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Last Winter
As gripping and unforgettable as Fredrik Backman's Bear Town and Kristin Hannah's The Great Alone, this haunting novel digs into the impact of a fatal avalanche on a small BC mountain town, as seen through the eyes of those who survive the tragedy.
Last Winter is the story of a child who might not survive the heartbreak of her father’s death and a mother who struggles to both parent and manage her grief in the grips of a Bipolar crisis.
Fiona and Gus’s marriage has veered off course. Fiona’s mental health is shaky at best, and is now further strained under the weight of a transgression that she would like to both forget and repeat. Gus, a pro snowboarder turned backcountry guide, is exhausted by Fiona's mood swings and her ambivalence about their relationship, but mostly by the impact of her erratic behaviour on their eight-year-old daughter, Ruby. Ruby loves them both, but has a much closer relationship with her father, and has stopped talking in the face of the tensions between her parents.
In the midst of this marital crisis, Gus takes Ruby’s class on an overnight trip into the wilderness, where Ruby is one of only two children to survive the avalanche that kills the others, including her beloved father. While Fiona’s mental health is unravelled further by grief, Ruby is flattened by Gus’s loss. After the search ends with no sign of her father, Ruby is determined to find him herself, using the survival skills he taught her and believing that he must still be alive. Her trek back into the snow sets off events that stretches her own resourcefulness and her mother's fragile coping skills to the breaking point.
Atmospheric and deftly told with an economy of words and a finely tuned gaze on the small moments that build up to an inexorable and shocking end, Last Winter is a contemporary drama that will grip readers both for the story and for the vibrant portrayal of the complexities of family life.
Last Winter is the story of a child who might not survive the heartbreak of her father’s death and a mother who struggles to both parent and manage her grief in the grips of a Bipolar crisis.
Fiona and Gus’s marriage has veered off course. Fiona’s mental health is shaky at best, and is now further strained under the weight of a transgression that she would like to both forget and repeat. Gus, a pro snowboarder turned backcountry guide, is exhausted by Fiona's mood swings and her ambivalence about their relationship, but mostly by the impact of her erratic behaviour on their eight-year-old daughter, Ruby. Ruby loves them both, but has a much closer relationship with her father, and has stopped talking in the face of the tensions between her parents.
In the midst of this marital crisis, Gus takes Ruby’s class on an overnight trip into the wilderness, where Ruby is one of only two children to survive the avalanche that kills the others, including her beloved father. While Fiona’s mental health is unravelled further by grief, Ruby is flattened by Gus’s loss. After the search ends with no sign of her father, Ruby is determined to find him herself, using the survival skills he taught her and believing that he must still be alive. Her trek back into the snow sets off events that stretches her own resourcefulness and her mother's fragile coping skills to the breaking point.
Atmospheric and deftly told with an economy of words and a finely tuned gaze on the small moments that build up to an inexorable and shocking end, Last Winter is a contemporary drama that will grip readers both for the story and for the vibrant portrayal of the complexities of family life.
373 pages, Paperback
Published January 24, 2023
About the author
Carrie Mac
20 books163 followersFour-eyed bookworm, tattooed queer, storyteller nomad mama to two unschooled earthlings, based in East Van, overlooking the shipyard cranes and always ready for the next most amazing giant tiny little big wonderful something to capture my attention.
Or:
When Carrie Mac was born, her right eye gawked off in one direction while her left eye looked the other way. Well meaning adults thought she was a changeling and so they wrapped her up and put her on the porch for the fairies to take back, please and thank you. It was snowing. It was dark. No fairies came. The same well meaning adults decided she'd catch her death out there. So they brought her in and kept her after all.
She's read millions of books, and has sat happily at the feat of a legion of storytellers. She is equally fascinated by disaster and grace. car wrecks, hurricanes, plagues, and genocides on the one hand, small and stunning everyday miracles on the other. She sometimes wishes she were a pirate. She'd often wished she'd run away and joined the circus when she had the chance. She spends a great deal of time in the company of her imagination, and when she isn't, she's wide eyed and awed by this planet and the people running amok all over it.
Or:
When Carrie Mac was born, her right eye gawked off in one direction while her left eye looked the other way. Well meaning adults thought she was a changeling and so they wrapped her up and put her on the porch for the fairies to take back, please and thank you. It was snowing. It was dark. No fairies came. The same well meaning adults decided she'd catch her death out there. So they brought her in and kept her after all.
She's read millions of books, and has sat happily at the feat of a legion of storytellers. She is equally fascinated by disaster and grace. car wrecks, hurricanes, plagues, and genocides on the one hand, small and stunning everyday miracles on the other. She sometimes wishes she were a pirate. She'd often wished she'd run away and joined the circus when she had the chance. She spends a great deal of time in the company of her imagination, and when she isn't, she's wide eyed and awed by this planet and the people running amok all over it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
March 24, 2023
The ebook was on sale and after reading the synopsis I couldn’t resist, especially because it was compared to “Beartown”, by Fredrick Backman and “The Great Alone”, by Kristin Hannah, which is kind of risky, as it creates huge expectation.
As soon as I started reading I became completely immersed and I did not want to do anything else but to reach its conclusion.
I thought that this book was very well written.
I loved the storyline, its structure and the development of the storyline.
It’s very descriptive and the story is heartbreaking.
I did not find anything disturbing about this dark and sad story involving a mother, who is bipolar, and her 8 (almost 9) years old daughter, who, although with selective mutism, was so well put together for her age. They both ended dealing with great grief.
Everything was so believable, so human and so touching.
Most of the readers that received an ARC abandoned this book after a few pages or after a couple of chapters just because they were not happy with the layout (that’s exactly the main reason I stoped requesting ARCs).
There are lots of unfair and negative reviews that I read before starting this book, but because the majority did not finish reading the book, I decided to ignore them. And I’m glad I did.
I even purchased the audiobook, which I listened while reading, and helped me to enjoy the book even more, as the narration was terrific and brought everything to life.
Yes, there are lots of triggers in this book that may displease some readers, but the main topic is mental health and the writing is terrific.
Paperback (Penguin Random House Canada): 373 pages
Ebook (Kobo): 406 pages (default), 110k words
Audiobook narrated by Victoria Carr: 11.7 hours (normal speed)
PS. Some readers were upset that there was a scene where the family goes skinny dipping, minors included.
Here in Canada, in the Province of Ontario (also in the Province of Quebec), we have clothing optional beaches and there are no restrictions as to age (and you do not have to be a naturalist or member of a club) and a whole family enjoy a warm day together (I’ve been to a couple places but I have never felt comfortable to join them).
I wished that my parents had treated nakedness as a natural expression and not shameful (I avoided wearing shorts around my friends until I was 19).
There are descriptions of bodily functions that also may upset some people, but I thought that they were fitting and natural.
Anyways, I understand that we all have different opinions and perspectives, but if you want to judge this book, at least read it in whole.
As soon as I started reading I became completely immersed and I did not want to do anything else but to reach its conclusion.
I thought that this book was very well written.
I loved the storyline, its structure and the development of the storyline.
It’s very descriptive and the story is heartbreaking.
