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    The Winter Girl
    The Winter Girl
    The Winter Girl
    Audiobook6 hours

    The Winter Girl

    Written by Matt Marinovich

    Narrated by Quincy Dunn-Baker

    3/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Scott is spending his winter in the Hamptons with his wife Elise, who is taking care of her terminally ill father. With Elise in the hospital everyday and their marriage growing increasingly strained, Scott spends a lot of time alone. He finds himself fascinated with the seemingly empty house next door, where every night the lights go out at exactly 11 pm. Convinced no one is home he decides to break in the next day. Although he doesn't discover much of interest, trespassing gives him a thrill he hasn't felt in a long time. He soon convinces his wife to come with him on his next visit and their simple transgression leads to an escalating series of bad decisions, infidelities, violence, and shocking revelations. Key selling points: A Poisonous Bon Bon: Sex, secrets, violence, and marriage wrapped tightly in a deceptively short novel. You'll enjoy every deliciously naughty moment through to the chilling end. Blistering prose: Matt Marinovich has the Voice, razor sharp throughout, and then he just hits you with a line or paragraph or scene about love and loss and loneliness that makes you realize you've been holding your breath for pages. Rear Window Unhinged: Scott likes to watch. He's not the only one. A Scathing take on Hamptons: What is more tasty than the worst-case scenario playing out in those big Hamptons mansions? Whatever happens, it still won't affect property values... There will be praise: An amazing talent has arrived. For fans of Herman Koch, Chelsea Cain, Adam Ross. Author Bio: Matt Marinovich is the author of Strange Skies and lives in Brooklyn. He has worked as an editor at Interview, Martha Stewart Living, People, and Real Simple. His writing has appeared in McSweeney's Internet Tendencies, Esquire.com, Salon, Quarterly West, Open City, Barcelona Review, Poets Writers and others.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJan 19, 2016
    ISBN9781501904608
    The Winter Girl

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    Reviews for The Winter Girl

    3/5

    45 ratings11 reviews

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    • 1/5
      Possibly the worst thing ever written, certainly the worst thing I've ever read. Wish I had never forced myself to finish; I only did so because the intensely horrible part didn't get out of hand until far into the book. I should have just stopped instead of contiinuing simply for the sake of not wanting to admit I'd wasted time to read to that point. I am only posting this book on my list here in hopes that this review will keep others from making the mistake of reading this awful, inexcusable, sick mess.
    • 5/5
      We all enjoy stories with characters we like and/or can identify with, this is hopefully not one of those tales! If you identify with any of the individuals in this book, seek professional help. Reading this twisted macabre tale made me realize that you can also thoroughly enjoy a story filled with only despicable people. It's a quick read, because you just can't wait to see what's next. Grab a copy and take a journey into perversion!
    • 2/5
      It is the winter and the Hamptons are empty - anyone that has another home is back home; just the locals are still around. And one of them is Victor - a dying man who had been just admitted into the hospital while his daughter Elise and her husband Scott are staying at his house and visiting him in the hospital. It does sound like a sad but normal picture, doesn't it? Turned out that it is not. So let's try a few questions:1. You find an empty house next door while exploring the area. What would you do?a) Go home - you are a grown up after alb) Find a way to get into the house2. After you went into the house and tell your wife, what would you two do next?a) Decide to stop behaving like 10 years oldsb) Go to the house and have sex in it3. If you find a bed covered in blood in the house, what would you do?a) Call the policeb) Decide that you may want to blackmail the home owners. If you answered with a) to all of the questions, you are thinking clearly. If you answered with b) on all of them, you are probably Scott - the protagonist and narrator of this novel. And those will be some of your best decisions in the next few months - because Scott makes more and more bad choices. Victor comes home to die and between that and the house next door, some old secrets start poking their heads up. The story twists and twists and everything needs to be reevaluated based on all the new information (except the evaluation of Scott. He remains an idiot to the end). Murders, sexual assaults, past crimes, present crimes, a brother that seems to be just a phone call away and a big reveal at the end that was so clumsily foreshadowed that it would have been surprising if Marinovich had not gone there. Add to this some clumsy writing, including one of the worst sex scenes I had read in a while ("her cold thighs pressed tight around my warm ears" being just a part of the mercifully short scene) and the novel leaves you with a "so what?" feeling. The threads of the plot get tied off - we learn all about the house and the blood and so on but something just does not work very well. what is worse is that it could have worked - the setting and the start are serviceable - it just gets downhill fast. At least it was short.
    • 3/5
      This was one strange book. Trying too much to be like Gone Girl, the characters are extremely unlikeable. Set in the winter, while waiting for her father to die, Elise and her husband, Scott are staying in his house while Elise spends every day at the hospital. Scott, an unemployed photographer is bored and becomes fixated on the house next door. He sees that the lights are on timers and decides that since the house is empty, he will get in and explore. He soon convinces his wife to go in with him and it's all down hill from there. While I did keep reading, the story just spiraled down and down until it just became too unbelievable. I can't really recommend this...
    • 4/5
      In the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train (psychological suspense, unreliable narrator, "girl" in the title), this ended up being an uneven and unsettling read. Marinovich keeps up a good pace through most of it, but some of the characters and details didn't ring true for me and seemed too contrived. The twists weren't twisty enough and the twisted nature of what the narrator discovers was too twisted - not because I'm a prude but because it just seemed to come out of left field. Still, the tension, like the pacing, is pretty well done and I was rapidly turning the pages at the end to find out what would happen.
    • 3/5
      The Winter Girl by Matt Marinovich is a recommended, fast-paced psychological thriller.

