A classic Scandi-Noir novel, Stina Jackson's The Last Snow is a slow-burning thriller that keeps its readers guessing until the very end. The protagonist, Liv, is a seemingly downtrodden family woman; she has never moved away from her tyrannical father yet no one in the nearby village understands why, and her son is now a teenager without a father in the picture. She is constantly conflicted throughout the novel, and this is emphasized by the disjointed narrative, moving back and forth between the events taking place in present day Ödesmark to Liv and her family, yet her past is interwoven where she is described only as the unnamed "girl".
The setting plays as much of a character as the book's protagonists; the forest increases the tension by creating a sense of claustrophobia, and distance between Liv and the other characters, keeping her separate from the village and its inhabitants. The story reaches it's crescendo in the second half, yet hints are displaced throughout the tale, hinting at the finale to come. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole novel, the pacing built the intrigue excellently, and I can't wait to read more from Jackson.
The setting plays as much of a character as the book's protagonists; the forest increases the tension by creating a sense of claustrophobia, and distance between Liv and the other characters, keeping her separate from the village and its inhabitants. The story reaches it's crescendo in the second half, yet hints are displaced throughout the tale, hinting at the finale to come. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole novel, the pacing built the intrigue excellently, and I can't wait to read more from Jackson.