I did not find anything disturbing about this dark and sad story involving a mother, who is bipolar, and her 8 (almost 9) years old daughter, who, although with selective mutism, was so well put together for her age. They both ended dealing with great grief.
Everything was so believable, so human and so touching.
Most of the readers that received an ARC abandoned this book after a few pages or after a couple of chapters just because they were not happy with the layout (that’s exactly the main reason I stoped requesting ARCs).
There are lots of unfair and negative reviews that I read before starting this book, but because the majority did not finish reading the book, I decided to ignore them. And I’m glad I did.
I even purchased the audiobook, which I listened while reading, and helped me to enjoy the book even more, as the narration was terrific and brought everything to life.
Yes, there are lots of triggers in this book that may displease some readers, but the main topic is mental health and the writing is terrific.
Paperback (Penguin Random House Canada): 373 pages
Ebook (Kobo): 406 pages (default), 110k words
Audiobook narrated by Victoria Carr: 11.7 hours (normal speed)
PS. Some readers were upset that there was a scene where the family goes skinny dipping, minors included.
Here in Canada, in the Province of Ontario (also in the Province of Quebec), we have clothing optional beaches and there are no restrictions as to age (and you do not have to be a naturalist or member of a club) and a whole family enjoy a warm day together (I’ve been to a couple places but I have never felt comfortable to join them).
I wished that my parents had treated nakedness as a natural expression and not shameful (I avoided wearing shorts around my friends until I was 19).
There are descriptions of bodily functions that also may upset some people, but I thought that they were fitting and natural.
Anyways, I understand that we all have different opinions and perspectives, but if you want to judge this book, at least read it in whole.
January 24, 2023
Last Winter by Carrie Mac is a gripping and unforgettable story!
This haunting novel describes the impact of a fatal avalanche on a small town in the mountains of B.C. as seen through the eyes of those who survive the tragedy.
The focus is on a child who knows no bounds in trying to rescue her beloved Dad while her mother struggles to be a parent and manage her grief while experiencing a Bipolar crisis.
A very realistic depiction of mental illness and an important read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Canada for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
This haunting novel describes the impact of a fatal avalanche on a small town in the mountains of B.C. as seen through the eyes of those who survive the tragedy.
The focus is on a child who knows no bounds in trying to rescue her beloved Dad while her mother struggles to be a parent and manage her grief while experiencing a Bipolar crisis.
A very realistic depiction of mental illness and an important read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Canada for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
Read
January 6, 2023There are so many trigger warnings in this one and I didn’t even finish it. I promised myself that I would learn to put it down and walk away if the book has me feeling icky … and this is just that.
I went into this seeing the marketing surrounding it compared to Beartown or The Great Alone. It is neither.
For me, there’s too much about genitals, fetishes, child abuse and honestly too much nudity with a child involved.
A broken family with major mental health issues that borderline cross into pedophilia.
Example: child wandering into couple having sex, putting her hand into ejaculation. Sex and skinny dipping with a minor. Genitals exposed. Bodily functions described in details.
I appreciate everyone’s views. This is my view. It was a book not for me
I went into this seeing the marketing surrounding it compared to Beartown or The Great Alone. It is neither.
For me, there’s too much about genitals, fetishes, child abuse and honestly too much nudity with a child involved.
A broken family with major mental health issues that borderline cross into pedophilia.
Example: child wandering into couple having sex, putting her hand into ejaculation. Sex and skinny dipping with a minor. Genitals exposed. Bodily functions described in details.
I appreciate everyone’s views. This is my view. It was a book not for me
January 14, 2023
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: January 24, 2023
Five children and their wilderness guide, Gus, a former Olympian, set out on a survival course for an elementary school field trip. Tragically, an avalanche strikes and the children, and their guide, are missing. All except for selectively mute young Ruby, who was sent ahead by Gus, who happens to be her father, and therefore missed the avalanche completely. Now, Ruby is in the sole care of her mother, Fiona, who is now also a new widow, facing single parenthood while continuing to battle her bipolar disorder. Ruby is convinced her father is still alive and she knows she has the survival skills to find him and bring him home to her so she sets out on a journey to retrieve her missing father while her entire community struggles with the overwhelming loss, and her mother battles her own equally vicious demons.
Carrie Mac is a Canadian writer, one who is new to me although she has several books under her belt. “Last Winter” is her newest, and it has been compared to the likes of Frederick Backman. I will say that “Winter” is like Backman’s works in that a tragedy strikes a close-knit community, and they rally together to support each other while some turn on each other), and that some pretty heavy issues are dealt with. In “Winter”, there is quite obviously grief and loss (of children and spouses and everything in between), but also addiction, mental illness, parenting and trauma, so it is definitely not light reading material.
The first half of this novel I found to be disjointed and confusing- the main narrators, Ruby and Fiona, were difficult to identify right away, as both took turns with seemingly no differentiation and the plot, too, jumped back and forth with no clear indication and separation. The first half focuses on life after the avalanche, so the bulk of the action hasn’t happened yet, while the latter half focuses on life right before the avalanche, and all of the events from afterward that the first part of the novel didn’t cover. For all the first half of the novel lacks, the second half more than makes up for. Gripping, emotionally charged and desolate, I loved every page-turning second.
Fiona’s struggle with bipolar disorder is heartbreaking, as is the multi-faceted challenges faced by Ruby both before her father’s death and after. Mac makes it easy to sympathize with both of the female characters and even with all of Fiona’s faults, she is desperately honest and doing her very best with what she has to raise her young daughter on her own.
“Last Winter” was intriguing as it was heartbreaking, and it left me with chills, in more ways than one. I am so glad I have found another Canadian writer to enjoy.
Expected publication date: January 24, 2023
Five children and their wilderness guide, Gus, a former Olympian, set out on a survival course for an elementary school field trip. Tragically, an avalanche strikes and the children, and their guide, are missing. All except for selectively mute young Ruby, who was sent ahead by Gus, who happens to be her father, and therefore missed the avalanche completely. Now, Ruby is in the sole care of her mother, Fiona, who is now also a new widow, facing single parenthood while continuing to battle her bipolar disorder. Ruby is convinced her father is still alive and she knows she has the survival skills to find him and bring him home to her so she sets out on a journey to retrieve her missing father while her entire community struggles with the overwhelming loss, and her mother battles her own equally vicious demons.
Carrie Mac is a Canadian writer, one who is new to me although she has several books under her belt. “Last Winter” is her newest, and it has been compared to the likes of Frederick Backman. I will say that “Winter” is like Backman’s works in that a tragedy strikes a close-knit community, and they rally together to support each other while some turn on each other), and that some pretty heavy issues are dealt with. In “Winter”, there is quite obviously grief and loss (of children and spouses and everything in between), but also addiction, mental illness, parenting and trauma, so it is definitely not light reading material.
The first half of this novel I found to be disjointed and confusing- the main narrators, Ruby and Fiona, were difficult to identify right away, as both took turns with seemingly no differentiation and the plot, too, jumped back and forth with no clear indication and separation. The first half focuses on life after the avalanche, so the bulk of the action hasn’t happened yet, while the latter half focuses on life right before the avalanche, and all of the events from afterward that the first part of the novel didn’t cover. For all the first half of the novel lacks, the second half more than makes up for. Gripping, emotionally charged and desolate, I loved every page-turning second.
