Cover Image: The Ocean in Winter

The Ocean in Winter

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Not my favorite book but I don’t think I was in the right headspace for such a heavy book. Beautiful writing but the overall story was not for me.

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Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity. This is such a beautiful and eloquently written novel. Three sisters. Bereaved and traumatized by their mother’s suicide when they were just children, the experience united them in a close bond that is put to the test. Alex is a nurse hoping to go to India and use her skills to help the people there but her family always seem to need her and getting the chance to do what she wants for herself seems to come last. Colleen’s marriage is falling apart and raising two children comes with its own struggles. Riley is the youngest. She’s a model in New York. Her life isn’t nearly as glamorous as one would think. Each chapter is told in a first person perspective alternating between the three of them. Each coping with all that life throws at them in the best way they know how.

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The Ocean in Winter is a story told by three stranged sisters whose mother committed suicide. Each one reacts in a peculiar manner and they try to reconnect although that will be a difficult task. It's a story about familial laces, friendship, trust, and dealing with pain and secrets that existed in the past. A beautifully written story that provides good entertainment.
I downloaded a free copy of this book through NetGalley and this is my unbiased opinion.

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Great story!

Description
The lives of the three Emery sisters were changed forever when Alex, eleven at the time, found their mother drowned in the bathtub of their home. After their mother’s suicide, the girls’ father shut down emotionally, leaving Alex responsible for caring for Colleen, then eight, and little Riley, just four. Now the girls are grown and navigating different directions. Alex, a nurse, has been traveling in India and grieving her struggle to have a child; Colleen is the devoted mother of preteens in denial that her marriage is ending; and Riley has been leading what her sisters imagine to be the dream life of a successful model in New York City. Decades may have passed, but the unresolved trauma of their mother’s death still looms over them creating distance between the sisters.



Then on a March night, a storm rages near the coast of northeastern Massachusetts. Alex sits alone in an old farmhouse she inherited from a stranger. The lights are out because of the storm; then, an unexpected knock at the door. When Alex opens it, her beautiful younger sister stands before her. Riley has long been estranged from their family, prompting Colleen to hire the private investigator from whom they’d been awaiting news. Comforted by her unexpected presence, Alex holds back her nagging questions: How had Riley found her? Wouldn’t the dirt roads have been impassable in the storm? Why did Riley insist on disappearing back into the night?

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A deep, intense family drama, about 3 sisters in adulthood still coming to terms after the suicide of their of their mother during their childhood. I found it to be a bit of a slow burn, with some undeveloped plots, but did feel the characters were complex and endearing.

I appreciated the connection to nature, and references to weather to create atmosphere and tone. I thought that to be well executed and the title alone had my attention from the get go.

Although a sad topi, we are shown through the lives of these sisters that it is possible to rise after the most difficult of life events.

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This was a sad, but thought-provoking book that made for interesting discussions with my other friends who read it.

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Beautifully and elegantly written. A ghost story peeled back from its popular horror interpretation to show how hat it really is: one of the purest love stories there is. Loved loved loved this.

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A beautifully, well-written, emotional novel full of heartbreak and tragedy. An impressive debut novel.

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The Ocean in Winter was at times a difficult book for me to read and that was because it dwelt with issues of grief, and pain, but in a very well-written and compelling way.

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Twenty-five years after their mother committed suicide, Alex, Colleen, and Riley continue to struggle with the after effects of the event that changed their lives. Their father has become a recluse and something of a hoarder, requiring his girls to not only care for themselves but for him as well.

Alex, who lives with the memory of finding her mother and seeing her dead, never marries but goes into a career where she continues to care for people. That is until she gets some news that rocks her world just as an opportunity to travel to India gives her the chance to finally do something entirely for herself.

Colleen has been living the perfect life - great marriage, perfect house, two kids that she devotes her entire being to - until suddenly things aren't so perfect. Her husband has moved out, and fire leave Colleen and her children homeless, and she finds out her husband has found another woman. And her baby sister, Riley, has been out of touch for months. Desperate to try to pull her family back together, Colleen hires a private investigator to find Riley; but when he does, the news isn't good.

Riley, who has no recollection of her mother, has become a famous model. But that lifestyle and her painful history have cause Riley to turn to drugs. A stint in rehab worked for a while but slowly Riley is unraveling again and this time there is no safety net.

