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The Winter Ghosts

Putnam. Feb. 2011. c.288p. ISBN 9780399157158. $24.95. F
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In this spare, elegant novel, Mosse (Labyrinth Sepulchre) follows a young man as he comes to terms with a devastating personal loss. Freddie Watson's life was forever altered in 1916 by the death of his older brother George, a captain in England's Royal Sussex Regiment. He is still mourning the loss 12 years later when he travels to France, hoping that a change of scenery will offer a reprieve from his crushing sadness. When a freak snowstorm strands him in the unforgiving landscape of the Pyrenees, he finds shelter in Nulle, a small, isolated town that also seems plagued by a deep melancholy. It is there that Freddie meets the beautiful and mysterious Fabrissa, who, for her own personal reasons, understands the depth of Freddie's grief. As Freddie learns of Fabrissa's tragic history, he finally finds the courage to let go of the past.
VERDICT Although Mosse's third novel isn't spooky enough to recommend to die-hard ghost story fans, finely drawn characters and an evocative setting make this a fine choice for lovers of historical and literary fiction. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/10.]
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