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Winter Loon
A haunting debut novel about family and sacrifice, Winter Loon reminds us of how great a burden the past can be, the toll it exacts, and the freedom that comes from letting it go.
Abandoned by his father after his mother drowns in a frozen Minnesota lake, fifteen-year-old Wes Ballot is stranded with coldhearted grandparents and holed up in his mother’s old bedroom, surrounded by her remnants and memories. As the wait for his father stretches unforgivably into months, a local girl, whose own mother died a brutal death, captures his heart and imagination, giving Wes fresh air to breathe in the suffocating small town.
When buried truths come to light in the spring thaw, wounds are exposed and violence erupts, forcing Wes to embark on a search for his missing father, the truth about his mother, and a future he must claim for himself—a quest that begins back at that frozen lake.
A powerful, page-turning coming-of-age story, Winter Loon captures the resilience of a boy determined to become a worthy man by confronting family demons, clawing his way out of the darkness, and forging a life from the shambles of a broken past.
Abandoned by his father after his mother drowns in a frozen Minnesota lake, fifteen-year-old Wes Ballot is stranded with coldhearted grandparents and holed up in his mother’s old bedroom, surrounded by her remnants and memories. As the wait for his father stretches unforgivably into months, a local girl, whose own mother died a brutal death, captures his heart and imagination, giving Wes fresh air to breathe in the suffocating small town.
When buried truths come to light in the spring thaw, wounds are exposed and violence erupts, forcing Wes to embark on a search for his missing father, the truth about his mother, and a future he must claim for himself—a quest that begins back at that frozen lake.
A powerful, page-turning coming-of-age story, Winter Loon captures the resilience of a boy determined to become a worthy man by confronting family demons, clawing his way out of the darkness, and forging a life from the shambles of a broken past.
350 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,054 reviews
December 30, 2018
3.75* (rounded up)
A Devastatingly Sad Coming of Age Story.
“Winter Loon” left me with a Very Heavy Heart. Wes Ballot is a teenager who has always gotten the short end of the stick. He experiences one sad event after another to the point where I honestly had to wonder at times what the point of the story was. He loses one family member after another and struggles to be strong, and to find himself when all seems lost. Yes, “Winter Loon” is beautifully written and yes the novel includes a lot of emotion but I honestly couldn’t comprehend why the author would make a character go through so much heartache and pain, time and again. I considered quitting a myriad of times, yet in the end I wanted to know how Wes ended up. His strength amazed me. They said that a man is the sum of his parts and Wes was definitely that.
Perhaps a lot of other reviewers would enjoy reading a book with tragedy after tragedy but this book left me feeling bereft even though Wes is such a strong young man. That being said, the writing is superb, the storyline is told in the first person and the characterizations are brilliant. If you can get past the sadness of this story, this book might be for you.
Thank you to NetGalley, Little A, and Susan Bernhard for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 12.30.18.
A Devastatingly Sad Coming of Age Story.
“Winter Loon” left me with a Very Heavy Heart. Wes Ballot is a teenager who has always gotten the short end of the stick. He experiences one sad event after another to the point where I honestly had to wonder at times what the point of the story was. He loses one family member after another and struggles to be strong, and to find himself when all seems lost. Yes, “Winter Loon” is beautifully written and yes the novel includes a lot of emotion but I honestly couldn’t comprehend why the author would make a character go through so much heartache and pain, time and again. I considered quitting a myriad of times, yet in the end I wanted to know how Wes ended up. His strength amazed me. They said that a man is the sum of his parts and Wes was definitely that.
Perhaps a lot of other reviewers would enjoy reading a book with tragedy after tragedy but this book left me feeling bereft even though Wes is such a strong young man. That being said, the writing is superb, the storyline is told in the first person and the characterizations are brilliant. If you can get past the sadness of this story, this book might be for you.
Thank you to NetGalley, Little A, and Susan Bernhard for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 12.30.18.
November 4, 2018
This was such a heartbreaking story and one in which you feel so emotionally invested in the main character. Fifteen-year-old Wes Ballot is living with his alcoholic parents in Minnesota when his mother drowns in a lake. His father sends Wes to temporarily live with his grandparents who aren't exactly warm and welcoming. As Wes waits for his father to return, he meets a girl who is also dealing with the death of a parent. This is the story of a boy who will learn long-buried secrets about his family history and will have to forge his own path in life.
Even though this book has such a sadness to it, in some ways it is uplifting as you watch this young boy deal with the crappy hand he was dealt and slowly develop into a man. While you are reading you just feel protective of him and want to shelter him from any pain or hurt. Haunting is a good word to describe the story as so many things about his family's past that he has no control over are affecting him in the present. And that's why Wes is a character to root for because in a way he's having to fight other people's demons and how could you not want him to find happiness?
Definitely recommend as a good coming of age story. This is one of the better Amazon Kindle First selections I have picked in recent months.
Even though this book has such a sadness to it, in some ways it is uplifting as you watch this young boy deal with the crappy hand he was dealt and slowly develop into a man. While you are reading you just feel protective of him and want to shelter him from any pain or hurt. Haunting is a good word to describe the story as so many things about his family's past that he has no control over are affecting him in the present. And that's why Wes is a character to root for because in a way he's having to fight other people's demons and how could you not want him to find happiness?