Fiona’s struggle with bipolar disorder is heartbreaking, as is the multi-faceted challenges faced by Ruby both before her father’s death and after. Mac makes it easy to sympathize with both of the female characters and even with all of Fiona’s faults, she is desperately honest and doing her very best with what she has to raise her young daughter on her own.
“Last Winter” was intriguing as it was heartbreaking, and it left me with chills, in more ways than one. I am so glad I have found another Canadian writer to enjoy.
February 18, 2024
This was not what I had hoped for. A small part of it was about wilderness survival; but it was mostly about a wife and mom, and her bi-polar disorder that ravaged both her, her husband, and her family. Which is not to say it wasn’t well written, because it was. To the point where it had my own mental health reacting to the words of the story. My anxiety spiked multiple times during this story; not because of the cold, winter, or avalanche; instead it was because of the intensity of Mom’s actions, thoughts, and struggles.
I don’t know why this is marketed the way it is. The Last Winter is NOT a story about a town or avalanche at its core. It’s actually about a little girl and her bi-polar mother, and amazing father. It’s about how hard it is to keep a family together when one person is unstable, unpredictable, and hard to manage. And it’s sooo incredibly intense because the author herself is bi-polar.
I love that this is written by a Canadian queer woman with a mental health issue (which is awfully close to what my own bio could say…). I just wish I’d known more of what I was going into in advance.
It’s possible I’d give this 3-stars in another situation, just for being other than expected, but I can’t imagine doing so given how much this book affected me. The writing is brilliant AND (most importantly to this Canadian) it’s an actual reflection of how dangerous snow and cold actually are!! I cannot emphasize how important it is that hypothermia, frostbite, dehydration (even when surrounded by snow) and other cold ailments are properly portrayed. If for no other reason than because I live in a cold and sometimes dangerously cold place, I think it’s important people remember that Mother Nature has always been able to beat our species.
While I’m so glad to have read this, I’m also glad to put it behind me and move on. It was just too intense in ways I wasn’t ready for.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
I don’t know why this is marketed the way it is. The Last Winter is NOT a story about a town or avalanche at its core. It’s actually about a little girl and her bi-polar mother, and amazing father. It’s about how hard it is to keep a family together when one person is unstable, unpredictable, and hard to manage. And it’s sooo incredibly intense because the author herself is bi-polar.
I love that this is written by a Canadian queer woman with a mental health issue (which is awfully close to what my own bio could say…). I just wish I’d known more of what I was going into in advance.
It’s possible I’d give this 3-stars in another situation, just for being other than expected, but I can’t imagine doing so given how much this book affected me. The writing is brilliant AND (most importantly to this Canadian) it’s an actual reflection of how dangerous snow and cold actually are!! I cannot emphasize how important it is that hypothermia, frostbite, dehydration (even when surrounded by snow) and other cold ailments are properly portrayed. If for no other reason than because I live in a cold and sometimes dangerously cold place, I think it’s important people remember that Mother Nature has always been able to beat our species.
While I’m so glad to have read this, I’m also glad to put it behind me and move on. It was just too intense in ways I wasn’t ready for.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
July 10, 2022
[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Last Winter releases in January 2023
TW: cheating, drunk driving, suicide and suicidal thoughts, parental neglect, child abuse, child death, abortion, indecent exposure, over sexualization of minors, constant mentions of children's genitalia, borderline pedo, fetishizations of minors and numerous mentions of bodily fluid (urine, feces, blood, ejaculate), mental health depictions.
Last Winter is set in a small mountain town in BC. This story is sectioned off into 3 parts: before, during, and after (the fatal avalanche).
I would like to preface this review by saying that I was initially very excited to read this. Having the story set in BC, where I’m from, I thought this would be the perfect winter adventure escape, but I was highly mislead by the synopsis. I truly wish there would have been any indication to the real content of this book, because if I knew it would have been a majority of vile and harmful indecent exposure to minors, I definitely would have stayed clear.
I did read the entirety of Last Winter, however, if I didn’t have the intention of providing a fully informed review, I would have easily dnf’d this before 20%.
The synopsis paints a picture of a broken family, overcoming grief from a tragic accident involving an avalanche, where the surviving child treks out to locate her missing father. And while Ruby does end up attempting this, the story is so far drawn out from this, that it’s maybe only 10% of the actual plot.
Instead of this being a story where the reader embarks on the impacts and fallout of the avalanche through the survivors, it’s more so a combination of irrelevant events that happen beforehand, through Fiona’s manic viewpoint.
Gus and Fiona have a very rocky relationship dynamic, which puts a strain on Ruby. His lack of necessary focus is honestly probably the main factor into the tragedies. Instead of focusing on the details of backcountry and this field trip, his mind was on divorce and sole custody of his child.
I would have liked for him to try harder to seek help for Fiona, through her manic bipolar episodes, instead of calling her bat-shit crazy. It was evident throughout the whole story that she was not taking her meds, but no one was giving her the support to get out of this horrible spiral.
On one hand, Ruby was very mature for her age - having to fend for herself and tend to the fire in her home, since her mother refused. But at the same time, she was very immature - constantly sucking her thumb at the age of 8 & 9. Now, with the writing, it doesn’t openly state that Ruby has ASD or is on the spectrum - but with all the descriptions, it was hard not to come to that conclusion. Ruby is selectively mute, has strong aversions to loud noises, has issues with the way clothing textures/fabrics/seams feel against her skin, and presents with delayed speech and writing skills.
I’m really not sure it’s accurate to say that Ruby was flattened by her father’s loss, when in actuality, she seemed to be the most put together emotionally out of everyone, and still had some semblance of hope that he survived and was using his skills as a backcountry guide.
Anyways, setting aside the fact that I thought I would be led on Ruby’s endearing journey of self-exploration with her winter survival skills, this novel was a real let down and highly vile and disturbing.
[POTENTIAL SPOILERS]
These are some of many things I had issues with:
- Fiona sexualizing her friends son on multiple occasions.
“She’d looked up milfs on porn sites and made herself come watching clips of supposedly teenaged boys fucking middleaged women.”
“She tried not to be alone with him.”
“She noticed the wear on his leather belt, the rim of his underwear stretched across his smooth, golden back.”
+ wondering if the son would have the same manly musk scent as his father. (The son is 9 years old)
- Cheating on her husband with her husbands best friend.
- Letting your 8 year old child drink alcohol, multiple times.
- Fiona looking at her childs asshole (and not just a glance, a real stare).
“She pulled off her swimsuit. Her naked little bum was at Fiona’s eye level, pale, smooth, with a tiny little star nestled between her cheeks when she bent over. Her daughter’s asshole. A child’s asshole."
- Skinny dipping with your child, who is 8, and running hand in hand with them, while naked.
- The oversexualization of body parts involving minors.
“Pervert, Liam said. Then we all are, Mike said, laughing.”
Yeah, you’re all perverts and need to seek help, because it is not okay to constantly expose yourself to minors!!
- Gus thinking Fiona’s mental illness wears them down. Maybe help her instead of shaming her?
