Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Snowflake

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Snowflake by Louise Nealon

5 reviews

meggy1967's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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seventhswan's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This wasn't a bad book - I'm not sorry I picked it up, and I especially appreciated and related to the experience of Debbie moving from a rural community to the city, as well as her difficult but interesting relationships with Billy, Xanthe, and Maeve. However, I felt like the whole narrative was a bit shallow and broad. A lot of issues were addressed and brought up for a few chapters, then left by the wayside, and I feel that if there had been less going on, the remaining plot points could have been given the attention they deserved. I also thought the ending was a bit unrealistic and felt frustrated by it - I wasn't expecting everything to be perfectly resolved, but I felt cheated when absolutely nothing was explained.

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frannyrdclark's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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james1star's review against another edition

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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.

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b_carlson's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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

5.0

I think I have found a new comfort book. For lovers of Sally Rooney this is a beautiful exploration of messy families and learning how to become a young adult in the most painful but necessary of ways. It encapsulates reality through fantastical lens in the use of dreams and questions what builds an identity if not the experiences that we have when we are young. This book frames young female friendship in a very familiar way, everyone would know someone in their lives who is portrayed in the characters contained in this book. It was both heart wrenching and heart warming and anyone who has ever felt like a misfit, like they were a fraud in growing up or questioned their own sanity this book is for you. Nealons words have acted as a friend and a comfort right when I needed them most and I feel as though I have made a great friend in this book.

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