Definitely recommend as a good coming of age story. This is one of the better Amazon Kindle First selections I have picked in recent months.
December 17, 2018
Testing the waters is never accomplished within the safety of the shore.
Susan Bernhard presents a novel imbued with the tragedies of second-hand debris of life. The hand-off, the jilted inheritance, the receiving end of the deadly stick, the heavy baggage left in the wings by those who came before us.
Her main character of Wes Ballot is but fifteen years old. But Wes bears the internal scars of hovering in the shadows for most of his young life observing and fleeing from the images of his alcoholic parents engaged in constant battle. Survival meant staying out of the way and making yourself small. Daily existence demanded the caretaking of those who relinquished their own parenting roles.
Bernhard sets up a pivotal situation in which Val shakes her son Wes awake in the middle of the night. She beckons to him to follow her down to the edge of Bright Lake near their shanty of a cabin. Moss, as usual, has taken to the road with promises to be back soon. Val, lit up with high-octane whiskey, bends and sways as they make their way to the frozen lake with the promise to experience the low call of the loon.
And it is here that Bernard will set in motion an out-of-control, rapid-fire situation that will affect all of their lives forever. Val ventures onto the ice swaying to music that only she can hear. Her body plunges into the frigid darkness of the lake water and no panicking effort by Wes can save her. His pitiful screams alert neighbors who call the police.
When Moss returns, he confronts Wes. How could this have happened? Wes is bathed in remorse and humiliated by the guilt seeping from his father's cold stare. Moss banishes Wes to the care of his dysfunctional grandparents in Loma. As readers, we observe Wes' condemnation from the frying pan into the fire. We will experience the cyclical nature of neglect, abuse, and cruel indifference.
But Susan Bernhard steadies the hand with her focus on Wes. We will experience the actions and the reactions of Wes as he sorts through the hand that has been dealt to him. His "testing the waters" are at the core of this novel. How do we fight the dark knight on horseback when we've never been given the skills to succeed? Always look to the light......
I received a copy of Winter Loon through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Little A New York Publishing and to Susan Bernhard for the opportunity.
Susan Bernhard presents a novel imbued with the tragedies of second-hand debris of life. The hand-off, the jilted inheritance, the receiving end of the deadly stick, the heavy baggage left in the wings by those who came before us.
Her main character of Wes Ballot is but fifteen years old. But Wes bears the internal scars of hovering in the shadows for most of his young life observing and fleeing from the images of his alcoholic parents engaged in constant battle. Survival meant staying out of the way and making yourself small. Daily existence demanded the caretaking of those who relinquished their own parenting roles.
Bernhard sets up a pivotal situation in which Val shakes her son Wes awake in the middle of the night. She beckons to him to follow her down to the edge of Bright Lake near their shanty of a cabin. Moss, as usual, has taken to the road with promises to be back soon. Val, lit up with high-octane whiskey, bends and sways as they make their way to the frozen lake with the promise to experience the low call of the loon.
And it is here that Bernard will set in motion an out-of-control, rapid-fire situation that will affect all of their lives forever. Val ventures onto the ice swaying to music that only she can hear. Her body plunges into the frigid darkness of the lake water and no panicking effort by Wes can save her. His pitiful screams alert neighbors who call the police.
When Moss returns, he confronts Wes. How could this have happened? Wes is bathed in remorse and humiliated by the guilt seeping from his father's cold stare. Moss banishes Wes to the care of his dysfunctional grandparents in Loma. As readers, we observe Wes' condemnation from the frying pan into the fire. We will experience the cyclical nature of neglect, abuse, and cruel indifference.
But Susan Bernhard steadies the hand with her focus on Wes. We will experience the actions and the reactions of Wes as he sorts through the hand that has been dealt to him. His "testing the waters" are at the core of this novel. How do we fight the dark knight on horseback when we've never been given the skills to succeed? Always look to the light......
I received a copy of Winter Loon through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Little A New York Publishing and to Susan Bernhard for the opportunity.
March 2, 2019
Audiobook/ ebook sync...Kindle Unlimited. Read by Vikas Adam
No spoilers - other than what the blurb already told us.
A mother is dead at the start! One of worse possible ways to die. FRIGHTENING THOUGHT!!
The opening scene with 15 year old Wes Ballot is extremely visual. His mother was literally swallowed alive by the cracking of a frozen late. His own ear is pressed to the frozen ice - as Wes begins to awaken consciously to what just happened.
The scene gave me fricken chills!!! .... it never left me.
The freezing-horrifying opening image is at least unconsciously a warning that a larger story is about to come.
The story that follows ‘mostly’ held my interest ... but it’s so dark- haunting -
depressing with ongoing tragedy- it begins to be ‘enough already’. And that’s when I started to keep my own emotions at arms distant.
Frozen ice is symbolic....
....frozen emotionally- and frozen thoughts. It’s a warning to to thaw, soften, unwind.
The symbol of ice is:
“rigidity, frigidity, the waters of the earth as opposed to the fresh and living WATER of the fountain of paradise. It is coldness, absent of love, difficult and unexplained territory”.