There's a lot going on here and de Veer touches on a lot of tough subjects - suicide, mental health, addiction, abuse, family dynamics, infertility, marriage. It felt like a bit more than was needed to make the book compelling and a supernatural elements that de Veer introduced didn't really work for me. But, overall, with the alternating first person narratives of the three sisters, this was a book that pulled me through it, wanting to know what secrets were still hidden and hoping that each of the sisters could find the peace they needed. De Veer does a terrific job of helping the reader to feel the cold and grey of the winter that mirrors what is happening in the sisters' lives. This is de Veer's debut novel; I'm looking forward to seeing where she goes from here.

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Three sisters are forever affected by their mother’s suicide when they were young children. As adults their questions about why their mother took her own life remain unanswered. Each sister has had to deal with their own personal issues and hardships. One sister more than the other two. At first I found the story a bit slow but once I got into the book it became quite a interesting story. There may not have been a happy ending for all but finally the three girls found peace and the answers to their questions.

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The Ocean in Winter is a novel about loss and how sometimes a loss is so devastating that it continues to haunt those who experienced this loss. Elizabeth de Veer's novel is about 3 sisters, whose mother dies from suicide. The 3 girls are quite young, just children, when this tragedy occurs, but all 3 are adults in this novel. Each daughter responds to her mother's death in a different way. The author creates a novel that both captivates and saddens readers. This is not a novel with a happy ending. It is, however, a novel with a satisfying resolution.
This is the first novel that I has read by de Veer. I enjoyed The Ocean in Winter enough that I would look for other novels by this author.
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley. I am appreciative of both author and publisher for allowing me to read it.

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Three sisters lives take a drastic turn when the oldest, Alex finds their mother dead in the bathtub and at the age of eleven, eight and four, these girls all react differently from the loss of their mother and while the book takes place in the current day as they are adult women and they are all dealing with different problems in each of their lives.

One of my favorite things is when an author allows each character to narrate their own chapters and each get the chance to share the story from their point of view - I love how each women talks about the past, but they each share their own struggles. And I am always here for a story about family. I love to read books about siblings and their reactions to their childhood and how they can grow up in the same house and have different experiences. I also love to read about birth order and how that can impact a person as to where they line up in the family and I was making all sorts of conclusions about these sisters!

I am going to keep it vague here because the synopsis does a great job of describing the story without giving away some of the big and small plot points which are best to experience in the story.

I really enjoyed how the author built this story and the characters and was even more excited to find out after completing that this was a debut novel and have a lot of hope that there is more to come from this author!

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The Ocean in Winter is a beautiful book, both sad and beautiful. It's a story of three sisters whose lives have never been the same since their mother committed suicide when they were young. So there are definitely some triggers here; suicide, death, grief, abuse, addiction and drug use and it's not at all a light read. But, if you can brave through the difficult parts, there is a story about sisters, family, love and connection. I found myself caught up in the sisters; caretaker Alex, a nurse who wants to have a life of her own and journey to India, Colleen, a mother and perfectionist, whose marriage is crumbling despite her attempts to put it back together, and Riley, the youngest, a well-known model whose childhood trauma combined with a life of excess have her struggling with a drug addiction she can't break away from, and hiding herself and her secrets from her sisters. Although in my own sister line-up, I am the youngest and I did not suffer the trauma they did, I found I could identify with things about each character and was hopeful for them all finding some peace and happiness.

There are some mystical and supernatural elements and for the most part they work and are not overdone, but add to the story. de Veer's poetic words brought the landscape of Massachusetts to life from the storm raging to the ocean waves to the creaking noises of an old house. I marked down several quotes that spoke to me, like this one:

"Maybe all that has been happening in this house hasn't been from squirrels or bad wiring, nor spirits of former residents. Maybe these are my memories, hung around me like laundry on a clothesline. Do memories choose us or do we choose our memories? I don't know, but maybe a memory can put itself before you and insist that you reckon with it."

Overall, I found The Ocean in Winter to be a book that drew me in and kept me reading, and caring about the characters. Mixed in with the sadness, there is hope and moments of joy. It's the author's first book, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

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What a beautifully written, emotional novel! There was so much to love about this book. I loved the characters, the sisterly relationships, and the way each sister dealt with the grief over their mother's death. The alternating perspectives of each sister worked so well in the book.
I loved the coastal Massachusetts setting as well--I always love books set on the coast.This was definitely a more character driven novel--so if you love those you'll absolutely love this book. The book did move a bit slowly for me but I still enjoyed the poetic writing. A beautiful debut novel!

