used so badly and comes out of it ahead.

[Carol-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was completely enthralled by this book and read it in one sitting - must find some more Georgia Blain!!!

[Lily Mulholland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, while meditative, lyrical and historically convincing, reminded me of the Man Booker Prize-winning but excruciatingly dull The Finkler Question, in which a man of no substance lives an underwhelming life over which he has no agency. He does not learn; he does not grow. He fades from memory even before the book ends. I didn’t care what became of him and I feel the same way about the main character (who is not a protagonist) of this storm, who just lets life happen to her and seems to learn nothing from it. Disappointing, as I really wanted to like this book.

[Tim Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is (coincidentally) the second book I’ve read in a row written by an Australian author who died far too young. Fun fact.

Not sure what to say about this. Very, very well written, the reviews were spot on. It’s haunting, and deeply insightful in its portrayal of grief, guilt and loss.

It’s also very very depressing. Reading about a relationship breaking down because one of them is affected by trauma and the other is too blind to see, that’s a little close to home.

Very much chick lit.

[Georgina Hynd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elise is 8 years old when her 12 year old sister Frances goes missing. Already painfully shy this event turns her further inward. Her father died when she was 4 and her mother has been living in an absentee fantasy land that upon the disappearence of Frances, turns Elise completely invisible to her mother.

This is beautifully written all from Elise's first person. She's exploring her life from when Frances disappeared to where she is at 20 years later.

I gobbled this up really quickly. Such a beautiful and tragic read. And from an Australian author.

[Elly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating book that held you in the mind of a character who is trapped in her past and her regret about her own shy character. Lots of reviews complaining Elise wasn't worthy of being a main character, but the book shines a light on the people we meet who seem too terrified to even speak. The book opens up their minds and perhaps their pasts to give us an explanation for why we can't get through the fortresses they build.

[Felicity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully written with a slow writing style. The actor's first book and my first Georgia Blain. I'd have given it four stars had we been told the fate of Frances - I hate being left in limbo! Closed for Winter is a little bit coming of age, a little bit mystery and a little bit whodunit, however the who, is never revealed.

[Andy Kabanoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having grown up as a newspaper boy at the time of the disappearance of the Beaumont children, and the Wanda beach murders, this strikes a powerful chord for me. A woman whose life stopped 20 years ago when her elder sister disappeared from an Adelaide beach. The story flashes from her current life - on hold - to glimpses of the past, trying to reconstruct what happened. Wonderful!

[SHR · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is between 3 and 4 stars for me.
Beautifully written story, depicting the impacts of trauma on mother and daughter.
I know others will be annoyed there was not a resolution to the mystery element of the story but for me this was Elise's story and I found her decisions and changes satisfying. I thought the end was enough of an "ending" for the story to feel complete.

[Nathalie Bilinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfectly rendered account of a woman whose sister disappeared as a child and the aftermath of living with the not knowing. The Australian beach town in which this is set feels so real I can see the jetty and taste the salt air. It’s brilliant. The characters are so deftly drawn… they seemed real to me.

[Mike Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong story but more significantly are the questions of oneself that it raises and the appreciation one gets from being exposed to the effect of trauma, environment, upbringing... Tim Winton quality.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong characters and a sad harrowing story.

[Liz Passmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful short book. Captured a damaged life and the taste and smell of an Australian coastal city.

[Mmeg16]

didn't like

[TAnia Fragar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a page turner, wanting to be read so you can solve the mystery

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

31/2 stars

[Johanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written...focusing on the pain of loss and how that pain can thwart you throughout life

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devastating and haunting; the world sometimes is too overwhelming to speak of with clarity or understanding.

[Philippa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Georgia Blain is a beautiful writer. Closed for Winter is an evocative and haunting story about a woman whose older sister went missing when she was a child. Now in her late twenties, Elise finds relationships, be it with her mother Dorothy, her boyfriend Martin, or her workmates and neighbours, difficult. The disappearance of her sister is still a mystery. Both her mother's health and her relationship with Martin are deteriorating.

It's a bleak story, with little redemption, and Elise is a tough character to like, despite the reader empathising with her difficult childhood, because she is so meek and passive. But it's a testament to Georgia Blain's writing that you keep turning the pages and find even the weirdest and most frustrating moments make your heart wince rather than put the book aside in irritation.

An interesting story about siblings, love, family and why we keep going home, even if we spent years trying to escape.

[Melanie Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been hanging out to read this for so long and hunted high and low for a copy. I'm delighted to say I was not disappointed! I finished it in under 24 hours! Gripping, tragic and ultimately...well... It was so worth the search! Georgia Blain deserves every accolade! Her writing absolutely takes you to the moment and I've started to incorporate passages into my teaching.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was well written but I found it hard to relate to Elise because she was so meek and let people walk all over her. The only thing that kept me reading, despite my annoyance with her, was the mystery of what happened to her sister. And I found the resolution to the book/mystery very disappointing. Almost like the writer didn't know what she wanted the ending to be.

[Jade17 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read (well, mostly skimmed) this book on a recent road trip. All the characters are depressingly unlikeable especially Elise, who was one of the meekest women I've ever come across. There is the case of the missing sister but it wasn't really resolved in the end despite the synopsis hinting that the 'truth' will be revealed.

[Lucy Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this a couple of weeks ago -only took a couple of nights -before I read The Solitude of Prime Numbers. The former is an "okay" written book with a more satisfying ending. and the latter being a much better book with an less than satisfying ending. Why is it that I think there should be a clearly defined resolution??? Is this a consequence of my education?