Author Susan Bernhard’s debut novel is filled with symbolism from the title, and even names of her characters. I found her writing - choices - interesting. Much ‘sucked’ me in... simply following the story. Still keeping my own emotions at arm distant though... for pure sanity....
some parts had me wondering in my own thoughts about the author herself. Wondering why soooo many devastating tragedies?
Were all necessary? Not sure!
Winter...often symbolizes death- (the death of winter), or depression- or cold emotions - shut down.
Drab - cold - little daylight -
Loon....is a solitary bird of the wilderness that symbolizes tranquility, serenity, and reawakening of old hopes and dreams.
“A Legend says that to see a loon is a symbol of a dream come true or an answered wish”.
Wes: usually the name stands for cool guy.
He is the guy who will hunt down a grizzly bear with his bare hands.
In this novel
It’s exactly what Wes does with his life: he hunts down reasons and understandings of his god-awful-past life.
Every important person in his life failed him. His mother - father - and grandparents. The secrets we learn are brutal.
We meet Jolene much later in the story.
Anybody remember the song ‘Jolene’... written by Dolly Parton?
Jolene symbolizes beauty- lightness - and love.
Susan Bernhard cinched Wes’s inner voice - capturing his icy thoughts brilliantly from
adolescence to the adult man he becomes.
Memorable debut!! What in the world will the author write next? Yikes alrighty - Perhaps something a ‘little’ lighter? Ha!
4.8 stars
No spoilers - other than what the blurb already told us.
A mother is dead at the start! One of worse possible ways to die. FRIGHTENING THOUGHT!!
The opening scene with 15 year old Wes Ballot is extremely visual. His mother was literally swallowed alive by the cracking of a frozen late. His own ear is pressed to the frozen ice - as Wes begins to awaken consciously to what just happened.
The scene gave me fricken chills!!! .... it never left me.
The freezing-horrifying opening image is at least unconsciously a warning that a larger story is about to come.
The story that follows ‘mostly’ held my interest ... but it’s so dark- haunting -
depressing with ongoing tragedy- it begins to be ‘enough already’. And that’s when I started to keep my own emotions at arms distant.
Frozen ice is symbolic....
....frozen emotionally- and frozen thoughts. It’s a warning to to thaw, soften, unwind.
The symbol of ice is:
“rigidity, frigidity, the waters of the earth as opposed to the fresh and living WATER of the fountain of paradise. It is coldness, absent of love, difficult and unexplained territory”.
Author Susan Bernhard’s debut novel is filled with symbolism from the title, and even names of her characters. I found her writing - choices - interesting. Much ‘sucked’ me in... simply following the story. Still keeping my own emotions at arm distant though... for pure sanity....
some parts had me wondering in my own thoughts about the author herself. Wondering why soooo many devastating tragedies?
Were all necessary? Not sure!
Winter...often symbolizes death- (the death of winter), or depression- or cold emotions - shut down.
Drab - cold - little daylight -
Loon....is a solitary bird of the wilderness that symbolizes tranquility, serenity, and reawakening of old hopes and dreams.
“A Legend says that to see a loon is a symbol of a dream come true or an answered wish”.
Wes: usually the name stands for cool guy.
He is the guy who will hunt down a grizzly bear with his bare hands.
In this novel
It’s exactly what Wes does with his life: he hunts down reasons and understandings of his god-awful-past life.
Every important person in his life failed him. His mother - father - and grandparents. The secrets we learn are brutal.
We meet Jolene much later in the story.
Anybody remember the song ‘Jolene’... written by Dolly Parton?
Jolene symbolizes beauty- lightness - and love.
Susan Bernhard cinched Wes’s inner voice - capturing his icy thoughts brilliantly from
adolescence to the adult man he becomes.
Memorable debut!! What in the world will the author write next? Yikes alrighty - Perhaps something a ‘little’ lighter? Ha!
4.8 stars
December 24, 2018
Five humongous, glowing, golden stars!
Once in a while a debut novel will knock off my socks. This one did, so I’m going to follow this author and wait impatiently for her next one.
I am an amateur at reviewing books, and this one is too good to suffer such an injustice. So I’ll say only that you simply must read it.
Once in a while a debut novel will knock off my socks. This one did, so I’m going to follow this author and wait impatiently for her next one.
I am an amateur at reviewing books, and this one is too good to suffer such an injustice. So I’ll say only that you simply must read it.
January 12, 2019
I wish I was a writer. I would love to write an excellent review for this book, I loved it so much!
The characters are realistic. Wes was my favorite character and my heart broke for him. The story is heartbreaking and I had tears in my eyes a couple of times.
I can't wait to read more from this author. This book will go on to my favorites shelf and what a beautiful cover!
Highly recommend!
The characters are realistic. Wes was my favorite character and my heart broke for him. The story is heartbreaking and I had tears in my eyes a couple of times.
I can't wait to read more from this author. This book will go on to my favorites shelf and what a beautiful cover!
Highly recommend!