- Fiona having sex with her cousin at 12, which was essentially rape.
- Writing that the other children in the book (ages 9), were touching each others genitalia.
- Ruby walking in on people having sex.
- Ruby describing her mother in a thong, and then completely naked, and the difference in state of her pubic hair over time.
- Ruby going into her parents musky smelling bedroom, going onto their bed, and putting her hand into a “wet spot” - aka her fathers ejaculate. Absolutely disgusting.
- The outrageous amount of times that the author had to describe someone's pee, or diarrhea. I was extremely close to being ill. And, it wasn’t even explained why they were all so violently ill - it was almost just another excuse to write in a disgusting fetish.
- The fact that on more than one occasion, Ruby was too afraid to pee, to the point that once, she was cupping herself down there, and two, actually pissed and shat herself. Like, I do not need to be reading this!!!
“She watched her father pee all the time.” — I’m sorry to tell you, that’s entirely not normal behaviour.
- The fact that Mike had to forcibly shove pills down Fiona's throat, but had a hard on while doing that?
- Writing a F/F married couple but describing them as: “quite beefy and masculine presenting” and “the other is the gestator”
- AGAIN: writing about the exposed genitals of MINORS — once at the hospital between Liam and Ruby, and again at the memorial saying that all Ruby could think about was Shane’s erect penis — keep in mind all these children are 9 years old.
- Explicitly writing “there was a shooting in Surrey.” — of all the things you could have mentioned about BC from a radio clip, it had to be something so stereotypical? What value did this add to an already heavily judged POC community?
- “Ruby imagined an explosion that blew her mother high into the cold, cold clouds, as if an invisible giant had yanked her away.”
Although this was an arc, and not a final copy, I had a hard time reading this (aside from content wise), because there didn’t seem to be any chapter indicators at all. New paragraphs would be formed but it would be a completely different thought process, or persons pov, or day, but still a continuation without any visual way to break it up. I’m hoping this format will be revised for future readers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Last Winter releases in January 2023
TW: cheating, drunk driving, suicide and suicidal thoughts, parental neglect, child abuse, child death, abortion, indecent exposure, over sexualization of minors, constant mentions of children's genitalia, borderline pedo, fetishizations of minors and numerous mentions of bodily fluid (urine, feces, blood, ejaculate), mental health depictions.
Last Winter is set in a small mountain town in BC. This story is sectioned off into 3 parts: before, during, and after (the fatal avalanche).
I would like to preface this review by saying that I was initially very excited to read this. Having the story set in BC, where I’m from, I thought this would be the perfect winter adventure escape, but I was highly mislead by the synopsis. I truly wish there would have been any indication to the real content of this book, because if I knew it would have been a majority of vile and harmful indecent exposure to minors, I definitely would have stayed clear.
I did read the entirety of Last Winter, however, if I didn’t have the intention of providing a fully informed review, I would have easily dnf’d this before 20%.
The synopsis paints a picture of a broken family, overcoming grief from a tragic accident involving an avalanche, where the surviving child treks out to locate her missing father. And while Ruby does end up attempting this, the story is so far drawn out from this, that it’s maybe only 10% of the actual plot.
Instead of this being a story where the reader embarks on the impacts and fallout of the avalanche through the survivors, it’s more so a combination of irrelevant events that happen beforehand, through Fiona’s manic viewpoint.
Gus and Fiona have a very rocky relationship dynamic, which puts a strain on Ruby. His lack of necessary focus is honestly probably the main factor into the tragedies. Instead of focusing on the details of backcountry and this field trip, his mind was on divorce and sole custody of his child.
I would have liked for him to try harder to seek help for Fiona, through her manic bipolar episodes, instead of calling her bat-shit crazy. It was evident throughout the whole story that she was not taking her meds, but no one was giving her the support to get out of this horrible spiral.
On one hand, Ruby was very mature for her age - having to fend for herself and tend to the fire in her home, since her mother refused. But at the same time, she was very immature - constantly sucking her thumb at the age of 8 & 9. Now, with the writing, it doesn’t openly state that Ruby has ASD or is on the spectrum - but with all the descriptions, it was hard not to come to that conclusion. Ruby is selectively mute, has strong aversions to loud noises, has issues with the way clothing textures/fabrics/seams feel against her skin, and presents with delayed speech and writing skills.
I’m really not sure it’s accurate to say that Ruby was flattened by her father’s loss, when in actuality, she seemed to be the most put together emotionally out of everyone, and still had some semblance of hope that he survived and was using his skills as a backcountry guide.
Anyways, setting aside the fact that I thought I would be led on Ruby’s endearing journey of self-exploration with her winter survival skills, this novel was a real let down and highly vile and disturbing.
[POTENTIAL SPOILERS]
These are some of many things I had issues with:
- Fiona sexualizing her friends son on multiple occasions.
“She’d looked up milfs on porn sites and made herself come watching clips of supposedly teenaged boys fucking middleaged women.”
“She tried not to be alone with him.”
“She noticed the wear on his leather belt, the rim of his underwear stretched across his smooth, golden back.”
+ wondering if the son would have the same manly musk scent as his father. (The son is 9 years old)
- Cheating on her husband with her husbands best friend.
- Letting your 8 year old child drink alcohol, multiple times.
- Fiona looking at her childs asshole (and not just a glance, a real stare).
“She pulled off her swimsuit. Her naked little bum was at Fiona’s eye level, pale, smooth, with a tiny little star nestled between her cheeks when she bent over. Her daughter’s asshole. A child’s asshole."
- Skinny dipping with your child, who is 8, and running hand in hand with them, while naked.
- The oversexualization of body parts involving minors.
“Pervert, Liam said. Then we all are, Mike said, laughing.”
Yeah, you’re all perverts and need to seek help, because it is not okay to constantly expose yourself to minors!!
- Gus thinking Fiona’s mental illness wears them down. Maybe help her instead of shaming her?
- Fiona having sex with her cousin at 12, which was essentially rape.
- Writing that the other children in the book (ages 9), were touching each others genitalia.
- Ruby walking in on people having sex.
- Ruby describing her mother in a thong, and then completely naked, and the difference in state of her pubic hair over time.
- Ruby going into her parents musky smelling bedroom, going onto their bed, and putting her hand into a “wet spot” - aka her fathers ejaculate. Absolutely disgusting.
- The outrageous amount of times that the author had to describe someone's pee, or diarrhea. I was extremely close to being ill. And, it wasn’t even explained why they were all so violently ill - it was almost just another excuse to write in a disgusting fetish.
- The fact that on more than one occasion, Ruby was too afraid to pee, to the point that once, she was cupping herself down there, and two, actually pissed and shat herself. Like, I do not need to be reading this!!!
“She watched her father pee all the time.” — I’m sorry to tell you, that’s entirely not normal behaviour.
- The fact that Mike had to forcibly shove pills down Fiona's throat, but had a hard on while doing that?
- Writing a F/F married couple but describing them as: “quite beefy and masculine presenting” and “the other is the gestator”
- AGAIN: writing about the exposed genitals of MINORS — once at the hospital between Liam and Ruby, and again at the memorial saying that all Ruby could think about was Shane’s erect penis — keep in mind all these children are 9 years old.
