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A review by whalleyrulz
The Winter Boy by Sally Wiener Grotta
5.0
Let's start out with the ugliest part of this book: yes, a woman did write a novel that directly says "see, women are super powerful, because they can fuck boys and turn them into powerful amazing members of society that can protect us." None of my overanalysis there; that's literally the plot of the book. Rishana is a woman who is taking on her first sexstudent, and is stressed out because what if she doesn't do the hump rightwardsly and he doesn't wind up being as good a diplomat warrior as the other women will sex their dudes into being?
But, okay, here's the thing: Jacqueline Carey's [b:Kushiel's Dart|153008|Kushiel's Dart (Phèdre's Trilogy, #1)|Jacqueline Carey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328168291s/153008.jpg|2990010], if you're going to sum it up in the same way, is a book about how some women just like being beat, and Margaret Atwood's [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale|Margaret Atwood|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1294702760s/38447.jpg|1119185] is all about how women probably shouldn't bother forcing themselves to try any more, because they're all just destined to give up and get fucked by the patriarchy.
Ain't I grand at summaries?
The Winter Boy is... you know, it's hard to come up with a simple thing to write about this book before going into detail. It's a brand new fantasy novel that encapsulates the history of a world from the confines of a small love-shack in the mountains. It's mythic as hell. And if you find the start as awkward as I did, stick with it - this is cultural fantasy that rewards like nothing else.
Sally Wiener Grotta did a beautiful thing with this book. Most 'coming of age' stories don't really deal with 'coming of age' in terms of maturity or general worldviews; they mostly follow the story of a Teenager who Didn't Know They Hurt Someone Acknowledging Their Daddy Issues and Developing A Wistful Smile. The Winter Boy isn't that. It's a story about someone learning to be less self-centered due to no typical conflict. It's amazing.
That awkwardness at the start that I mentioned is one of the many ways this book is just phenomenal. The book reads awkwardly because the characters are awkward. As they mature, the writing style matures; as Ryl and Rishana become more comfortable and learn more about each other, the text goes from uncomfortable to absolutely mythic, almost profound prose. It turns out, and I didn't know this, that Sally Wiener Grotta is a fantastic writer. You can't make that transition happen without serious control over your writing and editing.
I wanted to bring that up before getting into how this book really tears the coming-of-age genre apart to accentuate this point: this is a novel written by an absolutely spectacular author.
So.
This is one of those books that, in five years time, you'll see somebody name in those "books that changed your life" lists. I get it. I do. This book is an educational journey that teaches the reader in no small way how to open their eyes to the world, and how to be more 'present' in life. Due to the lessons that Rishana teaches Ryl, the reader gets to witness first-hand an eighteen year old's journey from arrogance to understanding, from self-centered to selfless. And, thanks to the back-and-forth perspective shifts, the reader will, undoubtedly, reflect and learn too.
But it's not a textbook. It's not a series of dry lessons from guru to novice. It's a back-and-forth story that is never, never, preachy. Hell, it directly criticizes and confronts the idea of a wizened Yoda of knowledge. Vagueness is an enemy. Rishana is a student, just as much as Ryl is, and they both learn from each other, as people in any good relationship should. When it starts, you'll think "goddamn, that Tom Whalley doesn't know what he's talking about; this is heavy-handed as hell, this is just lesson after lesson after lesson, why am I reading this." Remember: it's purposeful; it is an intentional thing to place the reader in the same position as Ryl as to being sick of these lessons. Sally Wiener Grotta is annoying you on purpose.
And, and, oh man my favorite 'and' here, there's a bunch of intentional, purposeful sex in this book that isn't written to titillate, or to eroticize, or to target any particular audience in one way or another. It's blunt and open; it exists to question the embarrassment so many people have with the entire topic. It doesn't condemn those who chose not to have sex either, nor does it push any kind of pro-hump viewpoint, it just states "Hey, here is a fact of life, here is an important thing that some people do that can and usually will have significant impact on lives, and when it comes to woman-and-man sex, can affect how genders think of each other. Let's work with that."