September 14, 2018
This is a beauty of a page-turner, dreamy, disquieting, and uncompromising to the end. Against the tide of the wandering heart, the novel tells us, only love can offer us a place to rest—and only if we let it.
May 7, 2019
This is one of those books that is best described as being literary fiction. Not just regular fiction or mass-market fiction; but the kind of fiction that requires you to pay attention, has a lyrical sense to it and (of course) doesn't really end well for most characters in the story. These are what I call "Oscar" books. Great stories that are written specifically for the purpose of winning high-end literary awards. The same way you can watch a movie and immediately know it's an "Oscar" movie; this work with books too.
Beautiful & Descriptive
The writing in Winter Loon is such that it is beautiful while still being very descriptive. I always felt like I was in the setting and could sometimes even smell the description (if you will) that Susan Bernhard was presenting. This made for a very immersive book experience. But it also means this is a tough book to read in line-ups at the bank or Starbucks. There's nothing wrong with that of course; it's just good to know going in if you're like me and read multiple books at a time with certain types being 'dedicated time reading' books and others being 'read anytime' books. This is definitely a book you can get lost in and will fill your dedicated reading time with emotionally charged scenes.
Somber, Sad & Depressing
As with most Oscar movies, Winter Loon is a downer. Our lead boy is essentially abandoned by his father, has lost his mother (before his very eyes in the opening chapter) and is shipped off to a crappy town to live with his crappy grandparents. Ugh. The teenage experience is not really much fun for most in general; never mind when you drop a teen into a depressing setting such as this. The hardest parts of this book, ironically, for me are not the moments when someone dies but actually those moments when our lead boy is hungry and without resources (money) or anyone to care that he hasn't eaten all day. There's very little that is encouraging in Winter Loon. If you are looking for an uplifting, overcoming the odds story then look elsewhere.
Overall
This is a really good book. It's dense at times and in some instances the prose can go on and on. But for the most part it's a good read. I'm not sure who to recommend it for because it is really sad and a bit of a tough read. Unlike some of the sad tough novels I normally read this one is not historical so there isn't really anything to directly 'learn' from Winter Loon the way might be in historical settings. That said there are certainly lessons that can be derived from Bernhard's story. The least of which is likely that your life isn't as bad as you thought.
To read this and more of my reviews visit my blog at Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Beautiful & Descriptive
The writing in Winter Loon is such that it is beautiful while still being very descriptive. I always felt like I was in the setting and could sometimes even smell the description (if you will) that Susan Bernhard was presenting. This made for a very immersive book experience. But it also means this is a tough book to read in line-ups at the bank or Starbucks. There's nothing wrong with that of course; it's just good to know going in if you're like me and read multiple books at a time with certain types being 'dedicated time reading' books and others being 'read anytime' books. This is definitely a book you can get lost in and will fill your dedicated reading time with emotionally charged scenes.
Somber, Sad & Depressing
As with most Oscar movies, Winter Loon is a downer. Our lead boy is essentially abandoned by his father, has lost his mother (before his very eyes in the opening chapter) and is shipped off to a crappy town to live with his crappy grandparents. Ugh. The teenage experience is not really much fun for most in general; never mind when you drop a teen into a depressing setting such as this. The hardest parts of this book, ironically, for me are not the moments when someone dies but actually those moments when our lead boy is hungry and without resources (money) or anyone to care that he hasn't eaten all day. There's very little that is encouraging in Winter Loon. If you are looking for an uplifting, overcoming the odds story then look elsewhere.
Overall
This is a really good book. It's dense at times and in some instances the prose can go on and on. But for the most part it's a good read. I'm not sure who to recommend it for because it is really sad and a bit of a tough read. Unlike some of the sad tough novels I normally read this one is not historical so there isn't really anything to directly 'learn' from Winter Loon the way might be in historical settings. That said there are certainly lessons that can be derived from Bernhard's story. The least of which is likely that your life isn't as bad as you thought.
To read this and more of my reviews visit my blog at Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
August 9, 2018
Susan Bernhard's WINTER LOON is a gorgeously lyrical coming of age ballad—a soul reckoning exploration of familial ties and the hard fight to make your life your own. Wes Ballot's childhood ends when he witnesses a tragedy. Forced into the hard, mean life of his grandparents, waiting for his father to rescue him—a drifter whose definition of manhood Wes wrestles with throughout the novel—Wes must confront his mother's secrets. Wes casts about for role models in this tough world and finds it in the Hightowers, a family he loves nearly as much as their adopted daughter Jolene. It is here he learns love and loyalty. Bernhard is deft with the trials and alienation of loneliness. She writes beautifully of hardscrabble lives, and with perfect pitch about adolescence, resilience in the face of tragedy, and what it means to transcend a legacy and emerge with an honest, fearless, independent life. A soaring and luminous debut.
January 6, 2019
"I'd come to realize that all my life I'd been sheltered and shaped for the better by women who'd had to fight for every last thing and who'd done their best, even my mother, even Ruby in her way."
For those who follow me for some time, know that this is not my usual genre or type of book.
My main reads are YA and romance.
If this book centers around a teenager of fifteen year old, Wes, I would not call it YA. Nor would I call it romance even if you'll find some love story in it.
