On a snowy Christmas morning so many years later, though, Holly wakes in fear. She has become convinced that something followed them home from Russia. As her husband sets off to the airport and Holly prepares for the big celebratory dinner that’s to come, that one thought plagues her mind.
Soon the snow has blanketed everything and one by one the guests cancel. Roads are closed and Holly and Tatiana are forced to spend the day alone. And as Holly mulls over that pervasive thought, she begins to notice that Tatiana’s behavior has grown increasingly odd.
Laura Kasischke’s latest is a gripping and hypnotic read. Much of the story is focused on Holly’s own introspection. She tries first to determine why she feels something has followed them and what it might mean. She examines her relationship with her daughter, her husband, and her own family giving the reader keen insight into her life, past and present.
The image of a family—a mother and daughter in particular—coming apart at the seams on Christmas morning is effective enough, but the addition of the snowstorm and Holly’s memories of her trips to the Russian orphanage makes Mind of Winter that much more chilling. The entire book is amazing right up to the pitch perfect ending.
3/14 Becky Lejeune
MIND OF WINTER by Laura Kasischke. Harper (March 25, 2014). ISBN 978-0062284396. 288p.
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