Road Out of Winter by Alison Stine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with an ARC of Road Out of Winter in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
Truth be told, I’m struggling to write this review, and not only because since the weekend, I have found myself dealing with writer’s block. But also, because I want to give this book the review it deserves.
I’m afraid anything I’ll mention here would give away some detail of the story that is so profound in its overall message.
So, as my husband suggested I’m going to try and stick to gushing about it for the rest of this review.
The Details
I adored Wil. She is a fighter, a survivor and feels like the weight of the world is on her shoulders. She feels responsible for the people close to her.
Wil is selfless and a hard worker. Nobody gives her much respect. And in a world where women are seen as objects that need to be categorized into respective boxes of usefulness, Stine expertly describes the hypocrisy that is these social ideals.
Her struggle and her past trauma made her who she is, and she is trying to make the best out of what she has been given. I can identify with her and I can sympathize with her emotional state.
Road Out of Winter is not an easy book to read, yet I have to give it credit for maintaining a consistent level of melancholy without getting boring or overwhelming.
The setting of Road Out of Winter was perfect. Dystopian elements coupled with the possibility of a world that may never be the same due to a never-ending winter really grabbed my attention.
The bleak landscape, shortage of resources, and changing social structures come a little closer to home these days while the world is still fighting this global pandemic.
It should have turned me off of this story, but strangely enough, it gave me a sense of comfort.
When I wasn’t reading Road Out of Winter, I was thinking about it. And when I was reading it, I kept wondering what was in store for Wil around the next corner.
As most of you probably know by now, I’m not a huge fan of summer. Five heat waves in less than three months and continuous migraines caused by the heat have left me sometimes a little on the miserable end.
Reading a book about winter, even though this story’s winter is no laughing matter, became a mental respite for me. Also, reading about a young woman trying her best gave me some encouragement. Encouragement to keep trying my best as well, difficult as it might be sometimes.
Stine’s writing style fit the genre of the story perfectly. Her ability to give insight into Wil’s thoughts and emotional state made her feel real. She was able to create a complex character I’m still thinking about. Even days after I finished the book, wondering how she is doing.
The Verdict
Overall, I had no idea what to make of Road Out of Winter when I started reading it. It surprised me. Pleasantly surprised me. It became a good contender to make my list of the top books of 2020.
I highly recommend it.
About the Author
Alison Stine lives in the rural Appalachian foothills. A recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), she was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. She has written for The Atlantic, The Nation, The Guardian, and many others. She is a contributing editor with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.
