Cold Enough for Snow
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- Create Date：2022-05-22 09:52:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jessica Au
- ISBN：1913097765
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Summary
A mother and daughter travel from abroad to meet in Tokyo: they walk along the canals through the autumn evenings， escape the typhoon rains， share meals in small cafes and restaurants， and visit galleries to see some of the city's most radical modern art。 All the while， they talk: about the weather， horoscopes， clothes， and objects， about family， distance， and memory。 But uncertainties abound。 Who is really speaking here - is it only the daughter？ And what is the real reason behind this elliptical， perhaps even spectral journey？ At once a careful reckoning and an elegy， Cold Enough for Snow questions whether any of us speak a common language， which dimensions can contain love， and what claim we have to truly know another's inner world。
Selected from more than 1，500 entries， Cold Enough for Snow won the Novel Prize， a new， biennial award offered by Fitzcarraldo Editions， New Directions （US） and Giramondo （Australia）， for any novel written in English that explores and expands the possibilities of the form。
Selected from more than 1，500 entries， Cold Enough for Snow won the Novel Prize， a new， biennial award offered by Fitzcarraldo Editions， New Directions （US） and Giramondo （Australia）， for any novel written in English that explores and expands the possibilities of the form。
Reviews
Юля Медвідь-Гнепа
，
Досить коротка новела， від якої я очікувала хіба вдалих описів Токіо， але це поки найкраща книга з тих， що я прочитала цього року。 Дуже зворушливий і тонкий погляд на дорослішання， стосунки з матір‘ю， самотність і усвідомлення свого минулого。 Частина мого захвату - це сама книга цього видання。
Khai Jian （KJ）
，
"Nowadays， she said， people were hungry to know everything， thinking that they could understand it all， as if enlightenment were just around the corner。 But， she said， in fact there was no control， and understanding would not lessen any pain。 The best we could do in this life was to pass through it， like smoke through the branches， suffering， until we either reached a state of nothingness， or else suffered elsewhere"Cold Enough for Snow centers around the journey of a mother （who grew up in Hong "Nowadays， she said， people were hungry to know everything， thinking that they could understand it all， as if enlightenment were just around the corner。 But， she said， in fact there was no control， and understanding would not lessen any pain。 The best we could do in this life was to pass through it， like smoke through the branches， suffering， until we either reached a state of nothingness， or else suffered elsewhere"Cold Enough for Snow centers around the journey of a mother （who grew up in Hong Kong and immigrated to another country） and a daughter who met and traveled in Tokyo。 They visit museums， galleries， cafes， and restaurants。 They talk about the weather， horoscopes， clothes， art， family， and memory。 As the story progresses， the narrator （i。e。 the daughter） recounts her memories with her mother， family， and her boyfriend。 Readers are also provided with a little background story of the mother。 The story is plotless and is told in a whole stream of consciousness whereby every detail of Tokyo， modern art， the melancholic atmosphere， the interactions between the mother and daughter， their intimacies， and the mother's struggles in process of cultural assimilation are all fleshed out with Jessica Au's elegant prose。 I thought Intimacies （by Katie Kitamura） would be the quietest book that I have read， but Cold Enough For Snow definitely tops that。 It is so quiet and melancholy and it requires a lot of patience to grasp the gist of the story and the beauty of Jessica Au's writing。 While there are certain interesting discussions on modern art and the East-West dichotomy， to me， the highlight here would definitely be the relationship between the mother and daughter。 It is so subtle and restrained but definitely does not lack any form of love between them。 "My mother looked at me and smiled， as if she was simply happy that we were in each other's company， and to have no need for words。 We had said， it seemed， so little of substance to each other these past weeks"。 The ending of the story， to me， showcased the intimacy between the mother and daughter and， though not described or layered in a climatic style， it offers an emotional punch to the readers which renders us to rethink our relationship with our parents: "After a few minutes I found her waiting for me at the entrance， sitting on the bench， looking - and for all I knew this could have been the case - as if she had been there the whole time。。。。I pulled on my coat， and walked towards her around the people who were just entering。 As I approached， she saw me and made a gesture with her hand。 Could you help me with this？ she said， and I saw that she was unable to bend down far enough to reach her shoe。 I knelt and， with one swift tug， helped her pull it on"。 A simple gesture， but so many emotions。 Cold Enough for Snow definitely is an impressive debut novel that deserves a strong 4。5/5 star rating！ 。。。more
Lisa
，
A beautifully written reflective fictional writing that was flawless。 Reading this book was almost a dreamlike experience， "with the water so calm， the rain misting the other shore， it was hard to get a real sense of distance， and we paddled further and further， everything floating， as in a dream"。 （p。 82）。 A beautifully written reflective fictional writing that was flawless。 Reading this book was almost a dreamlike experience， "with the water so calm， the rain misting the other shore， it was hard to get a real sense of distance， and we paddled further and further， everything floating， as in a dream"。 （p。 82）。 。。。more
Danny Mason
，
Delicately beautiful。
Kät
，
！！！
Charlotte
，
This book is so unassuming and undemanding of attention that you could easily miss its depth。 As a reader you have to work hard to pick up on the unspoken vibes that bubble up from between the lines。 I honestly don’t know how people write like this。 The stripped back language and the simple structure somehow really packs a punch。 Her whole world feels like aching nostalgia， but through some kind of veil， as if she can’t quite make sense of it。 I get the feeling that I want to grab the protagonis This book is so unassuming and undemanding of attention that you could easily miss its depth。 As a reader you have to work hard to pick up on the unspoken vibes that bubble up from between the lines。 I honestly don’t know how people write like this。 The stripped back language and the simple structure somehow really packs a punch。 Her whole world feels like aching nostalgia， but through some kind of veil， as if she can’t quite make sense of it。 I get the feeling that I want to grab the protagonists life and shake it up a bit， like a snow globe。 But the tension is built so slowly and so gently that you don’t even notice， until suddenly you’re frustrated without knowing what set you off。 A clever little story！ 😍 Beautifully written ⏱ Quick/short read （<1 day） 🙃 Quirky 。。。more