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3.5 stars

The Ocean in Winter
Elizabeth de Veer
Blackstone Publishing, July 2021
ISBN 978-1-982674649
Hardcover

From the publisher—

The lives of the three Emery sisters were changed forever when Alex, eleven at the time, found their mother drowned in the bathtub of their home. After their mother’s suicide, the girls’ father shut down emotionally, leaving Alex responsible for caring for Colleen, then eight, and little Riley, just four. Now the girls are grown and navigating different directions. Alex, a nurse, has been traveling in India and grieving her struggle to have a child; Colleen is the devoted mother of preteens in denial that her marriage is ending; and Riley has been leading what her sisters imagine to be the dream life of a successful model in New York City. Decades may have passed, but the unresolved trauma of their mother’s death still looms over them creating distance between the sisters.

Then on a March night, a storm rages near the coast of northeastern Massachusetts. Alex sits alone in an old farmhouse she inherited from a stranger. The lights are out because of the storm; then, an unexpected knock at the door. When Alex opens it, her beautiful younger sister stands before her. Riley has long been estranged from their family, prompting Colleen to hire the private investigator from whom they’d been awaiting news. Comforted by her unexpected presence, Alex holds back her nagging questions: How had Riley found her? Wouldn’t the dirt roads have been impassable in the storm? Why did Riley insist on disappearing back into the night?

After her mysterious visitation, Alex and Colleen are determined to reconcile with Riley and to face their painful past, but the closer they come to finding their missing sister, the more they fear they’ll only be left with Riley’s secrets. An unforgettable story about grief, love, and what it means to be haunted, The Ocean in Winter marks the debut of a remarkable new voice in fiction.

Eleven-year-old Alex lost her childhood in an instant the moment she found her mother dead from suicide. Even that extremely traumatic event might have not been so overwhelming if only her father had been strong enough to step up to his duties but, no, he retreated. The three children were pretty much left on their own with Alex taking on the role of mother to Colleen and Riley.

The three girls promised to always be there for each other but life didn’t cooperate and they drifted apart, each on a very different path. Then certain circumstances bring them back into each other’s orbits again and the deep-seated love is still very evident.

This is a character-driven story with limited plot and, as such, the pacing is much slower than I usually like but there is no shortage of feeling. In fact, emotions run high and numerous themes come into play including some that might be considered triggers (suicide, depression, drug addiction, emotional abandonment, etc.). Ms. de Veer handles all of this with grace and compassion beyond her status as a debut author.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, July 2021.

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Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This novel about three sisters forever enveloped in the trauma of their mother's suicide during their childhood was very slow in the beginning. The author takes us from the prologue to all the events that occurred in the weeks leading up to the climax of the story. You have oldest sister Alex who is called back from India to take care of the drama at home, middle sister Colleen who has decided to avoid the downfall of her marriage by looking for their youngest sister, Riley. Unfortunately, Riley doesn't want to be found and appears to be on a downward spiral. Can her sisters bring her back into the fold or will Riley be consumed by her secrets?

My rounding up to 4 really comes because of the way the story evolved as we came closer and also surpassed the events of the prologue. I found myself empathizing with each of the sisters as they all alternate chapters. The Ocean in Winter is a promising debut from an author that will no doubt be on our bookshelves for years to come. Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah, Barbara Delinsky, and Diane Chamberlain.

#TheOceaninWinter #NetGalley

Goodreads review published 25/07/21
Publication Date 06/07/21

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I wasn't sure what to expect from The Ocean in Winter by Elizabeth de Veer. I'd requested it thinking perhaps it was a mystery or thriller (ie. my reading bread & butter). It's not, but that was fine.

de Veer cleverly plots this out in almost a circular way. We start near the end before moving back in time. The book unfolds from three sisters' points of view. The opening scene tells us a little of the history before we reach those events, but holds back on details to sustain the intrigue.

There's something about the opening that I think gives us a clue as to what's ultimately coming but it's paced brilliantly so very much about the journey there. 