Because here's the thing (that should be a catchphrase of mine at this point, I write it so often)
Sally Wiener Grotta could have created an idyllic world, free of sexism. She has developed the cultural history of dozens of different peoples; she very easily could have written a novel that blatantly gives power to women. She did not. She could have written something that is much more easily construed as a feminist work, something that doesn't lean on so many horrible lessons young women are taught about their 'use' in the world. She did not. She wrote a story bent around gender roles; a, frankly, uncomfortable novel. I deliberately chose Atwood and Carey's books at the start of this review to set a tone though; sometimes, it's better to write something honest yet questionable than a hopeful reiteration of another's idea.
It's pointless to deny the negative implications that this story has. On one level, it just backs up the idea that the greatest thing a woman can do is to support a strong man. It can be read as an ode to submission, as a lesson that women should learn to be manipulative and pull strings, and that the most power a lady can have is to fuck well and serve. I won't spoil the turn near the end of the book; it definitely arrives far too late into the novel to make every reader happy, and doesn't quite 'solve' these issues. Personally, I read it as a setup for the next novel's deconstruction of this one's tropes. Without giving too much away, I feel like the next novel will directly confront why the Alleshi only train men as leaders and the very large problems that I just brought up. You don't write a book about how to pick up on subtext and not be aware of your own subtext; Rishana's decisions and opinions surrounding the Alleshi in the final chapters kind of hint at this direction. I hope.
My biggest criticism is actually that there's a whole 'nother story going on in this book that just ends. Here's a post-coital fireside debate of a story, an actual story, a fantasy novel, with no swords or punching or kingdoms or, mostly, even harsh words. It's so personal, and so well done, that you almost get upset about the events taking place outside of this one little cabin. The outside story, the 'wrapper', if you will, is pushed aside for such a long time that when it rears its head near the end, it feels like a slap of cold water. Intentional, again, but still upsetting... and when the novel ends, just ends like that...
Look, if Sally Wiener Grotta doesn't write a sequel to this book to follow up on every loose end, to continue every story, I want you to disregard every word of this review after the first paragraph. In fact, remove everything before the first 'yes' too. This novel is incredible, and I so rarely say "and the sequel will make it even better" because I kind of want books to stand on their own, but yeah. That. This is incredible. The next will make this more incredible. Or, I hate it.
Hmm. I might have to write reviews of series next. It'll be easier. Sidenote over: read this damn book.
But, okay, here's the thing: Jacqueline Carey's [b:Kushiel's Dart|153008|Kushiel's Dart (Phèdre's Trilogy, #1)|Jacqueline Carey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328168291s/153008.jpg|2990010], if you're going to sum it up in the same way, is a book about how some women just like being beat, and Margaret Atwood's [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale|Margaret Atwood|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1294702760s/38447.jpg|1119185] is all about how women probably shouldn't bother forcing themselves to try any more, because they're all just destined to give up and get fucked by the patriarchy.
Ain't I grand at summaries?
The Winter Boy is... you know, it's hard to come up with a simple thing to write about this book before going into detail. It's a brand new fantasy novel that encapsulates the history of a world from the confines of a small love-shack in the mountains. It's mythic as hell. And if you find the start as awkward as I did, stick with it - this is cultural fantasy that rewards like nothing else.
Sally Wiener Grotta did a beautiful thing with this book. Most 'coming of age' stories don't really deal with 'coming of age' in terms of maturity or general worldviews; they mostly follow the story of a Teenager who Didn't Know They Hurt Someone Acknowledging Their Daddy Issues and Developing A Wistful Smile. The Winter Boy isn't that. It's a story about someone learning to be less self-centered due to no typical conflict. It's amazing.
That awkwardness at the start that I mentioned is one of the many ways this book is just phenomenal. The book reads awkwardly because the characters are awkward. As they mature, the writing style matures; as Ryl and Rishana become more comfortable and learn more about each other, the text goes from uncomfortable to absolutely mythic, almost profound prose. It turns out, and I didn't know this, that Sally Wiener Grotta is a fantastic writer. You can't make that transition happen without serious control over your writing and editing.
I wanted to bring that up before getting into how this book really tears the coming-of-age genre apart to accentuate this point: this is a novel written by an absolutely spectacular author.
