Such beautiful book! It reminded me of both Sally Rooney and Naoise Dolan's writing. The story is so inspiring and the protagonist voice so witty and funny! Cant wait to follow Nealon's career from close.

Snowflake, Louise Nealon's debut novel is a spry and affecting coming of age tale.

Snowflake tells the story of Debbie, a young girl living on her family’s dairy farm with her mentally ill mother, Maeve, and her uncle Billy, who lives in a caravan on the farm and has a problematic relationship with alcohol. Meanwhile, Debbie is struggling to negotiate the alienating transition from school to university, from farm to big city, from childhood to adulthood, all the while looking after the adults who should be looking after her.

Nealon has created a winning narrator in the form of Debbie and she deals with big themes such as mental health, financial inequality and sexual relationships with a light touch and a deft ear for honesty.

Recommended

This was an interesting book to read which reveals the importance of a family who care, despite their own faults. It suggests that nothing is ever quite as it seems and to look beyond the obvious for deeper issues.

The book is ostensibly about Debbie as she starts university at Trinity College, Dublin. She lives, and grew up on a dairy farm, with her mother and uncle. This start in life has not really prepared her for new experiences and I loved the initial awkward meetings with other Uni students. There was something so heartwarming about how Debbie learned to assess situations by hanging back to try and understand how she should dress and behave to fit in. Inevitably, this leads to some misreading and uncomfortable experiences: her first night out clubbing and being dressed differently which drew unnecessary attention.

To say that her home life is quirky is an understatement! Her mother exists in her own world which seems to circle around her younger lover, James. A tragic accident takes him away from her and her slippery grasp on reality is quickly shattered. Both Maeve (Mam) and Debs seem to dream or have visions of future events, which I found a little confusing and hard to interpret. I wasn't sure if this was a reflection of their sanity and trying to make sense of a situation at any given time.

Uncle Billy offers more certainty and security in Debs' life. It is he that makes her continue to go to University when things go wrong; he pays the bills and removes any barriers that stop her succeeding. Billy seems to want to give her a different life that the one he knows. Yet behind his brash bossiness is a darkness and a vulnerability which Debs doesn't seem to recognise until it is almost too late.

The narrative seemed to have cracks and fissures in it at times, but in hindsight I think this was deliberate to illustrate the effect all these different people had on Debs and her personal wellbeing. Her behaviour and relationships seemed to be hell-bent on a path towards destruction at times.

This is a book which reflects on relationships and listening, caring and being prepared to take drastic action when necessary.

I read this book after watching an interview with the author discussing the inspiration for the story. There was something fresh and original in her words. The story is told by Debbie, an 18year old girl who lives with her Mother and her uncle Billy on a dairy farm. Debbie is a ‘culchie’- a Dublin term for an outsider, arriving to study at university. Debbie’s Mum has dreams...her Uncle Billy swears and drinks and watches the stars.
This book is funny, quirky, original, sometimes quite graphic. It feels fresh and raw. The writing is beautiful, lyrical and flows like an untidy teenage mind. So many wonderful images - snowflakes, shells .. At times I felt I wasn’t quite understanding it but I thought that was perhaps the nature of what was being discussed - mental health, thoughts,feelings. I loved it in bursts interspersed with bits that I didn’t when I felt frustrated that I didn’t understand. Thank you Netgalley and Manila Press for a digital copy of such original and refreshing writing.

Young, female Irish authors are really doing well at the moment. Louise Nealon has produced an outstanding debut. A great piece of contemreroy fiction with a focus on mental health. Very Sally Rooney-esque and loved the setting in Ireland.

What a glorious book!
Snowflake can be used as a derogatory term but for Debbie and her Uncle Billy a snowflake is part of their joyous storytelling.
I loved the writing style and the images portrayed throughout. At times I felt I was on that caravan roof with them. The bond between these two characters was so strong and felt almost sacred.
Snowflake shows a raw depiction of mental health and growing up into one's own self.
All the stars and love from me. I cannot wait to have my own physical copy in my hands to forever treasure.

