Snowflake

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Nealon studied English literature at Trinity College Dublin, but took a year out because of anxiety and depression. She returned to college the following year, and completed her degree, followed by a masters in creative writing at Queen’s University Belfast in 2016 and, in 2017, she won the prestigious Seán O’Faoláin International Short Story Competition. This book is raw, dark and heartwarming all at the same time, and I absolutely loved it. I think Louise Nealon captured a girl on the cusp of the rest of her life so well, this absolute fine line between childhood and adulthood. A girl who absolutely does not know herself at all, does not know how to look after herself, and just needs to be kinder and more understanding to herself in all ways. This is very much a coming of age type novel, interspersed with some magical realism in a way thanks to Debbie and her mother's penchant for prophesising dreams, and Uncle Billy's reputation as a wise man. But is it really magical realism, or just a family with a bloodline that mean they are more sensitive to those around them, and the knowledge of the other plane of the world others have forgotten. A novel for anyone who’s ever felt lost in the world. Louise Nealon balances humor and tragedy in a sharp debut." — John Boyne Can a young woman be innocent yet outrageous, longing to succeed at university yet close to failing, deeply embarrassed by her manic depressive mother yet devoted? Yes, yes, yes. Louise Nealon’s beguiling narrator Debbie is all these things, and much more. Snowflake is a wonderfully inventive, deeply felt novel full of the best kinds of surprises." — Margot Livesey The story revolves around Debbie, the narrator, who is embarking on her university years. She’s leaving the dairy farm for the sophisticated Trinity College in Dublin. This is a coming-of-age story in that Debbie has been protected at the farm, with little city involvement. She’s intimidated by not only moving to university, but also navigating the big city. This is the story of her finding her place in the world, learning what other lifestyles there are other than dairy farming.

She couldn’t have written Snowflake anywhere other than her family farm but she says Debbie’s life is not hers. She did have to ask a garda for directions to Trinity when she arrived in Dublin — ‘we live 40 minutes away but I just never went there’. She called her novel Snowflake, she says, because she wanted to reclaim the term that has become a pejorative collective noun for her entire generation. Well-meaning noise of “mind yourself” and “it’s okay not to feel okay” — that’s all fair enough but I didn’t see my experience reflected in that and I wanted to get specific. However, Debbie is starting college soon. She has to step out of her dwelling place, commutes to classes and meets new people. In the first week, she was overwhelmed and disappointed by her fellow students and the anonymity of city life.Snowflake is a note to self to cherish your family and friends - and the moments spend alone with ourselves. Lousie Nealon is an Irish author that you shouldn't miss out on.

It would be too easy to compare Nealon’s debut to another young female Irish writer. Yes, that one. And maybe that one, too. But if those works zeroed in on the uncomfortable realities of being a young person, Snowflake subtly debunks the misconceptions around what it’s like to come of age today. I seem to be a bit of a space cadet,’ she ponders. ‘The way that I take in the world is a bit different — I have a weird memory. There’s great freedom in fiction that I use my own experiences but when I give them to a character it kind of takes on a life of its own, You are just spinning tales and it is great to have the freedom to do that.It's a long time since I've loved a novel as much as Snowflake. The prose shines with observations about life love family mental health, milking the cows and what it means to be coming of age in the times we live in—I felt I had discovered a diamond—a real treasure!" — Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo Nealon’s razor-sharp focus on the shame surrounding mental health issues, sexual promiscuity and substance abuse in Irish culture — and her female characters’ determination to not only face but conquer their shortcomings . . . makes an indelible mark." — Washington Post Louise Harland narrated the book and there could not have been a better person. She epitomises Debbie and really brings her character and little quirks to life.

Will inevitably gather comparisons with Sally Rooney. But Nealon has her own voice. Her writing is clever, witty, wryly elegant and full of emotional truth.” — The Irish Independent Debbie’s university world seems true to life. Nealon accurately captures the pre-night out ‘jeans or dress, flats or heels’ conversations perfectly. The subtleties in the hypocrisies of the university characters are both poignant and funny. One such moment is Debbie’s vegan best friend attempting to navigate her way around the dairy farm, while un-ironically owning a t-shirt that says ‘My oat milk frees all the cows from the yard’. Snowflake has some excellent, witty lines. Besides being a coming-out-age story filled with complications and quirky moments, the story is also about self-acceptance and familial relationship. As Debbie steps out of her comfort zone, she has to navigate between new peers and the family bubble. Things eventually fall apart and the dark issues surrounding the family history and mental health are uncovered.

Such is the addictive allure of 18 year old Debbie and the world in which she inhabits. Nealon opens by giving us some history into Debbie and her family – her uncle Billy and, to a lesser extent, her mother Maeve. in fact it takes Debbie a while to reflect on childhood events involving her mother and when she does it’s centred around her dreams and her mother’s belief that both she and Debbie have the ability to see other’s dreams. Snowflake Nealon upends the grandeur of the classics, however, by splicing them with images from the farm. "I could never fathom the idea that my mother gave birth to me", Debbie says at one point. "It seems much more likely that I rose up from the slurry pit like some sort of hellish Venus, or that I came out of the arse-end of a cow." Trotz dieser tragischen Geschichte ist das Buch unglaublich humorvoll, die Charaktere sind alle miteinander ein wenig skurril. Gerade für einen Debütroman ist auch die Sprache hervorragend. Ich wurde förmlich hineingesogen in das Buch. Sehr gut gefallen haben mir auch die etwas magischen Elemente. Sie geben dem Roman nochmal einen ganz eigenen Ton. An endearingly off-kilter coming-of-age story. . . . Debbie will win your heart." — People, "The Best New Books"