Book 2 Post 2
Road Out of Winter Post Two
Road Out of Winter follows Wil as she tries to escape the eternal winter that is taking over Ohio, and potentially the entire world. When Wil’s best friend leaves their hometown, Wil realizes she has no reason to stay and sets out to find her mother in California. Along the way she collects other people trying to make their way out of the winter. Grayson and Dance are from her hometown and are traveling with Wil when they are trapped in a cult-like commune fashioned around a skate park. When they escape they take Jamey and her daughter, Starla, with them as they attempt to get back on track to California. Eventually, Dance and Grayson leave the group and Wil is left to care for Jamey and Starla in an unresolved ending.
I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to take away from this book. I believe the unresolved ending is supposed to make me understand that we don’t actually know what climate change will wind up doing to the world. Really, I think the book mostly made me think about what we could possibly do to counteract climate change. It makes you reflect on the consequences of your actions and realize that the decisions you make will catch up to you--one way or another. I think the book also focuses a lot on the power of relationships and how connections with people can make even the bleakest of times just a little better.
I personally think that some parts of this book took a much longer time to read than others. While it was very short--just about 200 pages--there were chunks of the book that seemed to have nothing occurring. I thought the author’s approach was rather interesting, because you often got to see the psychological effects the winter was having on characters. Small details about their mindsets would be offered every once in a while and would have an enormous impact on what I felt about their journey and situation. However, I think the book did not say enough. It was incredibly short. It is mostly character driven, as they really get nowhere in their travels by the end of the book. And while I’m sure the unresolved ending serves some purpose and is probably highly regarded by some people, I really just wanted to know what the world looked like on the other side of the country. So, while the book was good, I was expecting a lot more out of it when I first picked it up.
Hi Samantha,
ReplyDeleteI also read Road Out of Winter and I agree that the unresolved nature of the book felt disappointing. In the end they really travelled nowhere at all. Even though this could be realistic in a situation like the one they are in, it felt disappointing with all of the buildup about finding her mother. Still, I agree it offered some good conversation about climate change and makes the reader reflect on the potential for an environmental disaster.
Ethan
Hi Samantha,
ReplyDeleteRoad Out of Winter seems extremely complicated for such a short read. I am a little confused about the main issue in the story, other than trying to flee climate change. There also seems to be a lot of struggles Will faced while leaving that I didn't expect. I wonder if you feel the same way as I do. Sorry that you didn't get everything you hoped you would have after reading this book.
- Ellie
Hey Sam,
ReplyDeleteReally loved the font to be honest. The design I felt matched both your style of writing and the content of what you wrote about. I also really enjoyed reading your blog as the concept reminded me of the moving Day after Tomorrow which was an interesting movie concept. I liked the movie so it compelled me to read your blog!
Michael
Hi Samantha,
ReplyDeleteReally interesting to hear your review on this book, as I've never read it but I had heard good things. It seems like it really left you disappointed and wanting more, but also it didn't seem like it utilized its page space super efficiently. I myself have trouble getting a lot of meaning out of certain texts, so I'm sure I'd have a hard time with it. It's always a risk when authors take such a large issue and condense it into a microcosm story like this.
Kevin
Hi Samantha!
ReplyDeleteMost of the time, I don't like unresolved endings in books/movies. I feel like if they are executed properly, they can serve to strengthen the story. But, in almost all of the books I've read or movies I've watched, unresolved endings just seem like cop outs where the writers didn't know where to go with the plot. Reading reviews online, it seems like this novel had that issue of fizzling out before the ending.
Bryan
Great post Sam. I also read Road Out of Winter and agreed with a lot of what you said. The plot was really slowly developed and it felt like it was all building up to some big resolution that never took place in the end. Another theme I felt stood was theme of finding home/belonging which kind of relates to the point you made about making relationships in the bleakest of times. I too was curious about the whole winter situation and if it affected the entire country/world but that part was left up to the our imagination along with the ending. Just like you, I think I would have liked the book more if there was some better background so I didn't feel that sense of confusion that lingered in the back of my head the whole time I was reading.
ReplyDeleteHi Samantha,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry this book had an unresolved ending. Those type of books aggravate my spirit. But I'm glad it showed the power of relationships. As a person who loves being by herself, I learned the hard way that relationships are very important.
Best,
Lesley
Hi Samantha,
ReplyDeleteI did not read Road Out of Winter, and based off your post I can say I'm glad I didn't. Im sorry about the ending of the novel, or lack of closure. There seems to have been a lot of build up leading up to the end, to only disappoint. It reminds me of Game of Thrones, in the sense that it was a great Tv show with a terrible ending to the series. There was a lot of great build up only to fall flat in the end. It left me with more questions than answers.
-Angel Perez