Snowflake by Louise Nealon was the 2024 One Dublin One Book choice and it’s easy to see why. A book about one young woman in Ireland it has universal themes that will speak to a reader of any age.

Eighteen-year-old Debbie lives on a dairy farm in Kildare with her mother and her uncle Billy who lives in a caravan in the garden. When she starts at Trinity College, Dublin, she soon has a new gang of friends and it suddenly becomes increasingly difficult to navigate between the world of home, and her new life.

This marrying of the “old” you and the “new” you is I think something that we all have to reckon with at some point in our lives and Nealon illustrates that struggle so perfectly. There’s a certain shame that she and her uncle have for her mother but that her mother crucially doesn’t have about herself. She is content in who she is.

And the anxiety that Debbie suffers. Similar to Maggie Armstrong’s Old Romantics, I recognised parts of myself in Debbie - especially the Debbie starting in University and trying to make new friends, dealing with exams, and readings and tutorials (I still remember rushing out of an exam in second year and getting on the bus in tears convinced I had failed. I passed and learned an important lesson about gambling on what to study for an exam).

I was invited to speak to Dr Harry Barry about Snowflake as part of the One Dublin One Book celebrations in April and what really struck me is the number of themes that Nealon managed to fit into her story. And how at those events, the audiences at both were so varied in terms of age and background. There were a number of book clubs at both and they all reflected on how different storylines in each had resonated with them. It’s easy to see then how it was chosen as the book for all of Dublin to read.

Again, as I find myself saying often about novels by young Irish women on this page, I can’t believe this was Nealon’s debut novel. And I’m so intrigued to see what she writes next.

Thanks to Manilla Press for my copy and to Dublin UNSECO City of Literature for the opportunity to take part in this year’s One Dublin One Book. Snowflake is out now.

I really enjoyed the family dynamic in this, and I love a coming-of-age tale, particularly from a female perspective.

This is a story about friendship and family. This is dark and heartwarming. The characters are multi layered and complex.
The short chapters made this fast paced

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

I enjoyed this book as it definitely fits into the New Adult genre that seems to be emerging. It’s a really good read, particularly I think for those who enjoy Sally Rooney’s style. Although I wouldn’t necessarily compare them any more than that.

This was a really great debut novel. Louise Nealon explores beautifully the way that things you long dream for are often a disappointment, in a way that can feel almost inevitable. For Nealon’s teenage protagonist Debbie, however, the disappointment of university life does not mean that her homelife necessarily gains appeal in comparison. Brought up on a dairy farm, with a mother and uncle full of their own unique flaws, Debbie has to confront her own uncomfortable feelings about identity, relationships, and dreams in this compelling coming-of-age story.

I saw a lot of people sharing their review about this title on Instagram and I got a cause of FOMO and requested a copy too. I’ve seen comparisons to Sally Rooney which I agree with.

It was enjoyable to read

Thanks for the gifted copy

Debbie is a quirky 18 year old who lives on a farm in Ireland with her equally quirky mother and uncle. What follows is the tale of how they each in turn have their cross to bear and how they deal with life especially Debbie, who is becoming a curious young adult who wants more from life. With some heartfelt and laugh out loud moments, this book was a treat

I like that this is set in Ireland and obviously being an Irish writer it is factually correct. This book is a great debut novel covering some really deep topics but very eloquently.

Gorgeous!

I loved this book.

In Snowflake, we follow Debbie, a fresher at Trinity College who commutes to university from the rural dairy farm she grew up on.

I loved the exploration of relationships with Debbie's mother and uncle, as well as her friendship with Xanthe. The discussions on dreams fascinated me.

I couldn't put this down.

Nice coming of age story with a likeable character who I could identify with. Felt a little let down with the ending what happens next? Overall nice novel about growing up and finally the freedom of leaving home the trials and tribulations.
Thank you to both the author and netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

'Snowflake' was a risky pick for me as I've struggled with this type of millennial fiction in the past, but I really, really wanted to love it. Everyone else seemed to be head over heels for it! It's a bit too bleak for me and I just didn't manage to connect to the stories and the characters. I know That there are so many people who do, and will, love 'Snowflake' however so I will continue to suggest and recommend it to fans of bleaker millennial fiction.

This is perfect for fans of Sally Rooney's Normal People. It's coming-of-age story about trying to find your feet when you're an outsider in an overwhelming world.

Really enjoyed this millennial-focused, literary novel set in Ireland. Interested to read more from Louise Nealon.

A coming of age story by debut author. I loved the characters, the quirky.details and the authenticity of the writing. A little disappointed in the ending and I was left to wonder what happened to the characters.

I was excited for this and I did enjoy it. There were times where I felt I identified a bit too much with the main character and what she was going through which felt uncomfortable but the fact that it made me feel so much is a sign of the writing strength.

This coming-of-age story expertly captures the awkward angst of a naive, teenage girl from rural Ireland, reaching out to a life beyond her family, a way of shaping a new future for herself.

But instead of the reinvented, studenty self Debbie is hoping to spontaneously become on setting foot in Trinity College, she remains the same person, with the same problems, and has to find a way to accept who she is beneath the front she puts on before she can even begin to change.

Along with the journey of self-discovery, the story explores issues of mental illness, self-harm and suicide, addiction, anxiety, dreams and paranormal ‘gifts’ (or curses). The author leaves ambiguity in the precise depiction of some of these areas, allowing Debbie and the reader to decide whether they believe Debbie’s mother can dream another’s dreams, or whether she is struggling with the more mundane curse of mental illness.

Despite the – often uncomfortable – subject matter, there is plenty of subtle, understated humour here. In fact the humour is often the only dry thing around, as Debbie survives on a diet of alcohol and snogging!

Capturing Irish ‘culchie’ and townie life, and the distressing realistic dramatics of teenage emotional turmoil (which brought back some quite depressing and certainly embarrassing memories for me personally!), what this story is missing in plot, it makes up in character exploration, for an uneasy but authentic read.

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

This book is like a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. A gorgeous, luscious blanket. What a wonderful, beautiful book. Gorgeous work from Louise Nealon.

A new author and totally unfair to compare to other Irish writers. She’s original and can only be described as unique. I love this book and cannot wait to read her next one. It’s a beautiful and melancholic tale set and I defy anyone not to enjoy it.

This will inevitably get compared to Sally Rooney which is a shame because I thought it was an excellent book in its own right- possibly even better than ‘Normal People.’ Debbie’s relationship with Billy is written particularly well, and her frustration and love of Maeve is quite hard to read at times. I think Louise Nealon has to potential to be the best of this wave of young Irish writers- herself, Sally Rooney and Naoise Dolan to name 3 of them. I will keenly await her next book!