I am a huge Sally Rooney fan and I’m pretty sure that comparisons to Normal People is what triggered me to request this exciting new debut. Add the title to that and I knew it had the potential to be a novel that would speak to my entire generation.

Debbie has been raised on her family’s dairy farm just outside of Dublin but the city life is a million miles from what she knows. Now that she is 18, she commutes to Trinity College a few days a week and is slowly starting to experience city life. Her family consists of her mother Maeve, a woman with erratic moods and an obsession with dreams and her uncle Billy, who lives in a caravan behind their house, drinking too much and ruminating on Greek mythology. Then a tragic accident turns the family on its head and Debbie is forced to face the fact that her life path may not be entirely hers to choose.

The White family farm is described so vividly and I had no problems finding myself wandering around the plot with Debbie. It’s set within a small Irish community and I really felt that I got an authentic experience of that. The village is full of eccentric characters, plenty of gossip and local spirit. Debbie is a true product of the community and it was clearly reflected in her reserved personality and fierce loyalty to her family.

There are moments of humour in there too and this usually appears during conversations between Debbie and her college friend Xanthe or in exchanges with her uncle Billy. Billy is a great character and he provides a large chunk of the comic relief in the book, which is much needed when things take a bleak turn.

Of course, Debbie is at a vital developmental stage and with that comes a whole new world that she never even imagined within her sheltered life on the farm. Suddenly, she is discovering her own body and what it means to other people, sex and romantic relationships and friendships with people her own age. Neilon captures the anxieties and confusions of becoming an adult so well and it gave so much authenticity to Debbie’s character.

As with many coming-of-age stories, mental health is a big theme of the book. Debbie’s first experience of therapy reminded me of my own. It’s so hard to accurately describe and score how you’re feeling and there is a strong fear of being judged or misunderstood by what you write. I think anyone who has ever sought out help for anxiety or depression will be able to fully relate to this.

Debbie’s mother Maeve is eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder and although she doesn’t seem to have been able to be a great mother to Debbie, there is obviously a huge amount of love between mother and daughter. There appears to be a genetic talent in the family that involves being able to experience other people’s dreams and it includes having premonitions. Following a pivotal point in the narrative that hits her particularly hard, Maeve retreats into herself. She obsessively writes down what her mind shows her and so she takes on a kind of madwoman in the attic role in the novel, stuck inside her own head. Despite her seemingly meaningless diatribes, Maeve actually touches on a lot of wisdom and I found her to be a truly fascinating character.

Of course, no contemporary novel about a young female is believable without at least one scene of extremely uncomfortable and unwanted male attention. Debbie learns very quickly that now that she is an adult, men have suddenly noticed that she exists. The idea that the female body is an available commodity is incredibly nauseous but it is inescapable to write about women’s experiences without touching on it. Even in the tiny, close-knit community that she has grown up in, Debbie is still a target for objectification.

There is another strong, recurring theme of stories, their nature and their power. Billy in particular is constantly looking for new stories and he uses Greek myths to make sense of the world and teach Debbie about it. The idea that even stories that come from the same origins can be wildly different is a great comfort to those of us who are afraid of repeating the mistakes in our history. We can and will write our own versions of life and when we’re gone, they will live on never belonging to anyone.

Snowflake is a touching, honest portrait of a young girl who is just trying to do her best with the cards that she has been dealt. It’s about depression, dreams and stories and learning to thrive in a world that constantly challenges what you thought you knew. I really feel like these characters have the ability to stay with me for a while and because of that, I have a lot of faith that Snowflake might just be on the brink of huge success.

"There is no way to catch a snowflake. And I haven't met anyone who is able to catch a dream."

Eighteen year old Debbie lives on her family's dairy farm in County Kildare. She lives with her mum, who sleeps a lot and studies her dreams obsessively, and her uncle Billy who lives in the garden in a caravan, spending his time drinking whiskey and looking at the stars.

Debbie begins studying at Trinity College, commuting there every day. At first, she finds it hard to adjust to city life, but when she makes friends from very different backgrounds to hers, she almost starts living a 'double life' between uni and home. I thought it really encapsulated the first generation working class kid going to uni, of feeling like an outsider and trying to fit in.

