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james1star's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Press and Bonnier UK Audio for providing me with an audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really am getting a sense that a lot of contemporary Irish literature falls under the ‘literary fiction’ genre and this is the case for Snowflake too. I do prefer other examples but this was certainly a good book and one I’d recommend.
We follow the main character Debbie via a first person POV as she recently turns eighteen and will be starting university in Dublin. She talks of her life living and working on her family’s dairy farm with her uncle Billy who lives in a caravan in the garden, mum Maeve who suffers from psychosis-like episodes, deteriorating mental health and an obsession with dreams, and James the local farmhand and Maeve’s younger lover. Things do happen and there are other characters - the other main one being a friend Debbie meets called Xanthi who’s a Dubliner - but it’s less of a plot-focused story like others in this genre. Most of what actually happened was okay but I did question a few parts and there were a couple loose ends as it were too. The character analysis/development, human interactions and messages are what Nealon places an emphasis on. This is primarily the case in the discussions on mental illness, depression and the views people take with a lot of nuance. Many of the attitudes towards those suffering and seeking of help via counselling or therapy aren’t the best but there’s a lot of growth. A major part is how the healthcare systems in place aren’t working at their best due to the strains, slowness and highlighting the need for money to get good/quick treatment but some parts narrative-wise fitted together a bit too well where in reality it likely wouldn’t have. Other topics touched on include alcoholism, class/urban-rural differences, animal rights (sort of ~ I personally wasn’t the most keen on these parts, despite showing different sides of the debate I felt vegans (what I am) was the more negatively portrayed and the animal abuse/gore parts were hard to read at times), self-esteem, suicidal thoughts/attempt, everyday misogyny and sexual harassment and a few others. Whilst some were discussed well I do feel that a bit more rounding was needed. They were good and I saw where Nealon was taking us, how the messages the reader was supposed to take fit the narrative and moved us on. It was a very decent debut and I would like to check out more of her work where her writing is likely to mature. Nealon’s natural wit and humour was great to read, it’s never forced and easy to follow. The talks on literature were a bit to be desired and wished there were more but were enjoyable.
Something that I didn’t really like was the character of Griffin whom she met at university. He’s a long-term friend of Xanthi, a gay man, but wasn’t written as very nice. There was some nuance and a realness at times but he’s portrayed as rather bitchy, sexually focused and there’s a pushing of this notion he’s uncomfortable in his sexuality. This leads to questions over his true intentions in regards to his friendship with Xanthi and how there’s likely this internal homophobia or ‘queer shame’ hovering over his actions. It wasn’t nothing that bad and I (as a gay man) wasn’t personally offended, it’s just something I picked up on and it’s a shame where such details or portrayal wasn’t really necessary. Furthering this is how he’s the only queer character in the book where a contemporary Dublin surely has more. All the characters are likely white Irish as well so I sensed some diversity was lacking.
I would recommend listening to this as an audiobook and the narrator Louisa Harland speaks very clearly and has a soothing Irish accent. This is great at bringing the characters to life with the ‘right’ accent reinforcing this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, and Classism
sindunfin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Eating disorder
hilarylouise's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Blood and Vomit
lozababe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a lovely book!
We follow Debbie as she embarks on her first taste of adulthood. She’s eighteen and starting university. She lives in a little village on a dairy farm that her family owns and has no idea how it works being in the city most of the time. From the start of this book she is quite naive and you can tell that she’s not really had to step foot out of the comfort of the village she grew up in.
When she finally makes it into Dublin and to her new university she bumps into a girl named Xanthe who she makes friends with and spends most of her time with when she’s not at home or in class.
The book explores the mental health of many of the characters and does it very delicately, without judgement.
I couldn’t put it down and read it in a couple of hours. It was such a pleasant book. And I loved how the chapters were so short and the characters were just so loveable!
Thank you to Louise Nealon and Readers First for allowing me to read this wonderful book for free!
We follow Debbie as she embarks on her first taste of adulthood. She’s eighteen and starting university. She lives in a little village on a dairy farm that her family owns and has no idea how it works being in the city most of the time. From the start of this book she is quite naive and you can tell that she’s not really had to step foot out of the comfort of the village she grew up in.
When she finally makes it into Dublin and to her new university she bumps into a girl named Xanthe who she makes friends with and spends most of her time with when she’s not at home or in class.
The book explores the mental health of many of the characters and does it very delicately, without judgement.
I couldn’t put it down and read it in a couple of hours. It was such a pleasant book. And I loved how the chapters were so short and the characters were just so loveable!
Thank you to Louise Nealon and Readers First for allowing me to read this wonderful book for free!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent