Reed Karaim

The Winter in Anna
By Reed Karaim
Narrated By Will Damron
Published 2017 by Dreamscape Media, LLC
7 hours and 23 minutes

I received a free audio copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a big fan of literary fiction—when it’s well done—but The Winter in Anna was not what I consider to be well done. Ricky, the narrator of this story, was not a particularly interesting or complex character. The majority of the story consists of Ricky telling the story of Anna, his co-worker and friend who committed suicide. I definitely think Anna was more complex and interesting but I would have liked to learn more about Anna from a different perspective than Ricky. In addition, the writing wasn’t especially noteworthy. It felt like there was a lot of filler material to make the story longer but that didn’t really add to the story or the understanding of the characters. I was frequently bored with the story and had no emotional involvement with the characters.

I can’t say that I recommend this book but it wasn’t terrible either. The story had potential and the writing was average. The narrator, Will Damron, has the perfect voice and style for literary fiction. There were times in this particular book where I felt his narration was overly dramatic but I think that may have had more to do with my lack of connection to the story than with his performance. I’ve added him to my list of narrators to watch for.… (meer)

This is a beautiful little book that is a both a coming of age story and a meditation on loss. The story begins with Anna's suicide, years after the rest of the narrative takes place. The story is told by a mature Eric Valery as he reflects upon her death, and her life.

Eric (Rick) Valery drops out of college one semester short of graduation to become a local sports writer for a small town weekly newspaper in Shannon, North Dakota, on the edge of the badlands. Within weeks, he is promoted to editor. Anna also works on the newspaper: a single mother of two preteens, young but not so young as Rick, and a woman full of hesitancy. Anna and Eric quickly become friends as they work together on the final assembly of the paper on Thursday nights. He teaches her how to develop photos for the paper and they often function as a reporting team on local events in this time before the digital age.

Through the narrative, Eric reveals tidbits of Anna's past as he learned them during his tenure at the Shannon Sentinel. He also experiences the loss of his father during that year.

The story is populated with an interesting cast of small town locals. Their characters fill out and blossom as Eric matures in his first job and gains a greater understanding of life's complexities. The North Dakota landscape and seasons are beautifully described and are integral to the story.

The writing often prose and beautifully written. I give it 4 stars.… (meer)