I never really think of December as a spooky time of year, but author Cassandra Parkin manages to change that with her book The Winter’s Child.
This suspenseful novel is full of twists and turns, ghostly premonitions and ghastly visions as main character Susannah waits for her long-lost — and possibly deceased– son to return to her on Christmas Eve.
Susannah’s a frustrating main character. She’s clearly grieving and needs mental help, but she refuses to seek it, despite everyone around her urging her to do so. She prefers to get lost in fantasies of life with her husband and child, re-imagining that they lived as the perfect family, a happy little trio.
However, it’s easy for the reader to see that her life was actually rife with problems.
Susannah was unsettlingly obsessed with their son, Joel, to the point where their intensely close relationship drove a wedge between Susannah and her husband. We’re not talking Oedipus-close here, but maybe a little Norman Bates-close. For my fellow #90DayFiance fanatics, definitely Colt-and-Debbie close.
Despite Susannah’s many shortcomings in The Winter’s Child, you feel for her. Parkin does an excellent job of making you annoyedAF with this character, then wanting to wrap her into a comforting hug. I mean, she lost her kid. She’s living a nightmare scenario, and you want it to end because it’s just so awful; she’s struggling so much.
Soon, Susannah starts seeing things that aren’t there, that couldn’t be there. You’re drawn into her web of confusion, delusions, and, most heart-crushingly, the hope she clings to as she counts down the days until she’s promised she’ll see her beloved son again.
We’re clearly dealing with an unreliable narrator here — admittedly, not one of my favorite tropes — which means that everything in the book is called into question. As a result, you’re second-guessing events, actions, and words from every character that crosses Susannah’s grief-stricken path. The suspense mounts steadily, along with your curiosity, as the story unravels to its shocking conclusion.
The Winter’s Child is a great atmospheric thriller, dancing into the psychological realm with a smattering of the supernatural. Definitely worth a read if you’re looking for something to unnerve you on a dark winter’s night.
This book sounds really good actually. I totally get that funny thing that happens when you’re annoyed by a character but that ends up being part of why you’re so invested in what happens next. It sounds like such a page turner! I totally love the unreliable narrator trope. I love questioning everything and trying to figure it all out. My brother and I are watching Mare of Easttown. We think he’s called it from the start but we’re not at the end yet so don’t know yet! I can’t wait to find out!!!😀
I love thrillers! I have to read this one day.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lauren! Mare of Easttown is so good!! It reminds me a lot of Broadchurch, which I also loved. Don’t try its American cousin, Gracepoint, though. It was awful. Stick with the original David Tennant version.
Ooh, I love unreliable narrators, especially ones that are constantly challenging your beliefs over whether you can trust them a little or not at all! And you say it has a shocking conclusion? Well, that just whets my appetite even more! Thank you for the review 😁
Hi Nicola! This was definitely a unique story. I hope you enjoy it!
This sounds fascinating. Thanks for reviewing!
Hi Stacy! I hope you get a chance to read the book. 🙂
Having enjoyed Lily’s House, which was actually the very first book I read this year, I was eager to get my hands on The Winter’s Child. I’m pleased to say that this is another book I really enjoyed by this author.
Thanks, Edith! I haven’t heard of Lily’s House, but I’ll be checking it out. Thanks for the rec!