The more they dig- the more they learn of the past owner of the house- Sara Harrison- and the more they learn that their mother may have not have been completely truthful with them about how they came to live there. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon is gripping novel about a small town in Vermont, West Hall, where people disappear and farm animals to be slaughtered. No one knows where these people go or why these animals are killed. Many would love to believe some have just escaped the mundane that is life in this meager community, but others know the truth... or at least the legend of Sara Harrison Shea. Woven within the mystery of the story is this quandary - what lengths would you go to for a little bit more time with the ones you’ve loved and lost? Would you make the decision in haste or would you seriously consider the consequences? It's a tough choice. One that's likely to be guided by selfish desires and heartache. Peter is a local Sheriff whose job it is to evict people from their homes. Yet his inner life too is explored, and his vulnerabilities and tragedies exposed, along with his past as a fostered child, painfully aware of how it feels to live an unsettled life, constantly on the move from house to house. So he has sympathy for the people his job forces him to evict; and he tries to do it with kindness. Peter too is haunted by a tragic death; his boyhood friend Fintan who was so loyal and supportive, and who died of cancer, and whom Peter was afraid to visit in the hospice because he didn’t know what to say.

Winter people’ by Gráinne Murphy is about three strangers living on the Atlantic Coast of Ireland, set over three days. And the one question is: ‘Who are we without the people who love us?’ Work-obsessed screenwriter Adam and his wife Amelia retreat to the snowy Scottish highlands for a weekend retreat that they intend to either save or end their marriage. Adding strains on the marriage are Adam’s inability to recognize faces and his grief over the tragic death of his mother. Following both past and present timelines, this eerie tale is filled with an overwhelming feeling of dread. When Alice and her family inhabit Sara’s house and her land, how does that environment transform them? Do you believe that the history of a locale can influence your present-day experiences there? Deliciously terrifying. . . . Jennifer McMahon knows how to conjure your darkest fears and nightmares . . . pulling you deep into the forbidden, secret world of The Winter People.”—Chevy Stevens, author of Always Watching

READERS GUIDE

Not a book to be read late at night, or in a creaky old house, The Winter People is a literary thriller to savor.”— Shelf Awareness THE WINTER PEOPLE by JENNIFER MCMAHON is a spooky, dark, eerie, and creepy tale that actually gave me the heebie-jeebies and goosebumps while reading this suspense-filled horror/thriller novel. Right from the opening of the very first chapter I was hooked! I feel like with this one now under my belt, I know more what to expect from her, and I'm damned pumped for it. I enjoyed 'Winter People' and the quiet emotional resilience of the characters rang true. It's beautifully written as well, the Atlantic coast providing a strong sense of place, and the descriptions, the sea especially, are both sparse and atmospheric. There's a vein of sadness running through it, and to say too much would give away something of the slight plot, but I enjoyed spending time with these reflective characters. A tender and compassionate read.

The author did a pretty good job of merging the past with the present, while building an incredibly sly and surprising link between the two, tapping me on the shoulder at just the right moment, giving me the shivers a time or two.Ordinary people might’ve been driven mad by death’s relentless proximity, but Sara was far from ordinary. In fact, a sorceress had even taught her how to raise the dead and she had penned the incantation into her diary.

As the long and brutal winter approaches, trauma ensues and Leni and her mother are left to survive on their own. Martin cherishes Sara and continually strives to please her. Does she love him in equal measure, or does her ancestry make it too difficult for an outsider to fully share a life with her?

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The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon (Author), Cassandra Campbell (Narrator), Käthe Mazur (Narrator)

These two women watch each other through a picture window, with this in itself is a kind of loneliness. They make assumptions about one another, each ascribing to the other a splendid robust life filled with love - as the reader knows it's far from their lived reality. Then, one day, I was writing from the point of view of my turn-of-the century character, Sara. And I wrote down this line: The first time I saw a sleeper, I was nine years old. For the first time, I understood the word of God, because Reverend Ayers spoke it. His voice, all the girls said, could soothe the Devil himself. What was it like to read Sara’s diary, alternating with scenes from other time periods? Did Sara’s words change your vision of the spirit world? Did her bond with Gertie remind you of your own experience with a mother’s love? The book opens with Sis, an older woman whose time in her home is coming to an end. Lydia lives alone in the house next door to Sis, an old house that has been renovated with spectacular views of the sea. Peter works in repossessions, and is coming to terms with his best friend's terminal diagnosis while reflecting on his own difficult upbringing.

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I had different theories throughout, whenever we got some more information, but I’m pleased to report that I wasn’t able to figure the whole thing out until relatively close to the end (yes, that kind of thing is important for me). It was the spring before Papa sent Auntie away—before we lost my brother, Jacob. My sister, Constance, had married the fall before and moved to Graniteville. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon was a great read and has me very interested in seeing what other books of hers I can get my hands on. Awesome setting, well drawn characters, and ghosts. GHOSTS I tell ya! What's not to love about that? I'm super stoked for their 2022-release, The Children on the Hill, said to be inspired by Frankenstein!!! The story concerns the lives of three people, Sis, Lydia and Peter. Their lives are far apart in so many ways and yet they all have in common ghosts of the past, with the inevitable guilt and “what might have been” to haunt them and to determine their futures.