      Scott and Elise are in the Hamptons for Elise to care for her terminally ill father, Victor, during his final days. Elise's mother is deceased and her brother, Ryder, is incarcerated, so she is the only one available. There are several problems with the plan. First, Elise, as far as Scott knows, has never had a good relationship with her father and there was likely abuse when she was younger. The second problem is that, although the doctors said it would be a matter of weeks, the vigil has turned into months, and Victor is still holding onto life, spewing venom. Scott and Elise's relationship was teetering on the edge of divorce before, but the situation now is pushing it to the brink.

      Scott, who narrates the novel, becomes obsessed with the lights on the house next door. It's obvious no one is there and that they are on a timer. Scott's obsession with the house escalates and eventually results in his breaking into the house. Scott then talks Elise into accompanying him. This one act uncovers a myriad of secrets, intrigue, and horror.

      The first part of the story was compelling and caught my attention. Then it sort of went downhill, or at least I had to ignore niggling questions that kept popping up while I was reading. Questions like: "Why are you obsessed with the house next door and what would compel you to break into it?" and "Maybe I missed something, but does breaking and entering really give people a sexual thrill?" and "Really? Unbelievable... really?"

      The good news is that The Winter Girl is a short novel and moves along quickly. If you just want escapism with some titillating, gratuitous sex and violence with a vaguely implausible plot, read on. There isn't a lot of character development here. It is all about the secrets and shocking disclosures. The last half of the novel feels rushed and that is where the action/events seem disjointed and dubious.


      Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Knopf Doubleday for review purposes.
    • 4/5
      I was given an eARC by the publisher, Doubleday, via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you.This is a psychological thriller set in The Hamptons during the winter. I found it to be very suspenseful. I was hooked from the beginning even though it was hard to like the two protagonists, a married couple named Scott and Elise. They were complex individuals who made many bad decisions, especially Scott. I won't go into details of the plot because it's too easy to mess up the suspense for future readers.Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, a twist or turn came along. There was a really good flow to the story but I didn't like the ending. I guess I didn't see it ending the way it did.Be forewarned: there are disturbing, graphic sexual scenes.
    • 2/5
      Burr! Break out the gloves and ear muffs - because winter has officially arrived with this chilly psychological thriller that will have readers wondering just how well they know their own in-laws. Nowadays, just about everything is being advertised as being just as twisty and dark and clever as Gone Girl - a nasty little book that has, quite rightly, captured an impressive fan-base. And, you know, it sort of bothers me that the industry has whored out Flynn's novel, forcing associations that are, in this case, tenuous at best. Yes, they both are books built on slow-burning betrayals committed by fairly despicable characters. But, unlike Gone Girl or even Herman Koch's recent works, I didn't get fully buy into or get lost in the anti-hero's nllarrative voice. Between the lack of depth of character and my lack of interest in the slow-to-warm plot, I was left only mildly satisfied by this book. Like the rest of the world, I was blown away by Gone Girl, and I was not blown away by this book. I'll get that out in the open. This, The Winter Girl, is not Gone Girl; but, it is relatively entertaining, and it should amuse those who like their characters...well, um, unlikable. Married couple Elise and Scott have moved into her father's house in the Hamptons (or is it on the Hamptons) under the pretense of caring for him at the end of his life. But, really, these unemployed millennials are just waiting for the wretched man to die, hoping to inherit his significant wealth. You see, Elise isn't forthcoming about her past, but it is obvious to the reader (and her rather clueless husband) that her father's parenting skills left something to be desired. So, it is with great trepidation that they agree to care for him, in these late stages of cancer, at his house, so that he may die in peace, at home. With Scott and his father-in-law at odds, he indulges in practicing his photography, capturing the winter scenery of the all-but-abandoned vacation spot. When he becomes aware of the lights on an automatic timer on a house next door, Scott falls prey to temptation and indulges his curiosity about the empty dwelling. What's a little breaking and entering between neighbors, right? Wrong. And it all goes to shit from there.I had difficulty with the pacing of the plot. It was pretty torturous - as in, I had to force myself to maintain interest, until about a third of the way into the book. It took way too much time to establish the situation - see also: rich, spoiled people who bore easily and, themselves, have too much time on their hands and no respect for their neighbors property. Winter Girl provided a shallow view of shallow people. All of the characters were voyeurs in their own way: taking pictures, taking videos, eavesdropping on one another and watching in other people's windows. Yes, they saw - but only the very surface of what they were watching; underneath all of them is a very different type of dirty, nasty truth. Was the big reveal/twist of this porportedly Gone Girl-esque novel a shock? For me? Not too much. It certainly wasn't a satisfying reveal. I connected the weird dots of the story long before the "truth" came out. Maybe I didn't care as much - because I wasn't invested in the shallow rendering of these unlikable characters. There were moments in this book where my interest was peaked, and I had hope of a better, more satisfying read. For example (warning - minor spoiler), the history of miscarriage between Elise and Scott helped to define their relationship to one another. I wanted more from the characters, about their circumstances and personal history, and less silly running around in the woods between the houses. I'm willing to accept that this just wasn't for me. It may be for you. (Disclaimer: I have a nine-week old and a two year old, and I'm operating on very little sleep and patience. This may have been the wrong read at the wrong time.Thanks anyways, NetGalley! Keep those ARCs coming my direction!
    • 3/5
      This book was okay. A psychological thriller with twists and turns. None of the characters are very likable and the story-line is slightly disturbing. When I finished the book, I felt as dark, gloomy and sick as the people and the plot of this book. However, it did keep me entertained and wanting to discover how the story would unfold.I received a e-book copy for review from Netgalley.com.
    • 4/5
      A special thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Matt Marinovich delivers a deliciously evil creepy psycho-thriller THE WINTER GIRL, with cleverly infused family secrets, juicy suspense, "laugh out loud " hilarious, and twisted dark, sarcastic humor— far more entertaining than Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl’s couple, Nick and Amy. Even though The Winter Girl's couple, Scott and Elise, have their own individual naughty plans, secrets, obsessions, and dangerous sexual games; they are partners in crime, even with their wacko personalities, and hidden separate agendas.The Winter Girl has the addition of Hamptons' alluring winter setting, a vacant house, a perverted evil old twisted sadistic wicked father, Victor (who will not die)--continuing to plot his evil, even with cancer on his death bed. There’s also the other worthy characters: the nurse, and the mysterious winter girl to add a bit of spice, and horror. A dangerous game of mind-blowing cat and mouse—making this an ideal “book to film” adaption. The movie would be a riot. It is winter in early December--Elsie’s dad has colon cancer metastasized, forcing them to leave their home to head to the Hamptons, to help with his care. Elsie is a speech therapist in Brooklyn. (not seeing a life worth much, they left behind). Her dad, Victor is an evil perverted gross old man. Her younger brother, Ryder is in jail (they have a special relationship, speaking in their own code). Her mother had left her father a long time ago. Her mother Puerto Rican, father Caucasian. He married his housekeeper. He was rich. He was abusive. He is nasty.Told from Scott’s point of view, he formerly taught at the New School, before they cut staff, then ended up photographing Asian newlyweds in Prospect Park. A gig he landed through a student; however, this was short lived. Now, he has nothing but a house next door, an attempt to keep his marriage intact, and to hurry and collect the money from the old man. Victor and Scott despise one another.Not a career driven or super couple, they are more about wanting the old man to die to inherit his millions, and cannot wait for him to rest in peace somewhere besides this earth. They hope he has not changed the will. In the beginning of the book, Elsie defends her father, and the by the end of the book, she is the one who wants him dead.