- Explicitly writing “there was a shooting in Surrey.” — of all the things you could have mentioned about BC from a radio clip, it had to be something so stereotypical? What value did this add to an already heavily judged POC community?
- “Ruby imagined an explosion that blew her mother high into the cold, cold clouds, as if an invisible giant had yanked her away.”
Although this was an arc, and not a final copy, I had a hard time reading this (aside from content wise), because there didn’t seem to be any chapter indicators at all. New paragraphs would be formed but it would be a completely different thought process, or persons pov, or day, but still a continuation without any visual way to break it up. I’m hoping this format will be revised for future readers.
January 16, 2023
This was a difficult one to both read and review. Parts of this book are very disturbing (a lot of sexualized imagery of minors) and a truly unlikeable mother character. That said I thought the author did such a good job realistically representing the struggles a woman with bipolar disorder had managing her meds, her addictions (alcoholism and drugs) and sadly the person who suffers most is her young daughter.
When a tragic avalanche accident rocks their small BC mountain community, people pull together to try to help her family out but even the best intentions aren't always enough to help someone struggling. Slow moving in parts, I thought this was decent on audio with a really captivating cover but I didn't see the comparisons the book has been getting to Frederik Backman's Beartown series or Kristin Hannah's The great alone. Much thanks to Librofm for a compilmentary ALC of this Canadian adult fiction debut.
CW: bipolar disorder, child abuse, drug and alcohol addiction
When a tragic avalanche accident rocks their small BC mountain community, people pull together to try to help her family out but even the best intentions aren't always enough to help someone struggling. Slow moving in parts, I thought this was decent on audio with a really captivating cover but I didn't see the comparisons the book has been getting to Frederik Backman's Beartown series or Kristin Hannah's The great alone. Much thanks to Librofm for a compilmentary ALC of this Canadian adult fiction debut.
CW: bipolar disorder, child abuse, drug and alcohol addiction
January 24, 2023
I was excited to read this book based on its blurb, its Canadian location and the publisher’s comparison to Fredrik Backman’s, Beartown (one of my five star reads last year). But the wilderness locales of the three books is where the similarities end. Honestly, I felt frustrated, a bit miffed and very mislead by the book’s blurb.
I don’t take DNFing (did not finish) books lightly. Last Winter is one of only two advanced copies (out of over 600 books) that I have ever DNF’d. I read 25% of this book but had to set it aside due to a vast array of uncomfortable topics. The ick factor is high in this book, and it really should contain trigger warnings. I was unprepared for the detailed descriptions of various genitalia, adult nudity in front a child, abuse, a woman sexualizing a minor and vivid descriptions of bodily fluids (including ejaculate and urine) … that were described gratuitously. These highly sensitive and sexualized scenes easily overshadow the main plot and its description of a person with bipolar disease.
I don’t consider myself prudish and don’t normally DNF based on content, but I could not continue reading this book. Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read Last Winter, but since I did not read the entire book, I will not be posting my review on my blog.
I don’t take DNFing (did not finish) books lightly. Last Winter is one of only two advanced copies (out of over 600 books) that I have ever DNF’d. I read 25% of this book but had to set it aside due to a vast array of uncomfortable topics. The ick factor is high in this book, and it really should contain trigger warnings. I was unprepared for the detailed descriptions of various genitalia, adult nudity in front a child, abuse, a woman sexualizing a minor and vivid descriptions of bodily fluids (including ejaculate and urine) … that were described gratuitously. These highly sensitive and sexualized scenes easily overshadow the main plot and its description of a person with bipolar disease.
I don’t consider myself prudish and don’t normally DNF based on content, but I could not continue reading this book. Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read Last Winter, but since I did not read the entire book, I will not be posting my review on my blog.
March 20, 2023
Last Winter was a confusing mess from the get-go. To begin, I found it very difficult to keep track of the characters from the start. They were all thrown at the reader quickly and through the eyes of a very unreliable narrator. I do not mind an unreliable narrator, but Fiona's character was impossible to follow at times. She was also extremely unlikeable in every way. I found the sudden aggressive nature of her character unnerving to read and unrealistic. Also, there was a weird emphasis on children's nudity which seemed out of place, unnecessary, and just plain odd. I kept waiting for the book to be somewhat redeemable but that time never came. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
January 16, 2023
Wow! What a great book! Gus and Fiona's daughter Ruby is daddy's girl. Though she hardly speaks at all, she learns eagerly about bush craft from her father, who runs an adventure outfitting store in town. This is also a story about her mother Fiona, who struggles with bipolar, never making it easy on herself, never one to go along to get along. The townsfolk seem to hate Fiona, even her friends have a hard time being kind to her. When tragedy strikes the town, including Ruby's family, any semblance of a normal life fray at the ends. I enjoyed Ruby's nine-year-old sense of belief, her independence and persistence. I worried about her fate and that of her mother. A well-crafted story. This is not just another novel for young readers!
March 26, 2023
That was a challenging read. The first part is struggled to follow the narrative, the purpose and the story. The amount of sexual and bodily functions mentioned seemed so unnecessary. Until the aftermath part, I wasn’t engaged but that part redeemed itself more. It’s compared to Beartown and The Great Alone but beyond the isolation and winter, I don’t get why. This doesn’t haven’t be heart. It’s heartbreaking and never satisfying. You just wish everyone had more support.
January 5, 2023
⚠️Content Warning⚠️
I had to DNF at 20% this book was too much for me to take in I honestly felt unsettled with descriptions of people's nudity especially minors and the premise of this book. I would like to thank the publisher for the ARC and I am sorry I could not do a better review.
I had to DNF at 20% this book was too much for me to take in I honestly felt unsettled with descriptions of people's nudity especially minors and the premise of this book. I would like to thank the publisher for the ARC and I am sorry I could not do a better review.
February 3, 2023
3.5 stars
Early in the book, we learn that 5 children died in an avalanche. One adult also died. 8-year old Ruby was one of 2 children who made it out alive, along with one other adult.
Leading up to the avalanche, we follow Ruby, her mother Fiona, who has a mental illness, and Ruby’s father Gus, who is a former Olympic snowboarder and now runs a backcountry guiding company and was one of the adults on the trip when the avalanche happened. Fiona and Gus’s relationship is in bad shape and they fight a lot. Fiona often does not take her medication, so is quite shocking in some of the things she says and does with friends.
It took me a long time to get “into” the book. It was hard to follow for the first 1/3 to ½ of the book, as there were a lot of characters I had trouble keeping straight (who was who, and how are they “related”?). There were also a couple of shifts in time that I struggled with. Fiona was extremely unlikable; I guess I should try to have more sympathy, but it’s hard when she won’t take her mediation. But, the book really picked up in the second half as the avalanche hit, along with the aftermath.
Early in the book, we learn that 5 children died in an avalanche. One adult also died. 8-year old Ruby was one of 2 children who made it out alive, along with one other adult.