Trying to qualify this book I'd say it's a sad story about life, about family, about secrets but above all else, that first quote is what symbolizes the story perfectly.
I decided to read Winter Loon after having visited Emma Scott's account on Facebook where she talked about it as she planned to read the book. My curiosity was picked, the blurb intriguing enough and the cover was really gorgeous. That was decided I would read Winter Loon!
One thing I can say about this book it's that it is filled with resentment, boiling emotions, unanswered questions and a quest to find the truth.
Another important remark: the writing is from Wes's point of view but I was never drowned in his emotions.
I did some thinking on the reason why I was not completely "in" Wes shoes to the point of living his life in technicolors. I've determined that the use of inner thougths rather than many "active" dialogs; the telling of a situation rather than the showing was probably the main factor behind my detachment.
We are following Wes's thoughts, his memories with his father and with his mother. Even when he is experiencing a stressful event one night at his grand parent's house he is describing what is happening and ....it set a distance between the emotions he experienced and the reader.
I was able to read the situation, to realize it was sad or dramatic or ...but I didn't live IN it.
That being said this book is real. I mean this is not some glorified tale where everyone is rich and beautiful. No. It shows a poor boy who has lived through a dramatic event, the loss of his mother. He is going to live with his emotionally "cold" grand parents after his father left him on a vague promise to "be back".
His family is far from rich. His parents fought a lot. And they drank too much. His father left him and his mother for long stretches of time for many years. His grand parents are far from warm and welcoming. Don't tell me this is a rosy painting!
Throughout the book, Wes will slowly see the whole picture. He will discover the secrets of his family and its generations of women.
It is harsh. It is sad. It is sometime depressing. It could be real.
There are lessons learned too. And every woman in this story did her best in her own way.
Wes will finally be the first male in this family to behave differently. He will be the first to show some respect, to care for others, to be protective and set an example somehow.
He will have to go on a journey to find the truth and decide who he wanted to be. This is a brutal, slow building coming of age story.
For those who follow me for some time, know that this is not my usual genre or type of book.
My main reads are YA and romance.
If this book centers around a teenager of fifteen year old, Wes, I would not call it YA. Nor would I call it romance even if you'll find some love story in it.
Trying to qualify this book I'd say it's a sad story about life, about family, about secrets but above all else, that first quote is what symbolizes the story perfectly.
I decided to read Winter Loon after having visited Emma Scott's account on Facebook where she talked about it as she planned to read the book. My curiosity was picked, the blurb intriguing enough and the cover was really gorgeous. That was decided I would read Winter Loon!
One thing I can say about this book it's that it is filled with resentment, boiling emotions, unanswered questions and a quest to find the truth.
Another important remark: the writing is from Wes's point of view but I was never drowned in his emotions.
I did some thinking on the reason why I was not completely "in" Wes shoes to the point of living his life in technicolors. I've determined that the use of inner thougths rather than many "active" dialogs; the telling of a situation rather than the showing was probably the main factor behind my detachment.
We are following Wes's thoughts, his memories with his father and with his mother. Even when he is experiencing a stressful event one night at his grand parent's house he is describing what is happening and ....it set a distance between the emotions he experienced and the reader.
I was able to read the situation, to realize it was sad or dramatic or ...but I didn't live IN it.
That being said this book is real. I mean this is not some glorified tale where everyone is rich and beautiful. No. It shows a poor boy who has lived through a dramatic event, the loss of his mother. He is going to live with his emotionally "cold" grand parents after his father left him on a vague promise to "be back".
His family is far from rich. His parents fought a lot. And they drank too much. His father left him and his mother for long stretches of time for many years. His grand parents are far from warm and welcoming. Don't tell me this is a rosy painting!
Throughout the book, Wes will slowly see the whole picture. He will discover the secrets of his family and its generations of women.
It is harsh. It is sad. It is sometime depressing. It could be real.
There are lessons learned too. And every woman in this story did her best in her own way.
Wes will finally be the first male in this family to behave differently. He will be the first to show some respect, to care for others, to be protective and set an example somehow.
He will have to go on a journey to find the truth and decide who he wanted to be. This is a brutal, slow building coming of age story.
July 17, 2018
This book is beautiful. The prose is elegant and, though it took me a moment to become fully immersed in the story, the characters are rich and the setting tangible. It’s a story of loss and finding and wrought with love and comfort. This books wraps around you and I can’t wait for it to be released and shared with the world.
December 29, 2018
4 Stars!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟
“So go, why don’t you? See if I care.” “You don’t mean that,” he said. But I did. I wanted him to leave and to hold onto me. I wanted him to shut the hell up and to tell me I’d done all I could. I wanted his comfort. I got his pain.”
Hauntingly tragic, and a beautiful coming of age story. This was a wonderful debut...about family and sacrifice, Winter Loon reminds us of how great a burden the past can be, the toll it exacts, and the freedom that comes from letting it go.
In this book we follow Wes, who is 15 years old when his mother drowns. His alcoholic father sends him to live with his, less than welcoming, grandparents. While there he connects with a young woman who shares the pain of losing a parent.