So.
This is one of those books that, in five years time, you'll see somebody name in those "books that changed your life" lists. I get it. I do. This book is an educational journey that teaches the reader in no small way how to open their eyes to the world, and how to be more 'present' in life. Due to the lessons that Rishana teaches Ryl, the reader gets to witness first-hand an eighteen year old's journey from arrogance to understanding, from self-centered to selfless. And, thanks to the back-and-forth perspective shifts, the reader will, undoubtedly, reflect and learn too.
But it's not a textbook. It's not a series of dry lessons from guru to novice. It's a back-and-forth story that is never, never, preachy. Hell, it directly criticizes and confronts the idea of a wizened Yoda of knowledge. Vagueness is an enemy. Rishana is a student, just as much as Ryl is, and they both learn from each other, as people in any good relationship should. When it starts, you'll think "goddamn, that Tom Whalley doesn't know what he's talking about; this is heavy-handed as hell, this is just lesson after lesson after lesson, why am I reading this." Remember: it's purposeful; it is an intentional thing to place the reader in the same position as Ryl as to being sick of these lessons. Sally Wiener Grotta is annoying you on purpose.
And, and, oh man my favorite 'and' here, there's a bunch of intentional, purposeful sex in this book that isn't written to titillate, or to eroticize, or to target any particular audience in one way or another. It's blunt and open; it exists to question the embarrassment so many people have with the entire topic. It doesn't condemn those who chose not to have sex either, nor does it push any kind of pro-hump viewpoint, it just states "Hey, here is a fact of life, here is an important thing that some people do that can and usually will have significant impact on lives, and when it comes to woman-and-man sex, can affect how genders think of each other. Let's work with that."
Because here's the thing (that should be a catchphrase of mine at this point, I write it so often)
Sally Wiener Grotta could have created an idyllic world, free of sexism. She has developed the cultural history of dozens of different peoples; she very easily could have written a novel that blatantly gives power to women. She did not. She could have written something that is much more easily construed as a feminist work, something that doesn't lean on so many horrible lessons young women are taught about their 'use' in the world. She did not. She wrote a story bent around gender roles; a, frankly, uncomfortable novel. I deliberately chose Atwood and Carey's books at the start of this review to set a tone though; sometimes, it's better to write something honest yet questionable than a hopeful reiteration of another's idea.
It's pointless to deny the negative implications that this story has. On one level, it just backs up the idea that the greatest thing a woman can do is to support a strong man. It can be read as an ode to submission, as a lesson that women should learn to be manipulative and pull strings, and that the most power a lady can have is to fuck well and serve. I won't spoil the turn near the end of the book; it definitely arrives far too late into the novel to make every reader happy, and doesn't quite 'solve' these issues. Personally, I read it as a setup for the next novel's deconstruction of this one's tropes. Without giving too much away, I feel like the next novel will directly confront why the Alleshi only train men as leaders and the very large problems that I just brought up. You don't write a book about how to pick up on subtext and not be aware of your own subtext; Rishana's decisions and opinions surrounding the Alleshi in the final chapters kind of hint at this direction. I hope.
My biggest criticism is actually that there's a whole 'nother story going on in this book that just ends. Here's a post-coital fireside debate of a story, an actual story, a fantasy novel, with no swords or punching or kingdoms or, mostly, even harsh words. It's so personal, and so well done, that you almost get upset about the events taking place outside of this one little cabin. The outside story, the 'wrapper', if you will, is pushed aside for such a long time that when it rears its head near the end, it feels like a slap of cold water. Intentional, again, but still upsetting... and when the novel ends, just ends like that...
Look, if Sally Wiener Grotta doesn't write a sequel to this book to follow up on every loose end, to continue every story, I want you to disregard every word of this review after the first paragraph. In fact, remove everything before the first 'yes' too. This novel is incredible, and I so rarely say "and the sequel will make it even better" because I kind of want books to stand on their own, but yeah. That. This is incredible. The next will make this more incredible. Or, I hate it.
Hmm. I might have to write reviews of series next. It'll be easier. Sidenote over: read this damn book.