Written by contributor Jeanette Zhukov
Content warnings for this novel include suicide and animal death.
“If I tried to remember the nitty-gritty details of any other day in my life, I’d likely fail miserably. But each moment of the day Sam died seems to have been permanently etched into the folds of my brain.”
A teenaged girl, struggling over the loss of her brother’s possible suicide, goes on her own search for answers in this coming-of-age novel about overcoming grief. Brimming with spirituality and a heart-breaking mystery at its centre, Martha Hunt Handler’s debut novel, Winter of the Wolf, takes the reader on an emotionally unforgettable journey.
The novel is told through the perspective of the protagonist, Bean, who is the youngest child and the only daughter in her family. She has three older brothers – Adam, Chase, and Sam – as well as a mother and father. She has a seemingly perfect life, until her and her family’s world is forever upturned when one evening they find Sam dead in his room.
Set in a small town in Minnesota, during an ice-chilling winter, the story’s opening pages begin to unfold with the aftermath of Sam’s death. Bean is left with a pit of sorrow and confusion over the night’s events. She falls into a hole of grief along with her family. Through the depiction of how the different members of Bean’s family are experiencing the loss, the novel does an effective job at presenting the various forms of dealing with and overcoming grief. Bean’s father is as emotionally distant as ever, while her mother is inconsolable and sulking in her bedroom all day and night. While Bean’s family dynamic seems broken, she is the rock that holds it all together, seemingly carrying the weight of her family’s sorrow upon her shoulders. It is up to Bean to be the caregiver for the family, to ensure the household runs smoothly even though she is dealing with her own emotional toil.
Yet, feelings of doubt regarding Sam’s death constantly fill Bean’s mind. From the night the family finds Sam’s body, his death never felt like a suicide to Bean. Not willing to accept that her or her family missed the signs of Sam’s unhappiness, she begins to search for the truth about that night, along with the help of her best friend, Julie.
While the story builds upon a central mystery, it also explores questions regarding death and what happens after death. The launching point for this exploratory line of thinking within the novel is Sam’s interest in the Inuit culture. His interest in the Inuit becomes an important aspect of the novel, as Bean researches the culture for some answers that could make sense of Sam’s death. Nature and animals are also featured as central elements within the novel’s discussion regarding spirituality.
As the characters are all in mourning, the bonds portrayed in this novel are incredibly strong. The characters undergo so much growth in the story’s 200-something pages. Even though the reader only knows Sam in terms of his passing, he becomes a such an influential figure within the text. His presence is felt throughout the pages as the other characters have clearly been impacted from having Sam in their lives.
The appreciation shown toward wildlife, spirituality, and Inuit culture is enlightening. Handler takes care to inform the reader about these aspects in her novel in a way that is natural to the plot. Her passion for wolves shines in her writing as she portrays them as beautiful and important creatures.
Another layer of interest regarding this novel is that the author, Handler, is also the president of a non-profit called the Wolf Conservation Center. The Wolf Conservation Center focuses on educating the public, advocating for, and protecting wolves in North America. Handler is donating all of the sales that she makes from the book to the non-profit.
Ultimately, The Winter of the Wolf, is a quiet and impactful novel that relishes in the beauty of nature and the spirit. It is unlike any other current young adult novel and is a story that will leave a lasting impression.
The Winter of the Wolf is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A tragic mystery blending sleuthing and spirituality
An exploration in grief, suicide, spiritualism, and Inuit culture, Winter of the Wolf follows Bean, an empathic and spiritually evolved fifteen-year-old, who is determined to unravel the mystery of her brother Sam’s death. Though all evidence points to a suicide, her heart and intuition compel her to dig deeper. With help from her friend Julie, they retrace Sam’s steps, delve into his Inuit beliefs, and reconnect with their spiritual beliefs to uncover clues beyond material understanding.
Both tragic and heartwarming, this twisting novel draws you into Bean’s world as she struggles with grief, navigates high school dramas, and learns to open her heart in order to see the true nature of the people around her. Winter of the Wolf is about seeking the truth—no matter how painful—in order to see the full picture.
In this novel, environmentalist and award-winning author, Martha Handler, brings together two important pieces of her life—the death of her best friend’s son and her work as president of the Wolf Conservation Center—to tell an empathetic and powerful story with undeniable messages.