This was more than a story for me. Some parts were so very relatable. It was raw and dirty.... Gritty and painful. The way the story was told was heart wrenching and sad, but you cant help but root for Wes. It brought out every emotion possible for me. The writing was so beautiful and lyrical which made it an easy, enjoyable read even with the heavy subject matter. Totally recommend if your in the mood to feel ALL the feels!
🌟🌟🌟🌟
“So go, why don’t you? See if I care.” “You don’t mean that,” he said. But I did. I wanted him to leave and to hold onto me. I wanted him to shut the hell up and to tell me I’d done all I could. I wanted his comfort. I got his pain.”
Hauntingly tragic, and a beautiful coming of age story. This was a wonderful debut...about family and sacrifice, Winter Loon reminds us of how great a burden the past can be, the toll it exacts, and the freedom that comes from letting it go.
In this book we follow Wes, who is 15 years old when his mother drowns. His alcoholic father sends him to live with his, less than welcoming, grandparents. While there he connects with a young woman who shares the pain of losing a parent.
This was more than a story for me. Some parts were so very relatable. It was raw and dirty.... Gritty and painful. The way the story was told was heart wrenching and sad, but you cant help but root for Wes. It brought out every emotion possible for me. The writing was so beautiful and lyrical which made it an easy, enjoyable read even with the heavy subject matter. Totally recommend if your in the mood to feel ALL the feels!
December 23, 2018
It's tempting to read only the books we're comfortable with, or those that stay within the lanes of familiar genres. Winter Loon is not a comfortable or easy read, in that the plight of teenager Wes Ballot is so harsh. With our current news headlines, you even might wonder why you'd want to dive into a book that seems as chilly and unforgiving as the Minnesota lake that takes the life of Wes's mother at the start of the novel. But do it! The writing in this novel is poignant, lyrical, cinematic, darkly comic, and unforgettable. This is one of the most unique and rewarding debut novels I've read in a long time.
September 29, 2018
Winter Loon is a gorgeous, emotionally wrought, coming-of-age story about a young boy who watches his mother drown and then must endure the aftermath of her death--a father who abandons him, moving in with his abusive grandparents and falling in love with the beautiful Jolene. The novel is heart-wrenching, gritty, and at times troubling, but one thing that you cannot escape is how you will feel about young Wes Ballot as he tries to figure out his new place in the world. This is a brilliant debut and I can't wait to see where Bernhard will take her readers next.
November 26, 2018
"Winter Loon" doesn't read like a debut novel. Bernhard writes with incredible beauty that leaves you breathless and shivering. Wes Ballot, after witnessing his mothers death, is shunted through his family to land with his cruel and horrifying grandparents. They are easy to dispose at first until their own horrific and terrible lives come to light. Bernhard explores the bitterness a person can harbor in their lives and how one people let it lash out on others in the world and some limp on, determined not to become the people that wounded them. In the age of noisy adventure novels and sweeping political metaphors, Bernhard reminds us that sometimes, sometimes people's lives are just quietly shitty, with no conspiracy or reason, without any real institution that can be boycotted or revolution that can be founded. Wes' story stands as a testament to making a choice between allowing the bitter cycles of family and history swallow you and fighting the current, refusing to let them drag you in with them. Throughout the novel, I kept hoping for good things to come to Wes, for his life to have beautiful moments of stillness and rest despite the constant unearthing of painful memories and truths that revealed not only the motives of those he was with, but also of those he'd lost. "Winter Loon" is a novel of untangling and of deciding when to reach for the scissors. Sometimes it hurts to be reminded that someday, everything will be ok. I loved reading this book and winning quiet battles in the depth of winter in Minnesota.
December 13, 2018
There's some part of me that is always inherently drawn to dysfunctional family dynamics in literature. I'm not sure what that says about me or my familial bonds, perhaps that's a talk with my therapist down the road.. but in this case, I'm glad it brought me to this book.
I went into this one with no expectations, piqued mostly by the beautiful cover design and the short synopsis. But I quickly found myself unable to put this book down. The writing and the storytelling flowed effortlessly, making it easy to let time slip away and be completely engrossed in this tumultuous narrative. It broke my heart, many times over. It was such a tragic and harrowing coming-of-age story about family-ties, love, loss and forgiveness. It is a story about being burdened with the family you're given, and gaining a sense of belonging with the family you find along the way. It's about the need to set roots and to feel wanted. A story about finding companionship in unexpected places. A story about love. A story about letting go and moving on. Growing up.
It was fascinating to watch Wes journey through the many hardships life threw his way and grow up into an independent and resilient young man. This is a book that is likely to stick with me for a long while. I'm glad I got to read it.
I went into this one with no expectations, piqued mostly by the beautiful cover design and the short synopsis. But I quickly found myself unable to put this book down. The writing and the storytelling flowed effortlessly, making it easy to let time slip away and be completely engrossed in this tumultuous narrative. It broke my heart, many times over. It was such a tragic and harrowing coming-of-age story about family-ties, love, loss and forgiveness. It is a story about being burdened with the family you're given, and gaining a sense of belonging with the family you find along the way. It's about the need to set roots and to feel wanted. A story about finding companionship in unexpected places. A story about love. A story about letting go and moving on. Growing up.
