Snowflake
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- Create Date：2021-06-09 07:50:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Louise Nealon
- ISBN：1786580691
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Summary
A Novel for a Generation
Eighteen-year-old Debbie White lives on a dairy farm with her mother， Maeve， and her uncle， Billy。 Billy sleeps out in a caravan in the garden with a bottle of whiskey and the stars overhead for company。 Maeve spends her days recording her dreams， which she believes to be prophecies。
This world is Debbie's normal， but she is about to step into life as a student at Trinity College in Dublin。 As she navigates between sophisticated new friends and the family bubble， things begin to unravel。 Maeve's eccentricity tilts into something darker， while Billy's drinking gets worse。 Debbie struggles to cope with the weirdest， most difficult parts of herself， her family and her small life。 But the fierce love of the White family is never in doubt， and Debbie discovers that even the oddest of families are places of safety。
A startling， honest， laugh and cry novel about growing up and leaving home， only to find that you've taken it with you， Snowflake is a novel for a generation， and for everyone who's taken those first， terrifying steps towards adulthood。
Eighteen-year-old Debbie White lives on a dairy farm with her mother， Maeve， and her uncle， Billy。 Billy sleeps out in a caravan in the garden with a bottle of whiskey and the stars overhead for company。 Maeve spends her days recording her dreams， which she believes to be prophecies。
This world is Debbie's normal， but she is about to step into life as a student at Trinity College in Dublin。 As she navigates between sophisticated new friends and the family bubble， things begin to unravel。 Maeve's eccentricity tilts into something darker， while Billy's drinking gets worse。 Debbie struggles to cope with the weirdest， most difficult parts of herself， her family and her small life。 But the fierce love of the White family is never in doubt， and Debbie discovers that even the oddest of families are places of safety。
A startling， honest， laugh and cry novel about growing up and leaving home， only to find that you've taken it with you， Snowflake is a novel for a generation， and for everyone who's taken those first， terrifying steps towards adulthood。
Reviews
Ais
，
Bizarre yet oddly familiar
Sandra Hooke
，
Oh my goodness I was not expecting this。 A really emotional story about broken people trying to survive in their own different ways。
Lauren Bunting
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Actually giving this 4。5*！Such a beautiful book - one of those where the writing just washes over you and the happy moments are just as moving as the sad ones。 I especially loved all the writing about shells， dreams and the snow。 Heartwarming！
Coco Day
，
i rarely pick up on the style of writing of an author， mainly because i was never good at english and i tend to read books for what the story is rather than how it’s told， but this ones different :）louise has a way of describing things that creates such a clear picture and feeling as well that i haven’t had with other authorsher similies and metaphors are very “everyday” and relatable which made me feel more connected to Debbiei also thought all the characters were well developed and felt realal i rarely pick up on the style of writing of an author， mainly because i was never good at english and i tend to read books for what the story is rather than how it’s told， but this ones different :）louise has a way of describing things that creates such a clear picture and feeling as well that i haven’t had with other authorsher similies and metaphors are very “everyday” and relatable which made me feel more connected to Debbiei also thought all the characters were well developed and felt realalso the irish idioms were so endearing although i don’t think i would’ve understood some of them if i hadn’t had a crash course from my friends when i lived to Belfast last month！so glad i borrowed this from my flat mate <3 。。。more
David Fitzgerald
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A rounded up 3。5 stars
MarthaG
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I have to admit that I was sceptical upon picking up this book， starting from the title to the idea of another book from “the Trinity School” and the Sally Rooney comparisons （I do not like Rooney’s writing）。 Luckily for me， this book was a pleasant surprise。 As many other reviewers have already pointed out， the title of this book suggests winter and coldness but the novel reads warm and heartfelt more than ever。 It’s a sweet， soft and delicate story， extremely enjoyable to read and imbued with I have to admit that I was sceptical upon picking up this book， starting from the title to the idea of another book from “the Trinity School” and the Sally Rooney comparisons （I do not like Rooney’s writing）。 Luckily for me， this book was a pleasant surprise。 