Quick Synopsis

Perfection has a cost . . . With transporting prose and meticulous detail, set in an era that remains shockingly relevant today, Rae Meadows’s Winterland tells a story of glory, loss, hope, and determination, and of finding light where none exists.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Soviet Union, 1973: There is perhaps no greater honor for a young girl than to be chosen for the famed USSR gymnastics program. When eight-year-old Anya is selected, her family is thrilled. What is left of her family, that is. Years ago, her mother disappeared without a trace, leaving Anya’s father devastated and their lives dark and quiet in the bitter cold of Siberia. Anya’s only confidant is her neighbor, an older woman who survived unspeakable horrors during her ten years imprisoned in a Gulag camp―and who, unbeknownst to Anya, was also her mother’s confidant and might hold the key to her disappearance.

As Anya rises through the ranks of competitive gymnastics, and as other girls fall from grace, she soon comes to realize that there is very little margin of error for anyone and so much to lose.

Book Review

Winterland is one of those books that you try to offer a synopsis for and fail to truly capture the essence of the book. This story is about so much, and yet, captured within the story of one girl.

Winterland is focused on the story of Anya and those in her inner circle. The story is initially set in 1970s Siberia and expands into 1980s USSR as Anya becomes a gymnast training for the Soviet Olympic team.

I have seen Winterland categorized as a thriller and would strongly argue that it does not fit into this genre. While there is a mystery at the center of the story, the book really does not have the suspense or pace of a thriller. Instead, I think Winterland can better be categorized as literary and historical fiction.

I can not pinpoint what initially drew me into this story. But once I started, I did not want to put Winterland down. It has been a long time since I have said that about a piece of literary or historical fiction. Both the writing and the storyline compelled me to keep reading.

The plot of this book is nuanced and complex in the best way. It felt like a true reflection of the complexity of dreaming, living, and loving. This is what makes it so hard to describe as it is not simply a book about the Soviet gymnastics program or living in post-Stalin Siberia or the aftermath of a mother’s disappearance.

While you may pick up Winterland because of the gymnastics or the mystery, you will lose yourself in the character’s lives. Rae Meadows crafts compelling characters that feel like fully-formed people you know. While not all the characters are those you want to be friends with, Meadows does an excellent job showing the breadth of humanity through the characters. I almost become teary-eyed thinking about the characters and their journeys, because I feel like I have lived them myself. Despite living decades later and a world away, the themes and obstacles of this book feel so relevant to today.

After I finished Winterland, I could not stop thinking about it. It is one of those books that captures your imagination and takes you days to full digest and savor. Without a doubt, this story captured my heart and will live rent-free in my brain for a long time to come.

Overall, I really enjoyed Winterland and initially gave it 4 stars. But as days passed and I could not stop pondering the story, I knew that I had to give it a higher rating. This story is riveting and one you will not want to miss. My review can simply not do it justice! But leave time to go into a YouTube deep dive watching videos of 1970-80s USSR gymnasts after you finish.

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