It was fascinating to watch Wes journey through the many hardships life threw his way and grow up into an independent and resilient young man. This is a book that is likely to stick with me for a long while. I'm glad I got to read it.
January 13, 2023
Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't muster up much interest in this one. Maybe the winter setting, maybe the awful family this kid was cursed with, maybe the repetitive scenes and writing, who knows? I gave it an extra star for the last 1/3 of the book, which finally got the action moving and some redemption in the end. I will say the cover is beautiful though.
August 25, 2018
Stunning. Heartbreaking. Couldn't put it down.
November 13, 2018
"I let my eyes rest again on the craggy spot, dark as spilled ink and barely out of my reach, where the ice had given way and the hungry lake had swallowed my mother whole."
A truly wonderful novel. Thoughtful and thought provoking.
Wes, the main character was so completely realized, my heart broke for him, over and over.
My running thought while reading ... Such broken people, striving so hard to break the cycle....
"Sometimes it's easier to build something new than it is to fix something broken."
This is so well written, very talented. Definitely an author to keep on my radar.
A truly wonderful novel. Thoughtful and thought provoking.
Wes, the main character was so completely realized, my heart broke for him, over and over.
My running thought while reading ... Such broken people, striving so hard to break the cycle....
"Sometimes it's easier to build something new than it is to fix something broken."
This is so well written, very talented. Definitely an author to keep on my radar.
June 17, 2022
This was a sad story written from the point of view of a 15/16 year old boy, Wes, who grew up with no stability, parents who fought hard and loved passionately. He witnesses his mother’s drowning and most of this book takes place in the aftermath of her death. His father is an alcoholic who simply is unable to deal with his son, and takes him to live with his grandparents and then deserts him. The grand parents are hardened and unstable and down and out, and Wes learns a lot about his mother and why she was the way she was. Luckily Wes is semi-adopted by a close knit Native American family, and falls in love. He has a journey ahead of him and a weight of the parents’ and grandparents’ sins that he needs to shed, which can only come with age and grace.
The characters were well done, each unique with their own ghosts. I loved Wes, and the way he was trying to shed light on all of the terrible events, so he would not repeat them. It takes a village, for sure.
The characters were well done, each unique with their own ghosts. I loved Wes, and the way he was trying to shed light on all of the terrible events, so he would not repeat them. It takes a village, for sure.
September 27, 2020
3.5 stars for story and narration
Oh boy. Where do I start?
There was a lot here to like - a lot - but it got a little bogged down with some of the drama. I think the narrator's somewhat dry delivery is the only thing that kept this from feeling too melodramatic. But seriously, everything poor Wes goes through really is a bit much. In the space of a year he On top of that, he tries to reconcile his father abandoning him and while I get that kids love their parents no matter how messed up they are - and they were both really, really messed up - I just couldn't really care too much about Wes's drive to find his dad. Good riddance, as far as I was concerned.
What worked for me was Wes learning to be a man, learning to show compassion and learning to stand up for what he feels is right. He's got the deck stacked pretty heavily against him, and aside from a few precious memories he doesn't have much to look back on that isn't filled with grief in some way. He's got nothing but bad examples and it's not until he meets Jolene and Lester that he comes to know what friendship is. He has his first love with Jolene and through her he gets to experience a family that doesn't tear themselves apart, that support each other and expects the best of each other. Watching him grow up and learn to be better than where he came from was really something.
I wasn't too sure about the narrator at first but he grew on me after awhile. There is no way Vikas Adam is anywhere close to a teenaged boy, but he did get the personality and introspection of Wes down perfectly.
Oh boy. Where do I start?
There was a lot here to like - a lot - but it got a little bogged down with some of the drama. I think the narrator's somewhat dry delivery is the only thing that kept this from feeling too melodramatic. But seriously, everything poor Wes goes through really is a bit much. In the space of a year he On top of that, he tries to reconcile his father abandoning him and while I get that kids love their parents no matter how messed up they are - and they were both really, really messed up - I just couldn't really care too much about Wes's drive to find his dad. Good riddance, as far as I was concerned.
What worked for me was Wes learning to be a man, learning to show compassion and learning to stand up for what he feels is right. He's got the deck stacked pretty heavily against him, and aside from a few precious memories he doesn't have much to look back on that isn't filled with grief in some way. He's got nothing but bad examples and it's not until he meets Jolene and Lester that he comes to know what friendship is. He has his first love with Jolene and through her he gets to experience a family that doesn't tear themselves apart, that support each other and expects the best of each other. Watching him grow up and learn to be better than where he came from was really something.
I wasn't too sure about the narrator at first but he grew on me after awhile. There is no way Vikas Adam is anywhere close to a teenaged boy, but he did get the personality and introspection of Wes down perfectly.
January 17, 2019
Of the Amazon First Reads I've picked up over time, only one or two have been really fantastic. This book blew those away.
I can't believe this is the author's first novel. I expect we'll be hearing more from her.
At bottom, this is a coming of age story, with family tragedy, and this could be ham-handed with a less capable writer. This was gorgeous in its prose, and really made me feel for the characters. As I read the last words, I snapped my Kindle cover closed and just . . . sat for a few minutes, extending the end in my thoughts and just ruminating as if they were real.
