Snowflake is the debut novel by Irish author Louise Nealon.
Released in 2021, Snowflake was winner of the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year and was a Radio 4 Book at Bedtime pick.
I purchased the book when I saw it was a 99p kindle deal and I was keen to see whether it lived up to the hype.
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Plot
Debbie White is embarking on a new chapter as she steps into life as a student at Trinity College Dublin.
Debbie has previously lived a quiet life on a dairy farm with her mother Maeve and her Uncle Billy. Billy sleeps in a caravan in the garden with a bottle of whiskey and the stars for company. Meanwhile Maeve spends her days recording her dreams, which she believes to be prophecies.
This quiet, isolated life is a far stretch from the world Debbie is now about to inhabit. As she tries to navigate between sophisticated new friends and her unusual family, things begin to unravel.
Maeve’s eccentric behaviour starts to become something darker and more worrying, as Billy’s excessive drinking gets worse. Debbie struggles to cope with juggling her family, her insecurities and her new life at Trinity.
However she soon realises that while her family might be mad, they are also fiercely loving, and each other’s true place of safety.
Snowflake Book Review
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a quirky and, quite frankly, weird story at times, but I was gripped from start to finish. I saw Roddy Doyle described the book as “wonderful and mad” and honestly I can’t argue with that.
Louise Nealon’s voice is fresh and the struggles of being a young woman in rural Ireland felt really authentic. The author actually lives on her family farm in County Kildare and also studied English Literature at Trinity College, just like main character Debbie. This experience shines through in Louise Nealon’s writing.
I felt the exploration of mental health was sensitively handled. The author doesn’t shy away from the more extreme instances and gives an really honest portrayal . It felt really quite bleak in places, yet also full of empathy and tenderness.
The characters can be frustrating at times, particularly Debbie and Billy but these flaws just make the characters feel more believable. Even through my frustration at some of their choices, I could always sympathise with them.
I really liked Billy as a character, despite his obvious flaws. I enjoyed his love of Greek mythology and the wittier moments always seemed to involve him.
The touch of magical realism with Debbie and Maeve’s dream prophecies was a nice touch, but I felt it wasn’t explored as much as it could have been.
With it being a coming of age, generational story there are obvious comparisons to Sally Rooney. However I do I think Louise Nealon does have a unique voice. She highlights the societal issues faced by young people today along with how that can affect mental health.
The story is ultimately one of acceptance, belonging and most importantly, love. Despite the sensitive subject matter the reader is left feeling hopeful for Debbie and her family’s future.
What should I read after Snowflake?
If you enjoyed Snowflake I would also recommend reading Love Me, Love Me Not by Kirsty Capes and Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason.