Whiteout

by Vella Munn

The lives of four people with very different agendas converge at their remote mountain cabins. For the brother and sister, these few days offer them an opportunity to drag their childhood out of its hiding place and struggle to come to terms with their nightmarish upbringing. Most of all, they seek the courage to reach out to each other, to finally become true siblings. For the professional athlete, nothing matters beyond escaping the spotlight, facing the end to his career, and trying to find a purpose for the future. He brings a woman with him, a quiet beauty who hides incredible strength beneath her perfect body and resolutely keeps her heart locked away from more damage. All four see the wilderness of late fall as a place of silence and serenity and then the worst storm of the decade hits, trapping them all far from civilization. Whiteout is a battle for survival, of man against nature, of stranger helping stranger. Whiteout also lays bare the complexity of human vulnerability, strength, and weakness. The question becomes who will survive the unrelenting storm and who will fall victim to forces beyond any man or woman's ability to control. And as they fight for life, they're watched by the restless, lonely spirit that knows what it means to battle and lose. Four humans reach Wolf Lake. Not all will live to leave it.

311 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2005

About the author

I had to edit my biography, changing my status from married to widow. Since I'm often asked how I'm doing, I'll put the answer here. For the most part I'm doing all right thanks to loving family and understanding friends.

I have two sons and four grandchildren. Two rescue dogs allow me to hug, walk, and feed them. In exchange they give me unconditional love and the occasional need for the carpet shampooer.

As the product of a rural upbringing, the wilderness, particularly mountains and evergreens are in my blood. I live in a small southern Oregon town which boasts four distinct seasons, an awesome river, and the ocean within a short drive. Ditto with Crater Lake.

Setting plays a big role in most of my writing as witness by two recent contemporary romance series set in Montana's awesome mountains.

Also writes as Dawn Flindt and Heather Williams.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two couples from the city head to cabins near Oregon’s Crater Lake. A storm is coming. A massive storm. Before they realize it, it’s too late to get out. Wind, snow, falling trees. Soon they are all involved in a life and death struggle with the weather. Each has come to the area for complications with demons to fight. Joining them in that fight is ranger Jace Penix, whose friend Cherokee disappeared in the snow last winter and was never found. He blames himself. This is one of those books you start and can’t stop reading. Each character winds up alone, not sure he or she is going to survive. Will they make it out alive and if so, how will the experience have changed them?The ending is a bit abrupt and the characters’ names are a little too strange for me, but Munn has nailed the experience of being lost in the snow with no way out.

[Lisbeth Eng · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a mystery (that's what it says on the spine) this isn't one. I've been trying to pinpoint the genre -- suspense, action/adventure, general fiction -- but can't quite put my finger on it. It's a story of survival -- which of the main characters will make it out of the blizzard alive? -- but it's really about relationships and people dealing with the past and learning to open up to others. I really cared about the characters, not only wondering who survives but whether they will be able to care about each other as human beings. I also liked how the author successfully shifted between the points of view of five different characters. She even gives a POV to a pair of mating deer and the storm itself takes on a fundamental persona. It's a well-written page turner.