Essentially, this book is about the coming-of-age of a naive young woman from a small Irish rural community and a loving but dysfunctional family. It explores how mental health affects them all, as we see each character dealing with their own issues, but I thought this was portrayed and handled really well.

Snowflake is an engaging, character-driven and honest debut novel about class, family, mental illness and the awkwardness of finding your place in new surroundings. It's sad but hopeful - one minute I'd be laughing out loud then completely floored. I dipped in and out of this one Saturday afternoon and ended up reading it in a day. I absolutely loved it. Very much looking forward to reading more of Louise Nealon's work in future.

I set out thinking that this was just the usual millennial Irish coming of age stuff (think Exciting Times) because the beginning was really only about the protagonist, Debbie, drinking a lot and failing to fit in at university. I also wasn’t very convinced by Debbie’s apparently passionate unrequited love for a schoolmate who just wasn’t really described in any detail or given any context. However, a bit further in, Snowflake gets darker, with themes of depression and grief, as well as a little bit of speculation about whether Debbie and her mum can experience other people’s dreams. And that was so much more interesting that I was glad I’d ploughed through the more mundane early stuff but I also wondered how many other people wouldn’t have bothered to keep going.

'There is no way to catch a snowflake. And I haven't met anyone who is able to catch a dream.'
This book...I loved it. I don't really know how else to say it and I feel no matter how much I put into this review, it won't do my feelings justice. But let's give it a go!
Firstly, I loved this book so much because I am also from Kildare in Ireland and I also studied at Trinity College. So before even starting the book, I already felt deeply connected to Debbie and the adventure she was about to embark on. From the first page, I honestly felt like I had been thrown back 10 years and I was also heading into Front Square for Freshers Week. The excitement, anxiety and confusion that Debbie feels on that faithful day could not have connected with me more and I honestly felt like I was reading an extract from my own diary!
Ok enough about me and how I felt I was like Debbie and onto the story itself!
Snowflake is the unapologetic and extremely raw telling of a girl going through an exciting, but equally very turbulent time in her life; she is 18, she is starting university in a city she doesn't know, she is trying to fit in and find herself and she is also dealing with some unique family circumstances back on the farm. Starting university in itself is a huge milestone and one that many of us struggle with. I honestly believe that your first year in university is one of the most defining times of your life. You make a lot of mistakes, you learn a lot about yourself, you learn the value of true friendship and also get the first taste of real independence. So Debbie dealing with all of this, as well as her uncle's drinking and her mum's mental health...that is a lot to take on for anyone, let alone a teenage girl!
The story addresses a lot of very heavy topics and ones that many people would never like to talk about; especially Irish people, we hate feelings. From depression, to substance abuse, to grief and loss, to mental illness, to low self confidence, this book covers it all and so much more and really shows how we don't know what goes on behind closed doors or what people are really dealing with.
The characters are just fantastic in this. I loved all of them and honestly felt like I was back in Ireland the whole time I read the book. From Billy's constant cursing, to Xanthe's kind but fragile heart, to the familiar phrases we use in Kildare, Nealon could not have captured the many walks of life that populate the Emerald Isle any better. I think Billy was my favourite though, he was a character that perfectly represented everything that is Irish, the good and the bad. From the hilarious storytelling, to the not so hilarious levels of drinking, I thought he was such an excellent character and a man I would love to meet in real life.
And then there is the writing itself and as an Irish person, I loved it! Not sure if many non Irish would totally get certain parts of it but Nealon perfectly captured the Irish tone of voice, wit, sarcasm and pessimism in her narrative. 'There's only room for one gobshite from the back-arse of nowhere' being a perfect example!
Look I could go on and on about this book, it's fantastic and I cannot believe it is a debut! From the writing, to the characters to even how the book finishes, I can't fault it. A big thank you to NetGalley for letting me read it before it is published. I am so excited to see what Nealon comes out with next!

I gave Snowflake by Louise Nealon 5 stars, not because there wasn't a single fault (though honestly there were very few), but because I loved this from the first paragraph to the last, and found it so very readable (so much so that I finished in two sittings).