Leading up to the avalanche, we follow Ruby, her mother Fiona, who has a mental illness, and Ruby’s father Gus, who is a former Olympic snowboarder and now runs a backcountry guiding company and was one of the adults on the trip when the avalanche happened. Fiona and Gus’s relationship is in bad shape and they fight a lot. Fiona often does not take her medication, so is quite shocking in some of the things she says and does with friends.
It took me a long time to get “into” the book. It was hard to follow for the first 1/3 to ½ of the book, as there were a lot of characters I had trouble keeping straight (who was who, and how are they “related”?). There were also a couple of shifts in time that I struggled with. Fiona was extremely unlikable; I guess I should try to have more sympathy, but it’s hard when she won’t take her mediation. But, the book really picked up in the second half as the avalanche hit, along with the aftermath.
January 7, 2024
I have so many thoughts about this book. First of all, Carrie Mac’s writing was perfect. She was so descriptive and thorough; I felt like I was part of this community and knew these people. From the very first page where she described how the town was waiting for the first snow, I was hooked.
I felt guilty thinking this, but Fiona annoyed me immediately. When Ruby went to find her father, and the police were asking her questions and she turned inward, I felt rage. How can you not answer their questions? How can you not want to assist? But I recognize that I do not live with Bipolar Disorder and have no clue how I would act in this situation.
Fiona’s insecurities and anxieties are relentless and exhausting. Some of her behaviour reminded me of myself and how I act sometimes due to an anxiety disorder. This book gave great insight as to what it would be like to live with someone who was experience mental health issues. I can’t fathom what it would be like to have lucid moments where you recognize that you’re ill. “She considered Ruby, but she was too stoned on antipsychotics to go get her. Not yet. Not until she was sure she wouldn’t fuck it up.” It must be so heart wrenching as a parent to realize you’re not always fit to be around your own child.
I felt guilty thinking this, but Fiona annoyed me immediately. When Ruby went to find her father, and the police were asking her questions and she turned inward, I felt rage. How can you not answer their questions? How can you not want to assist? But I recognize that I do not live with Bipolar Disorder and have no clue how I would act in this situation.
Fiona’s insecurities and anxieties are relentless and exhausting. Some of her behaviour reminded me of myself and how I act sometimes due to an anxiety disorder. This book gave great insight as to what it would be like to live with someone who was experience mental health issues. I can’t fathom what it would be like to have lucid moments where you recognize that you’re ill. “She considered Ruby, but she was too stoned on antipsychotics to go get her. Not yet. Not until she was sure she wouldn’t fuck it up.” It must be so heart wrenching as a parent to realize you’re not always fit to be around your own child.
January 28, 2026
Title:
Last Winter
Author: Carrie Mac
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: January 24, 2024
I received a complimentary eARC from Penguin Random House Canasa via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Complicated • Atmospheric • Bleak
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Fiona and Gus's marriage has veered off course. Fiona's mental health is shaky at best, and is now further strained under the weight of a transgression that she would like to both forget and repeat. Gus, a pro snowboarder turned backcountry guide, is exhausted by Fiona's mood swings and her ambivalence about their relationship, but mostly by the impact of her erratic behaviour on their eight-year-old daughter, Ruby. Ruby loves them both, but has a much closer relationship with her father, and has stopped talking in the face of the tensions between her parents.
In the midst of this marital crisis, Gus takes Ruby's class on an overnight trip into the wilderness, where Ruby is one of only two children to survive the avalanche that kills the others, including her beloved father. While Fiona's mental health is unraveled further by grief, Ruby is flattened by Gus' loss. After the search ends with no sign of her father, Ruby is determined to find him herself, using the survival skills he taught her and believing that he must still be alive. Her trek back into the snow sets off events that stretches her own resourcefulness and her mother's fragile coping skills to the breaking point.
💭 T H O U G H T S
What drew me towards Last Winter by Canadian author Carrie Mac? Honestly, it was the comparison to an all-time favourite, Beartown. Are these two books similar? Yes, in that they both take place in cold climates and tackle difficult subject matter. However, that is where the comparison ends.
I have to say this was a difficult book to read and writing a review is equally challenging. At various points, I wanted to stop reading as some parts are deeply disturbing and detracted from the main plot (more on that below). Yet beyond the icky, the story itself was compelling and paints a vivid portrait of what life is like living with bipolar disorder. Told in dual narration from the perspectives of both Ruby, the daughter, and Fiona, the wife/mother, the story is broken up into three distinct parts, before, during, and after the avalanche, which works perfectly for the story. Relying on her lived experience, the author crafts an isolating atmosphere with ease.
Coming back to the unnecessary disturbing content, including the sexualization of children, sexual impulses/imaginings, and detailed descriptions of various bodily fluids and genitalia, which all combine to overshadow what could have been a really good story. It could be said some of it was needed to move the story along, however, much of it was not needed and ended up shifting the focus of the narrative entirely.
Last Winter is certainly not a book for everyone, especially not the faint of heart. The whole thing weaves a bleak thread and leaves the reader with no real payoff. With some of the unnecessary content removed, this book could have been made so much better. Glad to have given it a chance, I cannot say I see myself picking up more of this author's work and could only see myself recommending it to a select few.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• dysfunctional families
• mental illness representation
⚠️ CW: mental illness, bipolar disorder, sexual objectification of children, addiction, drug abuse, drug use, alcohol, alcoholism, infidelity, child abuse, pedophilia, sexual content, toxic relationship, excrement, vomit, abortion, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, abandonment, bullying, cursing, death, child death, death of partner
Author: Carrie Mac
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: January 24, 2024
I received a complimentary eARC from Penguin Random House Canasa via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Complicated • Atmospheric • Bleak
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Fiona and Gus's marriage has veered off course. Fiona's mental health is shaky at best, and is now further strained under the weight of a transgression that she would like to both forget and repeat. Gus, a pro snowboarder turned backcountry guide, is exhausted by Fiona's mood swings and her ambivalence about their relationship, but mostly by the impact of her erratic behaviour on their eight-year-old daughter, Ruby. Ruby loves them both, but has a much closer relationship with her father, and has stopped talking in the face of the tensions between her parents.
In the midst of this marital crisis, Gus takes Ruby's class on an overnight trip into the wilderness, where Ruby is one of only two children to survive the avalanche that kills the others, including her beloved father. While Fiona's mental health is unraveled further by grief, Ruby is flattened by Gus' loss. After the search ends with no sign of her father, Ruby is determined to find him herself, using the survival skills he taught her and believing that he must still be alive. Her trek back into the snow sets off events that stretches her own resourcefulness and her mother's fragile coping skills to the breaking point.
💭 T H O U G H T S
What drew me towards Last Winter by Canadian author Carrie Mac? Honestly, it was the comparison to an all-time favourite, Beartown. Are these two books similar? Yes, in that they both take place in cold climates and tackle difficult subject matter. However, that is where the comparison ends.
I have to say this was a difficult book to read and writing a review is equally challenging. At various points, I wanted to stop reading as some parts are deeply disturbing and detracted from the main plot (more on that below). Yet beyond the icky, the story itself was compelling and paints a vivid portrait of what life is like living with bipolar disorder. Told in dual narration from the perspectives of both Ruby, the daughter, and Fiona, the wife/mother, the story is broken up into three distinct parts, before, during, and after the avalanche, which works perfectly for the story. Relying on her lived experience, the author crafts an isolating atmosphere with ease.
Coming back to the unnecessary disturbing content, including the sexualization of children, sexual impulses/imaginings, and detailed descriptions of various bodily fluids and genitalia, which all combine to overshadow what could have been a really good story. It could be said some of it was needed to move the story along, however, much of it was not needed and ended up shifting the focus of the narrative entirely.
Last Winter is certainly not a book for everyone, especially not the faint of heart. The whole thing weaves a bleak thread and leaves the reader with no real payoff. With some of the unnecessary content removed, this book could have been made so much better. Glad to have given it a chance, I cannot say I see myself picking up more of this author's work and could only see myself recommending it to a select few.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• dysfunctional families
• mental illness representation
⚠️ CW: mental illness, bipolar disorder, sexual objectification of children, addiction, drug abuse, drug use, alcohol, alcoholism, infidelity, child abuse, pedophilia, sexual content, toxic relationship, excrement, vomit, abortion, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, abandonment, bullying, cursing, death, child death, death of partner
January 18, 2023
I’d like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this digital ARC of Last Winter by Carrie Mac in exchange for my honest review.
I was very much looking forward to reading this one. Being promoted as similar to Beartown and The Great Alone (two books that I loved) I was hopeful to fall into another book that I could add to my favourites list. And this one is Canadian, I generally love CanLit! Unfortunately, this book just didn’t work for me. It did not feel similar to either Beartown or The Great Alone in the slightest. This is a very dark and heavy read (this book needs to be loaded with trigger warnings) and believe me when I say I usually love books that deal with dark themes but this book tipped over the edge of the amount of dark themes that I can handle and find appropriate. Some of the topics in this one are important (mental illness, suicidal thoughts and attempts, oversexualization of minors, parental neglect, child abuse, death of children) but I didn’t feel like the author provided the reader with any sort of payoff in the end. It felt like trauma piled on top of trauma that was written in very heavy handed manner. That’s not to say that others won’t enjoy this book (we all like different books and connect to them for our reasons!) but this one really didn’t work for me.
Carrie Mac is obviously a talented writer as is evident in her descriptions and building of atmosphere but there was just too much about this book that didn’t work for me. I wish that I could provide a more positive review.
I was very much looking forward to reading this one. Being promoted as similar to Beartown and The Great Alone (two books that I loved) I was hopeful to fall into another book that I could add to my favourites list. And this one is Canadian, I generally love CanLit! Unfortunately, this book just didn’t work for me. It did not feel similar to either Beartown or The Great Alone in the slightest. This is a very dark and heavy read (this book needs to be loaded with trigger warnings) and believe me when I say I usually love books that deal with dark themes but this book tipped over the edge of the amount of dark themes that I can handle and find appropriate. Some of the topics in this one are important (mental illness, suicidal thoughts and attempts, oversexualization of minors, parental neglect, child abuse, death of children) but I didn’t feel like the author provided the reader with any sort of payoff in the end. It felt like trauma piled on top of trauma that was written in very heavy handed manner. That’s not to say that others won’t enjoy this book (we all like different books and connect to them for our reasons!) but this one really didn’t work for me.
Carrie Mac is obviously a talented writer as is evident in her descriptions and building of atmosphere but there was just too much about this book that didn’t work for me. I wish that I could provide a more positive review.
August 8, 2023
Synopsis:
Fiona & Gus's marriage is on the rocks, with her mental health shaky at best. Gus, a pro snowboarder turned backcountry guide is exhausted by Fiona's mood swings and the impact her erratic behaviour has on their 8 y/o daughter, Ruby. Gus takes Ruby’s class on an overnight trip into the wilderness, where Ruby is one of only two children to survive the avalanche that kills the others, including her beloved father. After the recovery operation ends with no sign of her father, Ruby uses her survival skills he taught her to go on a search by herself. Her trek back into the snow sets off events that stretches her own resourcefulness and her mother's fragile coping skills to the breaking point.
Review:
This was a devastating story about the potential impact of unstable mental health on a family. I think it's so important that such storylines be discussed because it is humanizing and eye-opening for readers and likely relatable for some. I would be so curious to hear from someone who can relate to the main character to see if it was written in a fair, realistic way. The book could have done without the oversexualization of the children in the book - not sure that it added much to the plot so I had to remove stars for that.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the eGalley!
Fiona & Gus's marriage is on the rocks, with her mental health shaky at best. Gus, a pro snowboarder turned backcountry guide is exhausted by Fiona's mood swings and the impact her erratic behaviour has on their 8 y/o daughter, Ruby. Gus takes Ruby’s class on an overnight trip into the wilderness, where Ruby is one of only two children to survive the avalanche that kills the others, including her beloved father. After the recovery operation ends with no sign of her father, Ruby uses her survival skills he taught her to go on a search by herself. Her trek back into the snow sets off events that stretches her own resourcefulness and her mother's fragile coping skills to the breaking point.
Review:
This was a devastating story about the potential impact of unstable mental health on a family. I think it's so important that such storylines be discussed because it is humanizing and eye-opening for readers and likely relatable for some. I would be so curious to hear from someone who can relate to the main character to see if it was written in a fair, realistic way. The book could have done without the oversexualization of the children in the book - not sure that it added much to the plot so I had to remove stars for that.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the eGalley!
January 8, 2023
This is not an easy book to review. Set in a small mountain town, this story follows what happens after a winter school trip ends tragically when an avalanche leaves all but two of the children dead. Last Winter has The Sweet Hereafter vibes and many trigger warnings that I recommend checking out before reading this book.
Ruby is almost 9 when she survives the natural disaster that claims her schoolmates and her father, the guardian of the trip. Even before this catastrophic event, Ruby rarely talked. “Selective mutism” was the diagnosis. Her parents marriage was on the brink of ending, and her mother, Fiona, diagnosed as being bipolar, was hard on Ruby. She often went off her meds, leaving Ruby neglected when her father Gus was away.
This is a heart wrenching book that is difficult to get through. Well written with an unflinching look at mental illness and childhood trauma, it is also relentless in it’s bleak and dismal portrayal of small town life suddenly thrust into a media storm and how quick people are to cast judgements and blame. There is no happy ending to this story which left me feeling a little melancholy.
I maybe too sensitive for this type of book, but I’m sure this story will be a fascinating one for many.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin House Canada for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Ruby is almost 9 when she survives the natural disaster that claims her schoolmates and her father, the guardian of the trip. Even before this catastrophic event, Ruby rarely talked. “Selective mutism” was the diagnosis. Her parents marriage was on the brink of ending, and her mother, Fiona, diagnosed as being bipolar, was hard on Ruby. She often went off her meds, leaving Ruby neglected when her father Gus was away.
This is a heart wrenching book that is difficult to get through. Well written with an unflinching look at mental illness and childhood trauma, it is also relentless in it’s bleak and dismal portrayal of small town life suddenly thrust into a media storm and how quick people are to cast judgements and blame. There is no happy ending to this story which left me feeling a little melancholy.
