Matthew Hooper’s heart-wrenching debut A Cold Season doesn’t shy away from the realities of rural life in a bitter post-WW1 winter.
Narrated by 14-year-old Beth, the book is set in the foothills of Mount Kosciusko. Isolated and vulnerable, the story opens as a harsh winter is rolling in, bringing with it flash storms and heavy snowfall. Beth’s older brother Sam and her father Owens are missing up the mountain. Fearing for their lives, she anxiously awaits their arrival with her other brother Sasha and her mother Grace, who is growing increasingly despondent, while also becoming involved with the local ‘bad man’ Wallace.
Beth remains hopeful that her father and brother and alive and will return, however no one else shares her sentiment. As a 14 year old, Beth is stuck – she has the responsibilities of helping around the house like an adult, yet is still treated like a child. She wants independence, freedom and to be taken seriously, but she’s too young to be trusted.
Sasha is warm although becoming increasingly withdrawn, and Grace is prickly; bluntly insisting that the missing family members aren’t coming back. Beth is left lonely and afraid. Wallace begins to visit more frequently, which confuses and terrifies Beth. At one point she and Sasha hide in their house while he raids their kitchen and farm – taking their food and killing their livestock. Grace suffers another tragedy while waiting for news of Sam and Owens, which further amplifies the tense dynamic at the cottage.
The book is a careful dissection of grief. Each character deals with their suffering in vastly different ways, which sheds light on their fraught relationships with each other. Beth is often hurt by her mother, and her cries for help frequently fall on deaf ears. These scenes are hard to read, but Hooper’s characters are reflective of the stoicism that was prevalent at the time.More focused on characterisation that action, each member of the family is masterfully crafted.
As readers, we feel Beth’s frustration at frequently being left out of the conversation, asking questions that don’t get answered, and instead being met with a dismissive “you’re too young to understand.” Her only comfort is in Sasha, but even this is dwindling as he becomes increasingly distant grappling with his own grief and loss. It’s a harrowing situation, and a pressure cooker of silence and avoidance until the explosive ending.
Beautifully written, with vivid landscapes and haunted characters that leap from the page, A Cold Season is not an easy read, but Hooper writes with delicacy and deftly handles the heavy subject matter. It’s atmospheric and chilling, and I found myself easily becoming immersed in this world, despite how harsh it is.
It’s a brilliant debut, and I’m eager to read what Hooper writes next.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
A Cold Season by Matthew Hooper is available now from Transit Lounge. Grab yourself a copy from a local bookshop HERE.