“The terrible thing about watching a parent die, one day you think they are ready to check out and the next they are on the five- year plan."Appears they need to pace themselves or do something to accelerate the process.They are staying in Victor's home, while he is in the hospital. With little incentive to do any photography, while Elsie is away at the hospital visiting her father; Scott is intrigued with the house next door. The two lights in the upstairs bedroom were on a timer-- they turned off at 11 pm every night. Scott has nothing better to do all day, except drink all Victor’s liquor, watch the cooking channel, and imagine what is inside the vacant house. He decides he will satisfy his curiosity. The home is unlocked and makes his way in to explore. He dreams of photographing his wife nude at the pool, and possible some sex in the house in order to add some spice, to his rather dull marriage. “The funny thing about the day I pretended to be a speech therapist is that it also turned into the first real argument between me and Elsie. I basically told her that she’d wasted seventy-five thousand dollars on a master’s in speech. She told me I’d wasted ten years of my life pretending to be a photographer. We made up later than night, but looking back, I realize we never forgave each other. Part of each of us was always keeping an eye on the other from then on, even after we got married.”Scott gets excited, about the house. Forbidden fruit. Making him feel as though he and Elsie are back in college, stumbling around in the woods, after taking two hits of Ecstasy. He talks Elsie into joining him for a little quickie in the vacant house; however, they soon find out this happened to be a brutal murder crime scene. Whose blood? Whose murder? They cannot go to the police, since they are guilty of B&E. They could have picked any of these homes and instead they had sex in a murder scene, in one of the less impressive houses. The ongoing mystery. Where are the owners of the house? Yes, it is winter, however, when searching through the house, looking a bills, bank statements, and listening to their voice mail answering machine, it looks like they are not returning, and no caretakers. They imagine all sorts of of scenariosThen old man Victor decides he wants to return home to die. This is when the fun and games begin! A game between Scott, Elsie, and Victor. Victor controls everyone. Who is THE WINTER GIRL, her story, and how does she link to Victor and Elsie? What is the mystery behind Elsie, her father, and brother? Who owns the house? "When you share a secret with someone, the mystery is cut by half." He was still excited. Scott could not deny the thrill of it. Maybe this house could save their marriage. "He feels like a suburban astronaut, exploring an abandoned home in which the crew had gone missing. "Besides the steadily growing affair with the house next door, there are many other disturbing developments to add to the complexity of the mystery. Combined with a ceramic kitchen pig carrying a chalkboard, “The Best is Yet to Come,” the mysterious winter girl, devious Carmelita, the ex-boyfriend, the brother Ryder, Elsie’s dark mysterious side, the dry as a bone turkey, The Ensure, a mysterious key, blackmail, numbers- odd/even, infidelity, violence, money, the Swains (Dick), and the evil deeds of the sadistic father…. A plot to murder—action packed.“Everyone should have a winter girl.” “Secrets burn a hole in everything. They were burning a hole in my life before I was even born.”Who is more twisted and evil: Elsie, Victor, Scott, or Carmelita? (Ideal for book clubs or further discussions).Marinovich's wit, humor, and sarcastic one- liners set TWG apart—Devious twists, turns, shockers. I kept saying OMG, laughing -whereas with Gone Girl, I never cracked a smile during the movie or the book. If you are going to play sicko, combine it with good humor. Could not stop reading until finishing at 4am. Chilling and absorbing; yes, the ending is unexpected, however, is this not what readers come to expect with a book of this nature? Psycho-thrillers are made for amusing its readers; escaping the ordinary…leaving room for the reader to explore and space for the imagination. Characters switching sides who cannot be trusted and average people thrust into strange or dangerous situations. The Winter Girl accomplishes all of the above, plus more. Have also pre-ordered the audio, narrated by Quincy Dunn-Baker, one of my favorite narrators of Linwood Barclay's crime thrillers. Should be quite entertaining!
    • 2/5
      This one really pulled me in at the beginning. I thought, oh, this is going to be a fun read. But unfortunately, the more I got into it, the less I liked it.It’s one of those books that you keep saying “Are you kidding? Nobody would actually do this” but then I had to keep reading it even though it was a bit unbelievable. At least at first. But then this very twisted family just got sicker and sicker and I really didn’t care what happened to any of them. I don’t always need to have likeable characters in a story but these people had absolutely nothing going for them.There were a few shockers in it that I didn’t see coming though the ending was no surprise. I didn’t think it was well written at all and found quite a few areas that needed some serious editing. I was reading an advance copy so possibly those mistakes will be corrected in the final edition. In thinking back on the story, it still doesn’t make much sense to me. Sorry, but can’t recommend this one. It’s a wannabe “Gone Girl” that doesn’t make it.I was given a copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley in return for my honest review.