Snowflake is unique, modern yet relatable and moving. This fiction was right up my street with a very strong focus on mental health and its impact on those experiencing the problems as well as those in close contact to those who are. With reference to depression, anxiety, suicide, self-harm, eating disorder, paranoia and psychosis this was at times hard-hitting and really did explore mental health in great depth. I especially found Debbie as the protagonist to be incredibly authentic in her response to the events throughout: her withdrawal from social scenes, her fluctuating emotional responses, her loyalty to her family, her self-sabotage. The very tiny hint of fantasy, not my usual scene, was something that pleasantly surprised me and though I'd have enjoyed this without, it did add another dimension to the story.

Snowflake is told from Debbie's POV through short chapters, and very short paragraphs, which have you instantly engaged. Debbie's life is simple yet complicated; living on a farm with her mum and uncle in a small village, we see her entry to the world of the big city through her admission to university. Debbie experiences in part things we all do when we start university: those feelings of awkwardness, embarrassment, excitement and loneliness. At the same time Debbie also has some quite heavy matters going on at home that affect her much more than she portrays.

This is a character driven novel at its best with all the characters so rich and realistic that you feel invested from the start. Even if not always likeable, I empathised with each and every one of them, Nealon’s writing style allowing you to relate to each character despite their differing personalities, privileges and positions in life.

Snowflake was poignant, sad, hopeful and amusing - sometimes all at the same time. This reminded me in parts of Marian Keyes (maybe the Irish thing, maybe the character development) but that is a great compliment from me and I'll be keeping an eye out for Nealon's future work.

*I received an advance review copy of Snowflake through the publisher via NetGalley.

What a fantastic debut!

I laughed, I cried, I loved, it was absolutely perfect!

A beautiful story about coming of age, how one grows up surrounded by mental health issues, and finds their place in the world.

I cannot wait to read what Louise writes next!

Thank you very much NetGalley and Bonnier Books for the opportunity to read in advance.

"Snowflake" is like a breath of fresh air - a very different coming of age book. It's beautiful and ugly, bleak and funny, depressing and full of hope. There are so many important topics touched upon and talked about (mental health, sexual health, suicide etc.), with no shame and as a matter of fact. A refreshing story with no love but love for your family and friends and your home.

I wished there was more pages. I was disappointed that some storylines were introduced and then abandoned along the way.

An author to watch!

Genre: Literary Fiction

Release Date: Expected 13th May 2021



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.



RATING:



Thank you to Louise Nealon, Bonnier Books UK and Netgalley for ths ARC in return for an honest review.

Nealon’s offbeat debut is a coming-of-age story with complications, focusing as it does on eighteen-year-old protagonist, Debbie White, and her dysfunctional family life as she begins university at Trinity College. It’s also one of the rawest and most honest examples of the genre that I can remember, tackling a number of mental health issues openly and without stigma, alongside matters such as fitting in and being the first generation to go to university. Debbie isn’t in any doubt that her home life and background aren’t quite the norm, living on a dairy farm in Kildare with her mother, Maeve, who suffers from undiagnosed long-term mental health issues and is preoccupied with writing down her dreams. Her uncle Billy runs the diary farm, drinks to excess and resides in a caravan at the end of the garden with Maeve’s toy boy and farmhand, James, making up the unconventional family set-up. Book smart but not street-smart, Debbie only visits Dublin once a year with Billy and so commuting daily to Trinity, let alone mixing with her more sophisticated and well-to-do peers, feels like climbing a mountain. As Debbie struggles through the first weeks and feeling like a spare part who will never fit into the strange new world that is a complete contrast to her life on the farm, it is Billy who supports her. But when the wheels start to come off following an incident at home and Maeve’s ever-fragile mental health slides alarming downhill things get even harder for the White family as they muddle on in challenging circumstances.