All three sisters are likeable. Alex and Colleen are very relatable. Riley less-so because her world is addled. We soon learn why she's so vague about everything and it's almost impossible to imagine how someone can live like that, though I'm conscious that many do.

This is another book where the events of the present very much stem from those in the past. Alex feels she put things on hold to raise her sisters, perhaps delaying happiness; Colleen is determined to be the perfect mother and wife with the perfect family, house and life - none of which she had;  and Riley felt she was let down by the one person who could save her and - ever since - has seen herself as beyond redemption.

All three feel cheated of their mother and sad and angry that they were forced to live life without her.

The book spans just a few months and de Veer paces that time well. I initially thought it might take some time to get to reach the events of the book's opening, but it doesn't. And though the distant past is the genesis of everything happening in the present, we're not taken back there for any length of time. It's just referenced briefly. This is very much about events in NOW. (Albeit resulting from those twenty-five years earlier.)

My only qualm is that I didn't find their father's behaviour consistent and would have liked 'more' about their history with him. I'm always bewildered by books in which children know nothing of their parents' families or that they haven't asked. Here there seems to be obvious secrets being kept from the girls and their father's actions in the present don't seem to stem from any particular cause. Interestingly (however) I caught up with an old school friend not long after finishing this and she mentioned not knowing much / anything about one of her parent's families. This intrigued me and I explained that I didn't understand how it was possible. She shrugged, "They just didn't talk about it and we knew not to ask," she said.

I very much enjoyed this book. It's beautifully written and it's certainly bittersweet. There's a sense of helplessness rather than hopelessness. It could be depressing but instead I felt a sense of resolution.

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3.5 Stars

This novel focuses on the lives of three sisters whose mother committed suicide 25 years earlier. Alex, the eldest, is a nurse who is travelling in India but is called back home when she inherits a ramshackle house. Colleen, the middle sister, is a devoted mother whose marriage is disintegrating. Riley, the youngest, is a model in New York; she is dealing with a number of issues but has cut herself off from her family.

Chapters are alternated among the three women, each of whom narrates in the first person. It is obvious that the trauma of their mother’s death continues to impact them. Alex had to look after her sisters because their father became emotionally detached after their mother’s death; she comments that “I don’t pursue the things I love because my family needs me.” Colleen focuses on her children so much so that her husband feels unneeded and unwanted; he tells her, “’I know that’s because your mom wasn’t there to take care of you when you were growing up.’” Riley describes herself as “Pretty and damaged, I am the daughter without a mother.”

Obviously, the book examines a number of heavy subjects: mental health, sexual abuse, addiction, suicide. Though it focuses on the long-term effects on survivors of suicide loss, there is also a great deal of compassion for those who choose suicide. They are not portrayed as selfish or manipulative or melodramatic, but as victims of depression and despair.

The novel begins slowly and that slow pace negatively affected my enjoyment. Though gradually I became more interested, I remained bothered by the author’s tendency to explain everything. For instance, she tells us that “Addiction changes a person from the inside out. The poisoned urgency of narcotics takes over every conscious part of human intent until the person they used to be almost evaporates.” Also, the reader is told that “The experience of sexual abuse in childhood does not end with the conclusion of the abuse. It’s trauma. It gets replayed over and over a million times in the mind of the survivor. It makes feeling safe ever again difficult or impossible; survivors turn to drugs to blot out the memory.” These didactic passages are unnecessary.

There are also some events that do not ring true. Alex inherits a house from someone she barely knew? Letters are used too often to manipulate plot: Alex “misses” a letter, a retired mailman doesn’t open his mail, and an unopened letter explains so much in the end? A lawyer would allow his home to be uninsured? The private investigator Colleen hires to find Riley doesn’t always seem to behave in a strictly professional manner.

The book does end on a positive note which, given the title, I expected: “The Earth keeps turning, every day, every night, each time giving us the chance to start over. In the night’s darkest moments, we so easily forget that morning will come. We can’t stop it; it simply happens, just like spring follows winter, just as the tides of the ocean rise and fall.”

The Ocean in Winter does have some of the tell-tale problems of a debut novel, but there is still much to recommend it. I will certainly watch for Elizabeth de Veer’s next offering.

Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.

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This was a dark family saga that had turns I did not see coming. While I didn't love or relate to any of the characters, I don't think you necessarily need to to enjoy a book. It was well written and I was interested in the story till the end.

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