Book Analysis: Winterkill
Summary
Outside of Emmeline´s settlement lies a terrible elephant-like monster, this creature had wiped the last of the population. Inside the settlement, Emmeline is convinced that voices are telling her to go in the woods-which is Wayward. Her grandmother had been punished for Waywardness and was sent to the Crossroads.
When one of the most important settlement leader asks for her hand, she has the opportunity to clear her Stain of her grandmother´s crime. Emmeline doesn´t want to marry, her heart belongs to someone else. Due to this impossible decision, her urge to venture the woods is bigger. If Emmeline is not careful she will follow the steps of her grandmother.
Characters
Emmeline- She is the main character and the book is written in her perspective. She is very curious due to the restrictions of the settlement. At the beginning of the story, she harms her foot adding much tension to some themes.
Brother Stockham- He is part of Council, one of the most powerful men in the village. He hasn´t had a life mate until Emmeline has grown up. He has a deep personality, he is very wise and can easily use somebody to do what he wants. He was been seen out in the woods various times.
Kane- He is from the south quarters of the village in the textile fabric. He cares about everyone, various times he has saved Emmeline and other villagers from problems. He mainly supports Emmeline during the whole book and makes Brother Stockham proposal even more difficult to accept.
Analysis
The genre is a Dystopia, Fiction, and Young Adult Book. It mixes English with a bit of French, this gives the text more intrigue due to that when they are talking French you don´t really understand what they are saying. For example: when Andre one of the watcher tells Emmeline about what seemed like the “malmaci”: “Peut etr la même chose de moi?” (page 170).
In the book it seems like this settlement is in set in the past, because people marry at sixteen and have kids, normally the kid or the mother die. Also if you are found to be gay you will be send to Crossroads-it is a place outside the village where they punish people who disobey the rules.
Most of people don´t know how to read and only the most important people know how to write; “It´s signed-he reads the word slow-” Your father, H.J. Stockham”” ( page 198). The settlement also restricts many things due to their religion- pray to Almighty- which is their God. There are 4 virtues, one of the virtues is Discovery, but they aren´t allowed to leave the settlement.
