I went into reading this book a little uncertain of what to expect. I must confess, my knowledge of Croatian history is limited at best, so I was intrigued by the prospect of an engaging story which might teach me a little on the way.
“Winters in the South” is told in ten parts through two narrative threads, which slowly come together until they are entwined at the close of the novel. One thread follows Marija, who fears her best years have slipped past her and is desperate to give meaning to her monotonous existence. A Croat by birth, she grows up all her life believing her father, an important figure in Croatian fascism, died before she could remember. She marries an Austrian, who is convinced he “saved” her from potential Soviet destitution in her homeland by bringing her to Vienna, but it is a loveless union. She is unanchored by anything in her life, feels no real bond with any of her supposed friends, and suspects her husband is having an affair. So, when faced with the prospect that her father might be alive and returning to Croatia, she jumps at the chance of adventure and leaves her husband behind to find her father.
The second thread follows Ludwig, a disgraced former police officer with nothing left to lose. Though once a married father, he lost all he cared about after beginning an affair with a colleague. When she is shot investigating a crime scene, he shoots the perpetrator in turn, after which his wife discovers his secret and leaves him. In this desperate, similarly unanchored state, he is approached by a mysterious "old man”, who offers him an opportunity to get involved in toppling the unstable Croatian government following the fall of the Soviet Union.
The old man, of course, turns out to be Marija’s father. The two narrative threads follow her movements through Croatia, characterised by an unguided, reckless nature as she struggles to direct her life, while her father's movements are characterised by a grim, misguided determination. The real core of the story, at least in my eyes, is the contrast between the motivations of its central characters. The old man has a strong drive and commitment towards his ideologies but fails to see that times have moved on and his thoughts are no longer relevant. He has no commitments towards his family – Marija learns he abandoned her mother long ago, and started a new family in Argentina, whom he has now abandoned as well. Ludwig, though he once had family, has lost everything, and can only find a sense of purpose in assisting the old man, even though he is not ideologically driven at all. Marija, in my view, yearns for all that she never had – genuine connection, meaning and purpose, but ultimately isn’t able to build these after a life of numbness.
I feel like there was something missing in this novel. The story was overly centered on Marija and the old man, and didn’t make enough use of the fascinating backstory that had been given to Ludwig. Though an interesting story, I did find it sometimes going on a little longer than I felt was necessary, sometimes muting the impact of decisions and their consequences by taking too long. It is still a good read though!
Review by Camille Boutrolle
This review was written for the ACF London's EXPLORE OUR LIBRARY initiative.
