The Winter in Anna

A Novel

by Reed Karaim

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

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Pub Date Jan 17 2017 | Archive Date Dec 31 2016

Description

A young man, Eric, drops out of college and lucks into a job with a small-town newspaper where he meets Anna—a woman whose story will both haunt and inspire him for the rest of his life. Set in a remote North Dakota community in the last days before the Internet, The Winter in Anna unfolds around a romance that almost was, and a meditation on what constitutes a life well lived. In wistful, moving reflections, Eric looks back on his days with Anna and struggles to reconcile his memories with what he has since learned of her. The Winter in Anna is a stirring and thoughtful novel filled with moments of tenderness, even as it slowly reveals an unbearable tragedy at the heart of a quietly defiant life.

A Note From the Publisher

LibraryReads nominations due by 11/20 and IndieNext nominations are due by 11/4.

Advance Praise

“I couldn’t put down this wise tale—by turns bone-chilling, rollicking, bittersweet—of a young man’s stint at the sort of small town newspaper that, sadly, has all but vanished. The Winter in Anna arrives via the journalist’s older self—husband, father—and is enriched and enlarged by his big-hearted musings on what he failed to understand in his youth and how that failure haunts him still.” - Elizabeth Evans, author of As Good As Dead

“Reed Karaim tells a ‘tribal and ancient story’ about how our early choices shape us... With exotic details of a state filled with fire and ice, The Winter in Anna shows who we often find impossible to forgive: our younger selves.” - Maureen Gibbon, author of Paris Red

“A deceptively quiet novel that gradually gathers power around the themes of love, loss, memory, and the paramount importance of doing good work well. Gorgeous and affirming.” - Mark Costello, National Book Award-nominated author of Big If

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9780393608502
PRICE	$25.95 (USD)

Additional Information

Average rating from 18 members

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Featured Reviews

Tina F, Educator

I loved the story telling in the book. A young editor falls in love with an older coworker and over time learns about some of the horrible things that have happened to her in her life and have caused this " winter" in Anna. The literary style reminded me of Pat Conroy's Prince of Tides.
Thank you for the ARC!

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Reviewer 208013

The Winter in Anna is a beautifully written sad story. At age 20, Erik becomes the editor of a small town weekly newspaper. The book is narrated by Erik and focuses on his year in Shannon, North Dakota. Anna is a few years older, one of the writers, and has a terribly sad back story that Erik uncovers as they work together. Those are the bare bones of the story but they don't really do justice to what makes this short powerful novel work so well. Erik recounts the story of his time in Shannon many years later, after learning about Anna's death. He tells the story with the benefit of time, acknowledging how young he was at the time and how little he understood, still trying to piece together who Anna was and how she touched his life. The Winter of Anna is an experience rather than a story. It's worth reading in a sitting or two if you can afford the time. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

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Karen B, Reviewer

Two young adults Eric and Anna meet while working together at a small town newspaper, become fast friends, and maybe never before have two people known so much yet so little about each other. Eric didn't stay long but spent his life thinking about the meaning of Anna, the "winter in Anna" where she finds snowstorms unbearable (one of her many mysteries), and the meaning of their relationship; the reasons for the different things Anna did and how to explain her to those still puzzled after her tragic death.

This is a quiet, contemplative story. It is difficult to find words equal to its beauty. If you want adventure and thrills, do not tread here amidst these tales of sadness and Badlands. If you want a meaningful, impactful read, proceed slowly and prepare for a real treat. You might not be able to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.