As many other reviewers have already pointed out， the title of this book suggests winter and coldness but the novel reads warm and heartfelt more than ever。 It’s a sweet， soft and delicate story， extremely enjoyable to read and imbued with mystical and magical symbolism that makes the reading ever so enchanting！ I was particularly struck by the imagery and how this book hit really close to home somehow: the dreams， the prophecies， the magic， the shells， the love for the ocean， studying English in Trinity College Dublin， juxtaposing college life to home life。。。it felt very relatable， very personal， and somewhat I felt like it was mine。 I know Louise Nealon didn’t write this book with me in mind but I was surprised to see how close to my interests and my consciousness and my thinking and my life experience and passions this book was， perhaps in a testament to the spellbinding quality of Nealon’s writing。 I also particularly liked how Irish this book was， aka， there are a lot of words and phrases in the Irish language that are not translated and this is how it should be。 The novel and the characters are exquisitely Irish and rooted in the Irish context in which the story finds its genesis and， again， I feel this contributes even more to the magic of it all。 I highly recommend “Snowflake” and don’t be fooled， this reading will warm your heart and guide you through a spiritual journey that will soothe your soul！ 。。。more
Hilary
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3。5 stars;Set in and just outside of Dublin， Snowflake follows 18-year-old Debbie as she starts university at Trinity。 Commuting from her uncle’s farm， Debbie struggles with balancing uni life with her friend Xanthe and home life with her struggling uncle and mum。Louise Nealon’s writing is absolutely stunning。 The way she writes emotions， mental health， and relationships is just wonderful。 I felt she really captured what it means to be 18 and struggling （although this was a little while ago for 3。5 stars;Set in and just outside of Dublin， Snowflake follows 18-year-old Debbie as she starts university at Trinity。 Commuting from her uncle’s farm， Debbie struggles with balancing uni life with her friend Xanthe and home life with her struggling uncle and mum。Louise Nealon’s writing is absolutely stunning。 The way she writes emotions， mental health， and relationships is just wonderful。 I felt she really captured what it means to be 18 and struggling （although this was a little while ago for me！）However， I didn’t love this。 The chapters were short and a little bit jumpy between them， and I think this hampered the continuation of the story for me。I know some people will love this one， it just wasn’t for me， so don’t let me review put you off trying this one！⚠️ content warnings: mental health， suicide， blood， vomit， alcoholism and discussions of addictionThank you to Bonnier Books， Louise Nealon， and NetGalley for the ARC of this in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Olatomi Afilaka
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A young girls trying to find her sense of self through the chaos of her upbringing and then the outside world as she goes to university
Caoimhe
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Beautiful story of family， home and belonging。 Nealon has a style of writing that is so easy to get lost in for an afternoon。 Great debut novel！
Seaside Sparkles
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I ‘read’ this as an audio book and found the tale quite mesmerising with the narrator’s voice beguiling。 There’s lots of themes in this book but mental health permeates throughout， so many hidden stories affecting the characters。 A really thought provoking read。
Poppy Flaxman
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This is one of the media reviews from the Waterstones website which I think really sums up the experience of reading Snowflake - 'I thought I was reading one thing， then discovered - several times as I read - that I was reading a different， even better thing' - Roddy Doyle。 You begin thinking that you're in for a Sally Rooney experience and whilst that is there， starting college， making friends， dating， bad choices and discussion of mental health， it feels wrong to solely group the two in the sa This is one of the media reviews from the Waterstones website which I think really sums up the experience of reading Snowflake - 'I thought I was reading one thing， then discovered - several times as I read - that I was reading a different， even better thing' - Roddy Doyle。 You begin thinking that you're in for a Sally Rooney experience and whilst that is there， starting college， making friends， dating， bad choices and discussion of mental health， it feels wrong to solely group the two in the same category。 Nealon takes us down routes of mystical intrigue， pushing us to look at stories， who tells them and how that changes our perspective。 She looks at myths， dreams， local gossip， the shells we collect from the beach and the stories we tell ourselves as we try to present to the world as a character rather than ourselves。 This wasn't the novel I expected going in but I was intrigued throughout and can't stop thinking about it。 Thank you to the publishers for sending a proof。 。。。more
