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A review by hilaryistired
Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka
3.0
I received an advance copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.
When I first picked this book up, I really didn't know what was going to come of it. Murder mystery and crystalline prose seemed like two things that just didn't really fit together, so I wasn't sure how that was going to work when it came down to it, especially once you factored the three characters mentioned in the synopsis into it.
But despite it's strange sort of sound, it ended up being pretty good. There was some really strange stuff that happened in this book, and some even weirder spots in the writing, but the story was good, the characters were interesting, and it was a generally enjoyable read. It's not the thriller that you might expect, with the 'girl title' trend we've been seeing lately (fun fact: despite this, it's actually a girl who gets killed in this one and not a woman!), but rather a character driven story with a murder backdrop.
The Good Points of Girl in Snow:
I loved how complex the characters in this book were, and how all the intricacies of their lives played into how they reacted to Lucinda's death and how they handled everything afterwards. Even the minor characters felt complex and well developed, which is not something we often see in books.
Though I'm typically not a fan of changing points of views, I did like how this one told the different sides of the story, and how I always felt like I was wanting more from each character when we switched to a different character. Somehow Kukafka pulled it off beautifully.
Kukafka is a wonderful storyteller. There were quite a few aspects of this book I wasn't particularly fond of, but I was so in love with how the story was being told that I couldn't even entertain the thought of not finishing it. She's got a way with words, and this book is worth reading for that alone.
The Downsides of Girl in Snow:
I was really not a fan of the way that Kukafka described people in the book. There was a weird fascination the characters or the author had with hair and acne, and the descriptions really turned me off. I'm not saying that the author should have described everyone as beautiful, but I don't want to know if the kid's acne is gonna burst and how you know that. You can just say he has acne. I've had it, I know what it's like.
This book was slow. And character driven books often are, but I spent so much of this book waiting for something to happen. It's a real slow burn of a book, and by the time you get to the end, you're kind of over it.
This is totally just me, but I wasn't big on the ending. It was predictable, and what happened to Lucinda was fairly cliched. But I've read/seen a lot of murder mysteries, so I'm usually not pleased with how they turn out.
Aside from a couple of sexual references, this didn't really feel like adult fiction, and not just because it predominantly features teens. It just seemed simple and really focused on the coming-of-age side of things, but not in a complex enough way to make it feel adult. A high schooler wouldn't struggle with this book in the least.
All in all, Girl in Snow is beautifully written and has some great characters. I did have some issues with it, but it was a good read, and I'm glad it didn't turn out to be yet another 'girl book' thriller. If you like beautiful writing, character driven stories, and less graphic murder mysteries, you should definitely give Girl in Snow a go!
When I first picked this book up, I really didn't know what was going to come of it. Murder mystery and crystalline prose seemed like two things that just didn't really fit together, so I wasn't sure how that was going to work when it came down to it, especially once you factored the three characters mentioned in the synopsis into it.
But despite it's strange sort of sound, it ended up being pretty good. There was some really strange stuff that happened in this book, and some even weirder spots in the writing, but the story was good, the characters were interesting, and it was a generally enjoyable read. It's not the thriller that you might expect, with the 'girl title' trend we've been seeing lately (fun fact: despite this, it's actually a girl who gets killed in this one and not a woman!), but rather a character driven story with a murder backdrop.
The Good Points of Girl in Snow:
I loved how complex the characters in this book were, and how all the intricacies of their lives played into how they reacted to Lucinda's death and how they handled everything afterwards. Even the minor characters felt complex and well developed, which is not something we often see in books.
Though I'm typically not a fan of changing points of views, I did like how this one told the different sides of the story, and how I always felt like I was wanting more from each character when we switched to a different character. Somehow Kukafka pulled it off beautifully.
Kukafka is a wonderful storyteller. There were quite a few aspects of this book I wasn't particularly fond of, but I was so in love with how the story was being told that I couldn't even entertain the thought of not finishing it. She's got a way with words, and this book is worth reading for that alone.
The Downsides of Girl in Snow:
I was really not a fan of the way that Kukafka described people in the book. There was a weird fascination the characters or the author had with hair and acne, and the descriptions really turned me off. I'm not saying that the author should have described everyone as beautiful, but I don't want to know if the kid's acne is gonna burst and how you know that. You can just say he has acne. I've had it, I know what it's like.
This book was slow. And character driven books often are, but I spent so much of this book waiting for something to happen. It's a real slow burn of a book, and by the time you get to the end, you're kind of over it.
This is totally just me, but I wasn't big on the ending. It was predictable, and what happened to Lucinda was fairly cliched. But I've read/seen a lot of murder mysteries, so I'm usually not pleased with how they turn out.
Aside from a couple of sexual references, this didn't really feel like adult fiction, and not just because it predominantly features teens. It just seemed simple and really focused on the coming-of-age side of things, but not in a complex enough way to make it feel adult. A high schooler wouldn't struggle with this book in the least.
All in all, Girl in Snow is beautifully written and has some great characters. I did have some issues with it, but it was a good read, and I'm glad it didn't turn out to be yet another 'girl book' thriller. If you like beautiful writing, character driven stories, and less graphic murder mysteries, you should definitely give Girl in Snow a go!