Athlone book club read Snowflake by Louise Nealon in July 2024. They thought
Mixed feelings were experienced by members of the group. Some didn’t enjoy it. The majority did. The characters are recognisable and there was a lovely relationship depicted between the uncle and niece. Every 3rd level lecturer should read this. 3.75 Stars.
Eighteen-year-old Debbie White lives on a dairy farm with her mother, Maeve, and her uncle, Billy. Billy sleeps out in a caravan in the garden with a bottle of whiskey and the stars overhead for company. Maeve spends her days recording her dreams, which she believes to be prophecies. This world is Debbie's normal, but she is about to step into life as a student at Trinity College in Dublin. As she navigates between sophisticated new friends and the family bubble, things begin to unravel. Maeve's eccentricity tilts into something darker, while Billy's drinking gets worse. Debbie struggles to cope with the weirdest, most difficult parts of herself, her family and her small life. But the fierce love of the White family is never in doubt, and Debbie discovers that even the oddest of families are places of safety.
This article was published on: 5th July, 2024
Filed under: Library blog, Reading
Tags: Athlone book club, Book club thoughts, book review, Irish author, Modern & contemporary fiction, Snowflake