Michelle Dodd （Creaney）
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3。8。 Listened。 Abridged。 BBC Sounds。
Lucy
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I really loved this book。 It feels really refreshing In terms of the plot and was written perfectly。 Cant wait to see what the author releases next。 5*
Pearlswine
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As an Irish living abroad missing the option to visit regularly as I once did， this book was an absolute joy。 Brimming with familiarity， magic， places， and humour， it dealt with serious issues of mental health in a beautiful way that felt true。
Rebecca Moran
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Contains numerous cringe Trinity references。 However， found this to be very weird and truly wonderful。
Lady Drinkwell
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I just finished listening to this on BBC Sounds。 I actually thought it hadn't finished but no。。 10/10 episodes all gone。 This book is a bit depressing， but it has some beautiful very lyrical writing in it， humour and s spot of magic。 For some reason I took a violent dislike to "Normal People" which this has been compared to， but I did not take a violent dislike to this， it didn't take itself quite so seriously。 I just finished listening to this on BBC Sounds。 I actually thought it hadn't finished but no。。 10/10 episodes all gone。 This book is a bit depressing， but it has some beautiful very lyrical writing in it， humour and s spot of magic。 For some reason I took a violent dislike to "Normal People" which this has been compared to， but I did not take a violent dislike to this， it didn't take itself quite so seriously。 。。。more
Ruth Adams
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An honest， unapologetic account of people learning to live with their own unique challenges。I had a very mixed response to this book- first I liked it， then it was too dark for me but then by the end， I was so glad I had read on。 The characters quickly come to life and the way they get themselves through/learn to live with very real mental health challenges is both humbling and uplifting。
Andrea
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Beautiful！
Jacki （Julia Flyte）
，
Debbie is 18 and lives on a dairy farm in Ireland with her mother and uncle。 She is thrust into another world when she starts studying at Trinity College in Dublin。 At home， both her mother and uncle have mental health issues; at university she feels like a fish out of water although she forms a close friendship with Xanthe。 Debbie thinks Xanthe has a perfect life， despite it being clear to the reader that Xanthe does not。It's very hard to describe this book。 I changing my mind about how to cate Debbie is 18 and lives on a dairy farm in Ireland with her mother and uncle。 She is thrust into another world when she starts studying at Trinity College in Dublin。 At home， both her mother and uncle have mental health issues; at university she feels like a fish out of water although she forms a close friendship with Xanthe。 Debbie thinks Xanthe has a perfect life， despite it being clear to the reader that Xanthe does not。It's very hard to describe this book。 I changing my mind about how to categorise it - is it a coming of age book， or a book about mental health issues within a family like Sorrow and Bliss， or a book about whipsmart students finding their way in life like Normal People？ It has all of those elements but it's not neatly any one of those things。 What is IS however is terrifically readable and quite unique。 。。。more
Eilymay
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I enjoyed this book。 It's four stars rather than five just because I was not emotionally prepared for some of the plot curveballs Nealon threw my way。 Not able。 As a millennial culchie I see a lot of truth in this。 Being honest， the bits to do with Debbie's college experience are painfully realistic and I almost wish the author had just focused on that。 Or on the clashes between rural and urban Ireland。 Or mental health。 There is a little bit of the kitchen sink about the themes explored and I t I enjoyed this book。 It's four stars rather than five just because I was not emotionally prepared for some of the plot curveballs Nealon threw my way。 Not able。 As a millennial culchie I see a lot of truth in this。 Being honest， the bits to do with Debbie's college experience are painfully realistic and I almost wish the author had just focused on that。 Or on the clashes between rural and urban Ireland。 Or mental health。 There is a little bit of the kitchen sink about the themes explored and I think a more incisive focus on one of them could have really elevated this book。 But that's nit picking。 It's a good read。 The characters are fabulous。 I see them。 I see the truth in them。 And I feel what they are going through。 Almost too much。 。。。more
