They call this the 'novel for a generation' for a reason
Debbie has a pretty normal life - or so she thinks. She lives at home on a small Dairy farm with her someone ecentric and tarot-loving mum Maeve and her uncle Billy living in the bottom of the garden with just the stars and a bottle of whiskey for company.
But as she gets ready to start her life as a student at Trinity College in Dublin, her normal changes very quickly. Trying to navigate the sophisticated and complicated lives of Trinity Students, she's struggling to maintain balancing the two halves of her lives. Maeve is getting more eccentric, convinced her dreams are prophecies. Billy is drinking more and more and Debbie doesn't know how to cope.
But despite it all, Debbie knows no matter how hard life gets - her family is cheering her on in their own way.
Snowflake is a normal story about normal life - and that's what gives it such a unique charm. It didn't feel like there was much a story in places but instead it feels like slowly getting to know Debbie through her anecdotes and her struggles going through life.
As part of the generation she's always been told 'has it easier than ever' - Debbie is struggling with crushing societal expectations, crumbling mental health and world around her going to ruin. It resonated with me on so many levels and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry the whole way through.
Snowflake has been called 'A Novel for a Generation' and after reading the whole thing in one evening I can see why. This a story for the young, confused and lost that tells us the simple truth that everyone is an outsider somewhere.
But as she gets ready to start her life as a student at Trinity College in Dublin, her normal changes very quickly. Trying to navigate the sophisticated and complicated lives of Trinity Students, she's struggling to maintain balancing the two halves of her lives. Maeve is getting more eccentric, convinced her dreams are prophecies. Billy is drinking more and more and Debbie doesn't know how to cope.
But despite it all, Debbie knows no matter how hard life gets - her family is cheering her on in their own way.
Snowflake is a normal story about normal life - and that's what gives it such a unique charm. It didn't feel like there was much a story in places but instead it feels like slowly getting to know Debbie through her anecdotes and her struggles going through life.
As part of the generation she's always been told 'has it easier than ever' - Debbie is struggling with crushing societal expectations, crumbling mental health and world around her going to ruin. It resonated with me on so many levels and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry the whole way through.
Snowflake has been called 'A Novel for a Generation' and after reading the whole thing in one evening I can see why. This a story for the young, confused and lost that tells us the simple truth that everyone is an outsider somewhere.