I found Debbie incredibly relatable and her first-person narrative intensely intimate and I empathised with her profoundly from the off, perhaps because Nealon’s prose isn’t overwritten and Debbie’s voice feels so authentic. Debbie, Maeve and Billy all have their own problems from self-esteem issues, generalised anxiety and depression right through to bipolar disorder and suicide, all things that crop up in the story. The relationship between niece and uncle is very well-drawn as Billy nudges Debbie out of her comfort zone and encourages her to experience life outside the bubble of their family farm. Nealon treats mental health issues as the everyday occurrence that they are and mental illness within the White family is addressed so openly that it feels refreshing. The narrative moves between snapshots of Debbie’s university and home life and the not wholly convincing friendship that she forms with Xanthe, whom she regards as super confident and gliding through college life. It is only as their honesty with each other grows that Debbie starts to realise that she isn’t the freak that she feels and is certainly not alone in battling with her demons or having a dysfunctional family life.

Initially the book felt a little disjointed and was slow to capture my interest fully but I was unprepared for the sense of optimism that witnessing Debbie and her family dealing with their issues, yet still being there for each other, filled me with. Whilst I felt that Maeve needed further characterisation and the prophetic dreams that she and Debbie experienced warranted further exploration, overall I found Snowflake a moving and sincere debut.

This surprised me - I was really taken by the characters and could have stayed with them for longer. Funny, tender and at times really sad, yet sweetly optimistic. An impressive debut.

I really loved this book. It was beautifully written and made me miss my Irish family even more. It made me laugh out loud in places.
I’ve tried to write what it’s about without ruining the plot for ages but I don’t think I can do it justice. Recommend!

4.5 stars
Debbie lives on a dairy farm with her mum and uncle Billy who lives in a caravan. She has just hit 18 and is off to the big city of Dublin to study at university. Talk about baptism of fire. Debbie certainly has a lot to navigate as she starts to meet new people, find her own feet and indeed her own place in the world, he identity if you like. No mean feat considering what she also has to contend with back at home. An alcoholic uncle, a mother who has her own challenges and a farm that won't run itself, cows that need milking. But home is safe and she is loved...
This book had me laughing, crying, sniggering, shocked and pretty much everything in between. LMAO at Santy - you'll find out!
Delivered in a no nonsense, shortish chapters, way, I absolutely flew through this book. Only poking my head up when life needed me. It sucked me in in a way that these character driven books tend to and held me captive throughout my time with it. It does tackle some rather hard hitting topics along the way but, although in a bit of a raw way, never sensationalised and in keeping with the overall tone of the book which never got heavy despite the content. Honestly, that does make sense!
It is occasionally a bit intense though but there is respite in some wonderful humour interspersed throughout. I did feel however that the ending did lose itself a bit and I didn't quite leave the book as satisfied as I would have liked to have been but, apart from that, this is a good solid read that I have no hesitation in recommending. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Snowflake is the story of Debbie, 18, who lives at home on the farm in an Irish village with her Mum, and her Uncle Billy lives in a caravan. Debbie has just started her first year at Trinity College and commutes in from the farm. Wildly stepping out of her comfort zone, Snowflake follows Debbie’s journey throughout her first two terms at college
Xanthe is an alternate universe to turbulent “family” life on the farm where Debbie not only seeks support from Uncle Billy but often needs to care for her mother, long suffering with mental illness. Snowflake offers an insight in to a variety of mental health conditions affecting numerous characters. From depression and anxiety to bipolar and suicide and moreover, the effects these conditions can have when ignored and left to spiral. Despite its depth and serious undertones, Snowflake is an easy and hopeful read, with strong character evolution. I longed to know more about the seashells and the power of dreams and really wanted that storyline to go further. On reflection though perhaps the fact it didn’t keeps the book a real and honest portrayal of mental health, keeping the book grounded and true rather than thriller-like in genre.

The more I read, the more the characters seemed to unravel.
It is a story about growing up, finding where you fit and about feeling comfortable in your own skin. With themes of mental health, love, family, friends and community.

I really enjoyed Snowflake. I loved Debbie’s sense of humour. The short chapters allowed me to fly through it. Snowflake is honest, raw, tragic, heart-breaking, but also laugh-out-loud funny.

My thanks Manilla Press and Netgalley for the Earc in return for an honest review.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but I found it really hard going. It was a struggle to keep going as I just didn’t connect with the characters or feel any desire to pick it up.