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  • Last Winter

  • Written by: Carrie Mac
  • Narrated by: Victoria Carr
  • Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
  • 2.3 out of 5 stars (4 ratings)

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Last Winter

Written by: Carrie Mac
Narrated by: Victoria Carr
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Publisher's Summary

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER

As gripping and unforgettable as Fredrik Backman's Bear Town and Kristin Hannah's The Great Alone, this haunting novel digs into the impact of a fatal avalanche on a small BC mountain town, as seen through the eyes of those who survive the tragedy.

"Heart-rending and heart-stopping."—Alix Ohlin, author of Dual Citizens

"...lays bare the truths of mental illness...epically unforgettable."—Jen Sookfong Lee, author of Superfan

"Deeply raw...Insightful and unsparing, this is an important book."—Zoe Whittall, author of The Best Kind of People

Content Note: this is an important book and a powerful depiction of extreme Bipolar disorder. It deals with sensitive subject matter, and we encourage listeners to take care of themselves and their mental health while listening.

Last Winter is the story of a child who might not survive the heartbreak of her father’s death and a mother who struggles to both parent and manage her grief in the grips of a Bipolar crisis.

Fiona and Gus’s marriage has veered off course. Fiona’s mental health is shaky at best, and is now further strained under the weight of a transgression that she would like to both forget and repeat. Gus, a pro snowboarder turned backcountry guide, is exhausted by Fiona's mood swings and her ambivalence about their relationship, but mostly by the impact of her erratic behaviour on their eight-year-old daughter, Ruby. Ruby loves them both, but has a much closer relationship with her father, and has stopped talking in the face of the tensions between her parents.

In the midst of this marital crisis, Gus takes Ruby’s class on an overnight trip into the wilderness, where Ruby is one of only two children to survive the avalanche that kills the others, including her beloved father. While Fiona’s mental health is unravelled further by grief, Ruby is flattened by Gus’s loss. After the search ends with no sign of her father, Ruby is determined to find him herself, using the survival skills he taught her and believing that he must still be alive. Her trek back into the snow sets off events that stretches her own resourcefulness and her mother's fragile coping skills to the breaking point.

Atmospheric and deftly told with an economy of words and a finely tuned gaze on the small moments that build up to an inexorable and shocking end, Last Winter is a contemporary drama that will grip listeners both for the story and for the vibrant portrayal of the complexities of family life.

©2023 Carrie Mac (P)2023 Random House Canada
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What the critics say

"Last Winter is an emotional tour de force, a novel that is unafraid to examine the most difficult moments in one family’s life, and lays bare the truths of mental illness. By turns heartbreaking and breathtaking, Last Winter is a powerful novel that is epically unforgettable."—Jen Sookfong Lee, author of Superfan and The Conjoined

"Heart-rending and heart-stopping, Carrie Mac's Last Winter spirals around an unthinkable event. With great empathy and gorgeous prose, she knits together a community's loss and a family's journey through the wilderness of grief. This is a beautiful novel that will linger in your mind long after the final page."—Alix Ohlin, author of We Want What We Want and Dual Citizens

"Last Winter is absolutely riveting, both a page-turner and deeply raw story of a community grieving, and the impact of untreated mental illness on parenting and a marriage. Insightful and unsparing, this is an important book."—Zoe Whittall, author of The Spectacular and The Best Kind of People

What listeners say about Last Winter

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mediocre

story timeline jumped all over the place and at times was hard to follow. continuously filled with unnecessary sexual references related to an 8 year old girl, references that in no way added to the story line

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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Confusing

Hard to follow, all over the place with the timeline and gross unnecessary sexual details about children. Makes you question the authors mental health for sure

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Heartbreaking!

The ebook was on sale and after reading the synopsis I couldn’t resist, especially because it was compared to “Beartown”, by Fredrick Backman and “The Great Alone”, by Kristin Hannah, which is kind of risky, as it creates huge expectation.
As soon as I started reading I became completely immersed and I did not want to do anything else but to reach its conclusion.
I thought that this book was very well written.
I loved the storyline, its structure and the development of the storyline.
It’s very descriptive and the story is heartbreaking.
I did not find anything disturbing about this dark and sad story involving a mother, who is bipolar, and her 8 (almost 9) years old daughter, who, although with selective mutism, was so well put together for her age. They both ended dealing with great grief.
Everything was so believable, so human and so touching.
Most of the readers that received an ARC abandoned this book after a few pages or after a couple of chapters just because they were not happy with the layout (that’s exactly the main reason I stoped requesting ARCs).
There are lots of unfair and negative reviews that I read before starting this book, but because the majority did not finish reading the book, I decided to ignore them. And I’m glad I did.
I even purchased the audiobook, which I listened while reading, and helped me to enjoy the book even more, as the narration was terrific and brought everything to life.
Yes, there are lots of triggers in this book that may displease some readers, but the main topic is mental health and the writing is terrific.

Paperback (Penguin Random House Canada): 373 pages
Ebook (Kobo): 406 pages (default), 110k words
Audiobook narrated by Victoria Carr: 11.7 hours (normal speed)

PS. Some readers were upset that there was a scene where the family goes skinny dipping, minors included.
Here in Canada, in the Province of Ontario (also in the Province of Quebec), we have clothing optional beaches and there are no restrictions as to age (and you do not have to be a naturalist or member of a club) and a whole family enjoy a warm day together (I’ve been to a couple places but I have never felt comfortable to join them).
I wished that my parents had treated nakedness as a natural expression and not shameful (I avoided wearing shorts around my friends until I was 19).
There are descriptions of bodily functions that also may upset some people, but I thought that they were fitting and natural.
Anyways, I understand that we all have different opinions and perspectives, but if you want to judge this book, at least read it in whole.

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