I liked the promise of this book but the pace was just too slow and it lacked suspense and conviction. I disliked the short chapters, the lack of dialogue and I failed to like the characters. The pace picked up towards the end but it just failed to keep my interest. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Blizzard is the short but powerful debut of Marie Vintgras that has already won a prestigious award in the author's native France in 2022 and been a finalist in several others. 2 years later us Brits are being treated to a translation,is it worth the wait?
Most definitely.

The book opens with a woman and a young boy walking hand in hand through a blizzard in the bleak Alaskan wilderness. When she lets go of the lad's hand to tie a shoelace he disappears from sight. That's the beginning of a brief but gripping tale with members of the local community,basically a handful of cabins, looking for both the woman and the boy.some searching,some hunting,secrets of the past are unearthed............and they all have secrets.

This is an excellent story all the better for its brevity. Told from the perspectives of the different characters we learn the various reasons how and why they've chosen to live in such a remote and often forbidding area and there are plenty of surprises along the way.

I suspect we'll be hearing a lot more of Marie Vintgras, this is an exceptional book and more impressive for being a debut.

Blizzard is a raw and haunting novel.

The sense of isolation and remoteness created by the environment is palpable all through this tense novel.
Within the blizzard is a woman, Bess, and a young boy ; he let’s go of her hand and becomes lost within the raging snow storm and so begins a search for him by the five residents living in this secluded community in Alaska.

As the blizzard continues and the search begins, the story of each character is told in a series of personal recounts of past lives and events- what has drawn them to this harsh environment and how do they survive.

Each character has suffered differing traumas and the first half of the book feels slightly disconnected and somewhat bleak but as the story evolves the narrative for the key characters builds and brings clarity to the plot.The final denouement is traumatic and shocking.

Using the blizzard as a metaphor for the loss of direction and control amidst life juxtaposed against the backdrop of the lost boy is evident ultimately followed by clarity and safety after the storm passes

Marie Vingtras has written a novel that leave you emotionally exhausted as the violence and tragedies of life are revealed but the conclusion although uncomfortable leaves the sense that the victims are now free.

Dark, challenging and unforgettable.