Jennifer excels at stories of people haunted by the past, by regrets, and by their passions, all of which are in play in The Winter People. Sara Harrison Shea and her husband and daughter are eking out a living in small town Vermont in 1908 – when Sara’s daughter is murdered, Sara turns to the tales told by her “aunt” of a process to bring one’s loved ones back to life, even if only briefly and at a terrible cost. A century later, teenager Ruth and her younger sister, Fawn, live on the Shea farm in the shadow of the Devil’s Hand outcropping, with their mother, who vanishes overnight. Jennifer weaves the two timelines together, along with perspectives of others touched by loss and seeking gain, in a creepy suspenseful thriller.
– Maryelizabeth
February 2014 Indie Next List
“This unsettling novel tackles one of the biggest questions there is: Can the dead be brought back to life? Weaving between 1908 and the present, the plot involves a missing mother, a dead husband, a revenge killing, secret papers hidden in cubby holes, a mother destroyed by grief, something terrifying that is buried, something evil uncovered in a field, and a closet door that has been nailed shut. An intricate and chilling ghost story, The Winter People will have you flying through its pages!”
— Dianah Hughley, Powell's Books, Inc, Portland, OR
Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The New York Times bestselling author of The Invited will shock you with a simmering psychological thriller about ghostly secrets, dark choices, and the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters. • "One of the year's most chilling novels." —The Miami Herald
West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who, in 1908, was found dead in the field behind her house just months after the tragic death of her daughter.
Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara’s farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that has weighty consequences when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished. In her search for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother's bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked into the historical mystery, she discovers that she’s not the only person looking for someone that they’ve lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.
About the Author
JENNIFER McMAHON is the author of six novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Island of Lost Girls and Promise Not to Tell. She graduated from Goddard College and studied poetry in the MFA Writing Program at Vermont College. She currently lives with her partner and daughter in Montpelier, Vermont.
Praise For…
A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year
“Everything you could want in a classic ghost story.” —Chris Bohjalian, author of The Light in the Ruins
“One of the year’s most chilling novels. . . . Enthralling.”—The Miami Herald
“Crisp, mysterious and scary. . . . Reminiscent of Stephen King.” —USA Today “A hauntingly beautiful read.” —Oprah.com
“The Winter People is hypnotic, gripping and deeply moving. . . . A dream from which I didn't want to wake.” —Lisa Unger, author of In the Blood
“McMahon is a scrupulous writer, nicely attentive to the nuances of character and landscape.... The mournful voice of Sara Shea lingers in the memory, and McMahon, wisely, gives her the last word.” —The New York Times Book Review “An edge-of-your-seat scary ghost story. . . . I will never look at the woods behind my home in the same way again!” —Heather Gudenkauf, author of The Weight of Silence
“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
“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
“The Winter People blends the anguish of loss and the yearning for connection into one great story, well told.” —Kate Alcott, author of The Dressmaker
“McMahon gives readers just what they want: can’t-put-it-down, stay-up-until-dawn reading. . . . [The Winter People] is also a poignant reminder of what grief can drive humans to do.” —BookPage
"Gives a fresh twist to a small-town ghost story.” —The South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“This unsettling novel tackles one of the biggest questions there is: Can the dead be brought back to life? Weaving between 1908 and the present, the plot involves a missing mother, a dead husband, a revenge killing, secret papers hidden in cubby holes, a mother destroyed by grief, something terrifying that is buried, something evil uncovered in a field, and a closet door that has been nailed shut. An intricate and chilling ghost story, The Winter People will have you flying through its pages!”
