Minds of Winter

Minds of Winter by Ed O'Loughlin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This book, I believe, falls into the genre of Mystery but it could also be classified as Historical Fiction and there is even a hint of science fiction. It is not an easy read. It was on the shortlist for a 2017 Giller Award and, having read both the shortlisted books and the eventual winner - Bellevue Square - I've come to the conclusion that if one wants to win a Giller Award, a prerequisite for doing so is to stop writing at some point instead of supplying an ending.

If you like character development then don't bother with this book. There isn't any. There are, however, a multitude of characters. It reminded me a bit of a relay. Characters would appear, make their contribution to the story, and then pass the baton to the next set. Seldom would they reappear and when they did they were generally in secondary roles. The exception is the two protagonists whose investigation in the present, interleaves all the stories from the past. They are constant throughout the book - really constant - they're flat and they don't improve much.

Much of the setting is in the high arctic or subarctic. These are areas of the world that are difficult for most people to imagine and I have to give Mr. O'Loughlin credit for making them come to life within the pages of this book.

It is the mystery that kept me reading. Part of the mystery is that the mystery itself is mysterious. This isn't a whodunit with a detective trying to find a murderer. In this book one mystery is that a chronometer from the Franklin expedition mysteriously winds up back in England when it should have been at the bottom of the ocean; but that's minor. Of more interest is that there's something unexplained going on in Canada's far north. Unfortunately it never does get explained. It would appear that the author's premise is that rationality varies inversely with distance from civilization. Mixed in among the rest, is the hint of various governments' secret services sneaking around for purposes that remain unknown. Fingers may be pointed at whatever secret service is run by the British admiralty. Or possibly it isn't a government agency but some sort of freelance group. Everything is vague and remains vague throughout the book.

If you read this, be prepared to just go along for the ride. You won't be able to follow most of the characters with the exception of the the protagonists; but the story, such as it is, unfolds in an interesting manner. It would be nice if the author had added an ending but he didn't so I guess the reader is expected so supply his or her own. The good news is that the modern obligatory sex scene is minuscule - little more than waking up the following morning so it's not necessary to wade through a morass of heaving passion.

This author has a nice flair for description and creates settings that are readily imaginable. There isn't much humor in the book but there is a bit. My favorite quote is, "One of the guys from the airstrip said they had to call the bear warden today to come deal with a bear. When he showed up all he had with him was a single-shot twenty-two. So now there's a bear out there with a really sore ass and a deep sense of grievance."

For lovers of mystery, I think I can recommend Minds of Winter with the proviso that you won't get a solution for any of the mysteries that are presented. You'll have to provide your own.



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