Top marks for atmospherics to Krissy Kneen, whose “Wintering” is set in the south of Tasmania, near the famed South Coast Walk, and features eerie, foreboding caves. The partner of cave tour guide Jessica disappears from his car one day, leaving Jessica to seek his traces amidst a local community that appears to know more than she does. Alongside the brooding interiors and coastline, everyone seems charged with portent. For some authors, we’d be talking psychological thriller territory here but Kneen is more ambitious, and this is a gothic, literary effort that works well. I felt the structural plot creaked towards the end but enjoyed the read enormously. Recommended.
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