Review for The Sisters
of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
Combined with an Original Article: Unique
by Karen S. Wiesner
Beware spoilers! Published in 2018, The Sisters of the Winter Wood is the
debut novel of literary agent Rena Rossner, who lives in Israel. I really don't
know how to categorize this unusual story. It's a blend of magic and reality,
fantasy, folklore, cultural history (specifically Jewish mythology). As to
whether it's young adult, I'm not certain. Both protagonists are teenage girls,
but I don't know if the intention was for it to be read only by young adults. I
was looking for a new audiobook and this one came up, promising to be something
atmospheric and supernatural. It was both. The narrator, Ana Clements, was the
perfect choice for this material, and I'd go so far as to say that no one else
could have done it better.
In this tale, 17-year-old
Liba and her 14-year-old sister Laya live with their parents in a remote
village. They've been raised in the forest in a very insular way by their
Jewish father and converted-but-never-truly-accepted mother. When their parents
are forced to leave the girls at home because the roads aren't safe in order to
visit their dying grandfather, the sisters are thrust into secrets and
discoveries they could never have imagined. Liba, like her father, has the ability
to transform into a bear. Laya and her mother can become swans. Neither girl
ever had a clue about this prior to their parents leaving. Overnight, the
entire world changes for them as dark forces gather and the village is plunged
into danger.
In ways, I found it
unfortunate that the author chose to reveal the shapeshifting abilities when
the girls are teenagers. So much of this book was overwhelmed with the angst
and ardor of two young, impressionable girls who long to explore their sensuality,
despite the environment they were raised in. While I found the cultural aspects
of the story intriguing, these characters were painted as good, responsible
daughter (Liba) and stupid, flighty daughter (Laya). Combine that bland ordinary (in my opinion anyway)
with the persecution of a people wherever they go, seemingly, and it strongly
began to feel like there was a wider agenda being served up in this chill,
supernatural setting. I was looking for the extraordinary, so for that reason,
I found myself mildly disappointed when the tone of the story seemed to change
to something much more mundane, like bigotry.
Despite that, as the
kiss of winter begins making itself known in my area of the world along with
the promise of Thanksgiving and Christmas, like the unmistakable scent of
cinnamon and pine needles in the air, I couldn't stop thinking about the deeper
issues this story undergirds and makes haunting with its icy refrain.
"UNIQUE"
Liba and Laya live in a
world that isn't all that different from the one you and I inhabit. That world
and this one seems to want to put everyone in little boxes that may not fit and
then persecute those deemed undesirable while they're there. Just like Dr.
Seuss's Sneetches story, this is one
of the things in this life that should never be. Inside those shackled boxes,
we learn the horrors of judging, racism, prejudice, genocide… The list of
monstrous behaviors is endless for those who see themselves as superior to all
others, so much so that they commit atrocities on other human beings. When
people begin to think of themselves as special--even chosen by God (why is it
that so many madmen in the history of the world believe that?)--sometimes they view
this as permission to do terrible things to others who they see as different
from them.
We all share similar
origin--whatever color our skin is, whatever the culture or community or
religion or gender we're raised in. We're also all born with a predetermined
appearance (based on what our parents impart to us genetically), and there's
very little we can actually do about what we're given in an external sense.
Physical attractiveness is little more than subjectivity anyway. Two people
will never agree on what makes anyone beautiful, so why are we so fixed on the
outside shell of a human being? Frankly, it's all stupid. Make no mistake--the
"ugly" and the "lovely" are both given these things at
birth; no one chose them or can claim that they had anything to do with their
own fortune or curse in that regard. While it's important to take care of
ourselves so we're healthy and fit and as attractive as we can be externally,
in truth we should simply be more accepting of each other's exterior appearance,
our race, our culture--and our own--yet we're not! No generation ever really
learns from this fatal flaw in our thinking that seems to be a factory reset
from one age to the next. It's completely senseless how human beings create
innate separations in classes, races, genders, and religions. What a
celebration it could be if only we could rejoice over the differences that make
each of us unique!
It takes a tremendous
amount of grace and character to accept our differences. Twice as much to
accept others with the same equanimity! That's why it's so important to put the
majority of our focus into what can be
controlled, what can be changed, what
can be built and bloomed and become--the
internal aspect of who we are, the person inside, the being we want to be more
than anything. That's where true beauty can be refined. The interesting part
about that is that inner beauty can transform the outer shell. A person so
remarkable and loving can be physically astounding, even if realistically the
outer package may not suggest it can be so. True inner beauty is also the
lasting part of a person's identity. Inner beauty transforms every aspect of our
being, including our perspective of the world around us.
I don't believe I'm
unique in that I want to be remembered for the person I was in life, for inner
beauty and goodness. That's all that really matters in the end. Those are
lasting things that can live on even when I'm gone. We can actually make a mark on this world in that way. But it requires
us to let go of vanity and accept who we are, where we come from and how we were
raised, even what we look like. It requires not seeing ourselves as superior to
all others and to instead see everyone as unique and worthwhile.
Focused on what matters,
build a life that has purpose and meaning. It will outlive you, I promise.
You'll never regret that part, and it is what will give you joy, satisfaction,
and ultimately contentment. The only person you have to give an accounting to
while in this life is yourself. So be
the inner person you want to be without shame or regret. It will reflect on the
exterior. That is something no one can take away from you.
Never mind the irony that I'm
suggesting that you read The Sisters of
the Winter Wood (a very Jewish story, at least on the surface) at this time
of year--whether the Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday--when most hearts turn
to being mindful of what we have. During this time, we seem to reflect more on
the things that matter. To seeing the good in ourselves and in others, to being
the hope, benevolence, and goodwill that we want to spread to all. Ultimately, this story I'm
reviewing this week will make you realize the heart of what's important in life
and the role each of us play in the outcome of good and evil. Our choices can
impact everything in and around us. Be a change and influence for good. Be the
goodwill and benevolence you want to see. Be unique. Above all, remember that the
differences in each of us can become the very celebrations that make life worthwhile.
Karen Wiesner is an
award-winning, multi-genre author of over 150 titles and 16 series.
Visit her website and blog here:
https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/
and https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/karens-quill-blog
Visit
her publisher here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/
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