I maybe too sensitive for this type of book, but I’m sure this story will be a fascinating one for many.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin House Canada for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 29, 2023
An absolutely gripping book. A lot of reviews on here are saying the content is uncomfortable and disturbing, however, I disagree. Yes, the book does address some very unique themes, however, it works in conjunction with Fiona’s diagnosis. We’re meant to despise her and feel confused and appalled by her behavior at times, which is precisely what Carrie Mac is able to do with her word choices.
I don’t think the book is any more disturbing than say, a book, like Lord of the Flies, just be prepared to unravel pieces of corrupt human behavior that you never thought were possible.
The only thing that was confusing at times was the jump between Ruby’s POV and Fiona’s POV. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was able to finish it in a matter of days.
It was my first Carrie Mac novel and I’m excited to read more of her work!
I don’t think the book is any more disturbing than say, a book, like Lord of the Flies, just be prepared to unravel pieces of corrupt human behavior that you never thought were possible.
The only thing that was confusing at times was the jump between Ruby’s POV and Fiona’s POV. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was able to finish it in a matter of days.
It was my first Carrie Mac novel and I’m excited to read more of her work!
January 23, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. Although Carrie Mac has written several novels, this is my first. This Canadian author bases the story in a remote area of British Columbia where an avalanche forever changes the town and the families. The story will have you feeling every emotion- anger, sadness, sympathy, and hurt. Fiona (mom), is bipolar and an addict who is unable to care for her and Gus’ child, Ruby. During a trip in the mountain led by Gus, an avalanche strikes and leaves several children dead and Gus missing. Ruby has lost her father and she is now left with a mom who is unable to care for herself let alone an 8 year old child. A heart wrenching story of mental illness, death and love.
August 3, 2023
whoever decided to compare this novel to Beartown did it a massive disservice; nothing compares and sadly, it raised my expectations massively.
This was a morose novel; it was very dark, very depressing and very desolate, exactly likes the setting.
Not my favourite novel, but not my least favourite either - it was fine.
This was a morose novel; it was very dark, very depressing and very desolate, exactly likes the setting.
Not my favourite novel, but not my least favourite either - it was fine.
January 31, 2023
this book was hard to read. it is a very realistic depiction of mental illness, even more so than the stated avalanche and town's grief stated in the synopsis.
I didn't like Fiona, and I'm sure we aren't meant to. it is sad, however, watching her spiral down into her bipolar illness.
this book should come with some trigger warnings, suicidality, alcohol, and drug abuse.
Ruby is such a mature soul that at times you forget she is only 8 years old. I was hoping she would find her daddy Gus.
thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.
I didn't like Fiona, and I'm sure we aren't meant to. it is sad, however, watching her spiral down into her bipolar illness.
this book should come with some trigger warnings, suicidality, alcohol, and drug abuse.
Ruby is such a mature soul that at times you forget she is only 8 years old. I was hoping she would find her daddy Gus.
thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.
October 16, 2024
The entire first half and a lot of the second was basically a trauma dump for the very unlikeable mother. While I understand she was supposed to be diagnosed as bipolar, taking drugs and alcohol certainly didn’t help.
March 21, 2023
This book was written so well. Read it in two sittings. It kept me on the edge of my seat for both sittings. I needed my warm socks and blanket as I could feel the mountain cold through the pages.
The characters are complex, the story is heart wrenching and lovely.
The characters are complex, the story is heart wrenching and lovely.
December 16, 2024
Oh, I loved this. I hardly put it down. An excellent, uncomfortable read.
February 4, 2025
Why not read a book about an avalanche before going on a ski trip?!?
January 18, 2023
This is a powerful book. I was sure if it was a mystery or thriller, but it turned out to be a family drama with a lot of punch. I sobbed on more than one occasion. I always think it is a good book if the writer can make me cry. This is really the story of a dysfunctional family and the tragedy that surrounds them, both leading up to the avalanche and the after effects. It is deep and moving and left me with just the right amount of questions in the end.
January 13, 2023
(ARC review) Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing House for this advanced reading in exchange for my honest review.
I saw the synopsis of this book pop up in my feed and I thought, Cool I live in a BC small town and avalanches are always an issue, and I have family that live with bipolar mental health issues, I’ll give it a go.
What the book does really well is give you a sense of how a bipolar person (in the character of Fiona) acts, thinks and views others and herself. The disjointed swings between love and rage, kindness and selfishness, fear and lethargy are portrayed extremely if not scarily well.
Unfortunately, I found I never gained an ounce of sympathy for Fiona by the end of the novel, even though the author put in some backstory and scenes that were, I suppose, to make you feel bad for her. I just couldn’t for all the mental fantasies she continually described that were always sexual or suicidal. It was a very dark and disturbing material to read through.
Of all the characters in the book, Ruby, the nine year old daughter, is the one you feel badly for. She gets a raw deal. A few times I thought, if only the story had stayed in her point of view, though even some of her thoughts are pretty messed up and disturbing.
There is some compelling scenes especially around the avalanche, but the author’s fixation on describing the naked bodies (many, many times throughout the book) and vividly pointing out the private parts (of a dead child) is rather disturbing and detracts from the scene as a whole, especially around this awful tragedy. These sections could be deleted and or cut down to a couple words and the story would be better for it.
There definitely needs to be some tidying up of the timelines and how it all fits together, as the story starts out after the avalanche, flips back to a few days before, then years backwards and then forwards then backwards… it became mentally exhausting to keep it all straight.
I did not come away with a good taste in my mouth after this one, even though, thank God, Fiona left Ruby behind with a “safe” family in the end.
I saw the synopsis of this book pop up in my feed and I thought, Cool I live in a BC small town and avalanches are always an issue, and I have family that live with bipolar mental health issues, I’ll give it a go.
What the book does really well is give you a sense of how a bipolar person (in the character of Fiona) acts, thinks and views others and herself. The disjointed swings between love and rage, kindness and selfishness, fear and lethargy are portrayed extremely if not scarily well.
Unfortunately, I found I never gained an ounce of sympathy for Fiona by the end of the novel, even though the author put in some backstory and scenes that were, I suppose, to make you feel bad for her. I just couldn’t for all the mental fantasies she continually described that were always sexual or suicidal. It was a very dark and disturbing material to read through.
Of all the characters in the book, Ruby, the nine year old daughter, is the one you feel badly for. She gets a raw deal. A few times I thought, if only the story had stayed in her point of view, though even some of her thoughts are pretty messed up and disturbing.
There is some compelling scenes especially around the avalanche, but the author’s fixation on describing the naked bodies (many, many times throughout the book) and vividly pointing out the private parts (of a dead child) is rather disturbing and detracts from the scene as a whole, especially around this awful tragedy. These sections could be deleted and or cut down to a couple words and the story would be better for it.
There definitely needs to be some tidying up of the timelines and how it all fits together, as the story starts out after the avalanche, flips back to a few days before, then years backwards and then forwards then backwards… it became mentally exhausting to keep it all straight.
I did not come away with a good taste in my mouth after this one, even though, thank God, Fiona left Ruby behind with a “safe” family in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2023
It was trashy. The story line seemed great but the author seems to have an obsession with body parts and inserting rude scenes where they don’t belong. No feel-good story here!
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