I can't believe this is the author's first novel. I expect we'll be hearing more from her.
At bottom, this is a coming of age story, with family tragedy, and this could be ham-handed with a less capable writer. This was gorgeous in its prose, and really made me feel for the characters. As I read the last words, I snapped my Kindle cover closed and just . . . sat for a few minutes, extending the end in my thoughts and just ruminating as if they were real.
December 22, 2018
This is the story of Wes Ballot, a fifteen year old boy who witnesses the death of his mother when she falls through the ice on a Minnesota lake. His father sends him to live with his grandparents and stays in his mother's old childhood bedroom. It is a coming of age story of abuse, dysfunction and heartbreak. It's a well written page turner and I understand a debut novel. Susan Bernhard is a very talented writer.
November 4, 2018
Wes Ballott watches his mother die in a frozen lake in Minnesota. After that horror, he is abandoned by his father and forced to live with his chain-smoking, alcoholic bitter maternal grandparents who kept his mother’s room unchanged for years—hiding truths better left buried—but can’t open their hearts to her son.
Everyone Wes comes into contact is the worst possible role model for a parentless child, yet somehow he finds just the right person to help him heal and move on. Despite the stark emptiness of his life, Wes nearly finds a “real” family when he starts seeing a Native American girl. Eventually he loses even her but has a chance to form another family. Wes’s growth from adolescence to manhood is extraordinary, heart-breaking, yet inspiring.
A brilliantly-written coming-of-age story, Winter Loon has taut yet lyrical prose that put me in mind of Louise Erdrich, words which one doesn’t expect from a debut author. I particularly enjoyed her recurrent use of the winter loon, weather, nature, and Native American myths to reflect and contrast with her characters.
Winter Loon is not a vapid read, but underlying the central dread and misery, an uplifting redemption filters through like sunshine through leaves. Watching Wes become a better person than anyone in his dysfunctional family is haunting and magical. Several times, though moved to tears, I was forced to continue reading Bernhard’s elegent prose.
Everyone Wes comes into contact is the worst possible role model for a parentless child, yet somehow he finds just the right person to help him heal and move on. Despite the stark emptiness of his life, Wes nearly finds a “real” family when he starts seeing a Native American girl. Eventually he loses even her but has a chance to form another family. Wes’s growth from adolescence to manhood is extraordinary, heart-breaking, yet inspiring.
A brilliantly-written coming-of-age story, Winter Loon has taut yet lyrical prose that put me in mind of Louise Erdrich, words which one doesn’t expect from a debut author. I particularly enjoyed her recurrent use of the winter loon, weather, nature, and Native American myths to reflect and contrast with her characters.
Winter Loon is not a vapid read, but underlying the central dread and misery, an uplifting redemption filters through like sunshine through leaves. Watching Wes become a better person than anyone in his dysfunctional family is haunting and magical. Several times, though moved to tears, I was forced to continue reading Bernhard’s elegent prose.
July 13, 2024
I will keep my review short since I did not much care for this book. It is a coming-of-age story of fifteen-year-old Wes Ballott, a young man who is the product of a severely dysfunctional family. His mother dies in front of him in the first few pages. His father deserts him and he must move in with his hostile grandparents. It is what I call a “misery” book – continuous arguments, alcohol abuse, not to mention One bad thing after another happens to Wes, with no other extended storyline to hold the reader’s interest. I kept dreading what would happen next. I read lots of books that contain sadness and I appreciate them more when they have at least a tiny amount of kindness or hope. It is this author’s debut. The writing is okay, but I found it an extremely unpleasant read.
December 2, 2018
3.25 stars
October 22, 2018
A haunting coming of age story about a boy who struggles to move past the pain and tragedies of his parents and grandparents to become his own person. Wes is a character who you grow to love and want to protect as he confronts the challenges of adolescence in the shadow of his mother's death and violent life. Susan Bernhard is one of those rare writers who is able to use language in completely unique and lyrical ways while keeping the story in the voice of her young narrator. A complex story beautifully told.
October 24, 2018
If you love the intersection of gorgeous writing, characters you won't forget and a story that will keep the pages turning, this book is for you. You will be transported from the moment you start reading-- to a world that is likely quite different from your own, and yet resonates with all the most important questions about love & loss, who we belong to and when we choose to let go. Absolutely loved it!!
November 6, 2018
A beautiful emotional read
I haven’t been touched by a book like this in a long time.
Beautiful, heartbreaking, extremely well written.
If you’re looking for a great read, chose this book
A literary jewel
I haven’t been touched by a book like this in a long time.
Beautiful, heartbreaking, extremely well written.
If you’re looking for a great read, chose this book
A literary jewel
November 7, 2018
thin ice awaits those who seek happiness
I read the caption on this book, selected it and then spent an entire day reading it! It kept me entranced and so wanting to go to the last chapter...but I held out and was rewarded for it.
I read the caption on this book, selected it and then spent an entire day reading it! It kept me entranced and so wanting to go to the last chapter...but I held out and was rewarded for it.
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