Set in Ireland, bouncing between quiet life on a rural farm and the hustle and bustle of student life at Trinity College in Dublin, ‘Snowflake’ tells the story of Debbie and her eccentric family, as she takes her first steps into adulthood.
Initially, I got the impression this was going to be a novel in the vein of Sally Rooney’s ‘Normal People’, and I have seen this comparison elsewhere. Whilst the comparison does have some merit, a coming of age story with Trinity College as a significant part of its narrative, Nealon has managed to conjure something surprisingly unique and heartfelt with her debut novel and the comparison with ‘Normal People’ does this story a disservice.
The world that Debbie inhabits grows increasingly more complex and eclectic as the novel progresses. Whether it be tackling mental health issues, milking cows on the farm, dealing with a mother that sees her and her daughters dreams as prophecies, questions of consent, complicated relationships with friends and family or the heady chaos and anxiety of starting out in a big city university, Nealon delivers and blends her multifaceted themes perfectly.
I felt like I had an up and down relationship with ‘Snowflake’. The plot feels mutable, at one moment it is one thing and then it is something entirely different, but constantly building on what came before it. Whilst it existed as one thing I would be enthralled and then the tide would turn and I might not pick it up for day or two. However, by the end I felt like I was fully inhabiting the world written into these pages. The ebb and flow of the novel leant it a sense of reality and conviction.
This is a very strong debut, and Nealon is a voice to look out for in the future.
Initially, I got the impression this was going to be a novel in the vein of Sally Rooney’s ‘Normal People’, and I have seen this comparison elsewhere. Whilst the comparison does have some merit, a coming of age story with Trinity College as a significant part of its narrative, Nealon has managed to conjure something surprisingly unique and heartfelt with her debut novel and the comparison with ‘Normal People’ does this story a disservice.
The world that Debbie inhabits grows increasingly more complex and eclectic as the novel progresses. Whether it be tackling mental health issues, milking cows on the farm, dealing with a mother that sees her and her daughters dreams as prophecies, questions of consent, complicated relationships with friends and family or the heady chaos and anxiety of starting out in a big city university, Nealon delivers and blends her multifaceted themes perfectly.
I felt like I had an up and down relationship with ‘Snowflake’. The plot feels mutable, at one moment it is one thing and then it is something entirely different, but constantly building on what came before it. Whilst it existed as one thing I would be enthralled and then the tide would turn and I might not pick it up for day or two. However, by the end I felt like I was fully inhabiting the world written into these pages. The ebb and flow of the novel leant it a sense of reality and conviction.
This is a very strong debut, and Nealon is a voice to look out for in the future.