Lauren
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The best way I can describe this novel is 'a slice of life'。 Much like Sally Rooney's 'Normal People'， it offers a glimpse into the every day experiences of complex， flawed and growing characters who are trying to make their way in the world。 Debbie， the young protagonist， is bitter， angry， anxious， wounded and vastly unlikeable at times。 But she is also vulnerable， loyal， repentant and introspective， and a brilliant example of the raw humanity in all of the above。 Her neighbourhood family （a mo The best way I can describe this novel is 'a slice of life'。 Much like Sally Rooney's 'Normal People'， it offers a glimpse into the every day experiences of complex， flawed and growing characters who are trying to make their way in the world。 Debbie， the young protagonist， is bitter， angry， anxious， wounded and vastly unlikeable at times。 But she is also vulnerable， loyal， repentant and introspective， and a brilliant example of the raw humanity in all of the above。 Her neighbourhood family （a motley band of dairy farmers， drunkards and dream interpreters） is portrayed with nostalgia and fondness， but tinged with the embarrassment and judgement of youth。 And then there are the deeper issues centred around her mother and uncle， which are sharp and heartbreaking， and take you on a rollercoaster of tears， laughs， lurching shock and unexpected joy。 This is part coming of age novel， part sensitive look at the vastness and brokenness of the mind， and I would recommend it to anybody looking for a contemporary read with real personality。 。。。more
Órlaith
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Incredible。
Lesley
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I was sent a copy of Snowflake by Louise Nealon to read and review by NetGalley。 I absolutely adored this book！ It was tender， beautifully written and， for me at least， totally engrossing。 A beautiful， sometimes tragic coming of age story， written in the true Irish tradition。 I don’t know what it is about Irish writing， but it always has the same effect on me。 Always very readable， getting right into the heart of the characters， their thoughts and their lives。 I can’t wait for the next offering I was sent a copy of Snowflake by Louise Nealon to read and review by NetGalley。 I absolutely adored this book！ It was tender， beautifully written and， for me at least， totally engrossing。 A beautiful， sometimes tragic coming of age story， written in the true Irish tradition。 I don’t know what it is about Irish writing， but it always has the same effect on me。 Always very readable， getting right into the heart of the characters， their thoughts and their lives。 I can’t wait for the next offering from this very talented young author。 。。。more
Aoibhinn
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Such a lovely book， definitely unexpected throughout but so wonderful at the same time :）
Lou Barber
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I didn't know what to expect from this book， as Snowflake has become a pejorative term。 However， it was nothing like I expected。 It was a gorgeously written account of a family all with complications， struggles and unhealthy ways of coping with them。Deb has just started at Trinity College but she feels displaced。 Living on a dairy farm， with her uncle Billy in a caravan and a mother who has spent most of her life sleeping， she feels anxious and out of place。 She's haunted by dreams that are glim I didn't know what to expect from this book， as Snowflake has become a pejorative term。 However， it was nothing like I expected。 It was a gorgeously written account of a family all with complications， struggles and unhealthy ways of coping with them。Deb has just started at Trinity College but she feels displaced。 Living on a dairy farm， with her uncle Billy in a caravan and a mother who has spent most of her life sleeping， she feels anxious and out of place。 She's haunted by dreams that are glimpses into other people's minds - predicting tragedy that she somehow never prevents occurring。 She copes by drinking til she blacks out。 As does her uncle， himself haunted by demons from his past。But a reconciliation with an old face， seems to work miracles on this warm， wonderfully and deeply scarred family。 It said to me， that sometimes all we really need is to be truly seen and heard to begin healing。There were wonderfully deadpan and dark one-liners of prose that I adored。 Whilst heavy at times， this is not to detract from its brilliance。 I really loved this book。 。。。more
James Duggan
，
I first heard of Louise Nealon when I read the short story that she wrote which won the Seán O'Faoláin competition。 The story really grabbed me so I was excited to hear about this book。 I bought this while on staycation and read about 70% of it in two days！ This is an excellent read and is very fluidly written。 The themes are current and relevant and some of the treatment is new and interesting。 While I thought the book did flag slightly in the final 5% or so， it wasn't enough to put me off givi I first heard of Louise Nealon when I read the short story that she wrote which won the Seán O'Faoláin competition。 The story really grabbed me so I was excited to hear about this book。 I bought this while on staycation and read about 70% of it in two days！ This is an excellent read and is very fluidly written。 The themes are current and relevant and some of the treatment is new and interesting。 While I thought the book did flag slightly in the final 5% or so， it wasn't enough to put me off giving it five stars。 Overall， it was a great read。 。。。more
graceashling
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A joy to read！ I could relate to so many themes in this book and absolutely devoured the coming of age storyline and the undercurrents of mental health and finding oneself。 This is an incredible book and I am so proud that Louise Nealon is Irish！ Wow！
Melanie
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It made me laugh out loud from the start， until out of nowhere， it felt like I was being punched in the heart and I wept like a baby。 An impressive debut novel， Snowflake is the beautifully moving coming of age story of Debbie， a small town Irish girl who grew up on a Dairy farm， with a dysfunctional but very close family。 She's starting College and tries to fit in amongst the fancy crowd at Trinity。 Debbie struggles to cope with anxiety and low self， while also trying to contain everything happ It made me laugh out loud from the start， until out of nowhere， it felt like I was being punched in the heart and I wept like a baby。 An impressive debut novel， Snowflake is the beautifully moving coming of age story of Debbie， a small town Irish girl who grew up on a Dairy farm， with a dysfunctional but very close family。 She's starting College and tries to fit in amongst the fancy crowd at Trinity。 Debbie struggles to cope with anxiety and low self， while also trying to contain everything happening at home， and keeping it there。 The storytelling is excellent and the characters will suck you in with their originality， depth， and their incredibly Irish banter。 Endearingly flawed， their relationships and the situations they find themselves into are brutally honest and very relatable。 Despite its humour， Snowflake also shines a bright light on mental illness， without adding any glamour or romanticism to it。 It also addresses the silence and shame that surrounds depression， alcoholism and other self destructive behaviours in Irish culture。 I think a lot of parallel will be drawn between this novel and Sally Rooney's Normal People， which I also loved， however I think this is much funnier， with more accessible characters。。So far I will say that this is hands down my favourite book this year。 。。。more
Hannah
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Snowflake is a novel which deals with the disparaging dismissal of the trials and tribulations of the transition into adulthood as a ‘Millennial’ or member of ‘Generation Z’， sometimes referred to as ‘the snowflake generation’。 Nealon tackles the spectrum of mental health conditions， the impact of systematic failures on the family unit， and how every person we meet is fighting battles you may never see。In a world where ‘anxiety’ and ‘depression’ have become healthcare buzzwords， and the slightes Snowflake is a novel which deals with the disparaging dismissal of the trials and tribulations of the transition into adulthood as a ‘Millennial’ or member of ‘Generation Z’， sometimes referred to as ‘the snowflake generation’。 Nealon tackles the spectrum of mental health conditions， the impact of systematic failures on the family unit， and how every person we meet is fighting battles you may never see。In a world where ‘anxiety’ and ‘depression’ have become healthcare buzzwords， and the slightest decline in mood can prompt judgements from outsiders like ‘overly-sensitive’ and ‘less resilient’， I feel that Snowflake goes a long way in highlighting the reality of living in a dysfunctional environment and the day to day realities faced by those attempting to define themselves， stalked by the shadow of declining mental health and the fear of whom we will become。I have reviewed the book further on my blog here: https://acharmingstateofconfusion。wor。。。 。。。more
Gerard Murphy
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Excellent， a triumph for a debut novelist。 The novel operates on so many levels - as a coming of age story - a contrast between country and city - the significance of dreams - mental health - relationships --all moving along seamlessly through Debbie the narrator。Read in two days and one of the best I have read so far this year。Looking forward to the future novels from Louise Nealon。Highly recommend as a very Good Read。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Snowflake
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Snowflake&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Snowflake&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0