Susan
，
This is a poignant， powerful novella。 Clearly， in reading many of the reviews， it has had a huge impact on many readers， what more could the author hope for。
Achab_
，
It wasn’t planned， but I read this book while travelling with my mum in another country。 I liked how the story echoed what i was living。 More generally I loved the atmosphere of the book， following the narrator’s flow of consciousness through event near and far and across different countries。 I think I will go back to this book later on and give it another read。
Christina
，
I finished this a few days ago & at first it was a solid four， but the more I sit with my thoughts on it the more I realize what a beautiful thing has been accomplished in only 95 pages。 For such a calm， quiet， brief book， Au touches on many profound matters。 Through a mother-daughter trip to Japan &， primarily， through the daughter’s own introspection， the mundane is elevated。 Everyday things， motions， observations become imbued with layered meaning & emotion， love mixed with an undercurrent of I finished this a few days ago & at first it was a solid four， but the more I sit with my thoughts on it the more I realize what a beautiful thing has been accomplished in only 95 pages。 For such a calm， quiet， brief book， Au touches on many profound matters。 Through a mother-daughter trip to Japan &， primarily， through the daughter’s own introspection， the mundane is elevated。 Everyday things， motions， observations become imbued with layered meaning & emotion， love mixed with an undercurrent of melancholy， longing & something else that can’t be fully grasped but you can brush your fingertips over it。 There is something dreamy here， something enigmatic with little moments of suspense where I wondered if the story might be about to go off on a different path。 Meditative & affecting。 。。。more
Natalie
，
a short but sweet read。 jessica au transitions the narrative between present interactions with her mother and recalling the past incredibly seamlessly。 as an （hopefully） introspective person who often reflects on family dynamics and my parents’ happiness， i found this book very relatable and touching。
Timothy Wong
，
When a true conversation was never had。
Joeri Domen
，
Mooie novelle over een moeder en dochter die samen op reis gaan naar Japan。 Of hoe culturele en generatie verschillen， emotionele afstand creëren。 Maar ga ik binnen een jaar nog weten waarover het ging。。。。？ 3sterren
Eva-Stina
，
this novella is so simple， yet so full of beauty。 really touched my heart。 jessica au knows what writing is。
Tomi
，
3。5"I had a vague thought I had been taught somehow that the best thing was still to be desired， even if you did not desire， even if you did not much like the person who desired you。 Where I had learned this， I did not yet know。" 3。5"I had a vague thought I had been taught somehow that the best thing was still to be desired， even if you did not desire， even if you did not much like the person who desired you。 Where I had learned this， I did not yet know。" 。。。more
Barb
，
This is a quiet little book。 Not a big storyline just sort of reflective writing。 I enjoyed it。
grace
，
2。5？ 2。75？ 3？
Marles Henry
，
Reading "Cold enough for snow" was an experience in liminality。 It is a book， in its purest form， about a mother and daughter on a short trip to Tokyo。 This shell， or facade is paper thin to the many digressions and - that is the shell of many other digressions that occur along the way within this very short book。 This book lingers with you， and I found that I was still entranced by its beauty long after I read its final words。 I read this book with @knittingreadingwriting， and I know that she w Reading "Cold enough for snow" was an experience in liminality。 It is a book， in its purest form， about a mother and daughter on a short trip to Tokyo。 This shell， or facade is paper thin to the many digressions and - that is the shell of many other digressions that occur along the way within this very short book。 This book lingers with you， and I found that I was still entranced by its beauty long after I read its final words。 I read this book with @knittingreadingwriting， and I know that she was also captured by the yearning of this book。In essence， a lot of this book is about the things that are no said， the silences， the reflections。 everything that is not said holds so much meaning and emotion in it。 The unspoken moments in silence as the mother and daughter walk back and forth to each activity encourages you to notice the small thinks that speak volumes。 You might think this is more a recounting of memories， and a time past， but I think that this book touches on the fact that the mother is old and moving closer to death which is where the ghostly atmosphere comes and envelops the story。 There was a sadness and loneliness in the missing translatable language between this mother and daughter。There is tension， a yearning， loss， mis-understanding and not understanding。 There seems to be several occasion where the daughter is trying to say only one thing but is unable to do so with words。 The excursions of the mother and daughter introduce the relationship between life and art，and of being being worthy or meaningful of something and to someone。The difference and impact of life and each other's history also spoke volumes to what could not be translated or compared between both women。This book was， in a way， a graceful epitome of the art of not saying anything， and the impact of the power of observation。 And for this reason alone， I implore you to find this book and read it。 。。。more
Ellie Kakoulli
，
Cold Enough For Snow is a fairly subtle and simple novella， that follows an unnamed narrator and her ageing mother on vacation in Japan。 The objective of which -mainly relation to the daughter， is that the trip will be a “bonding” experience。 Allowing them both to get a better understanding of themselves， and each other。Au astutely captures the imperfect nature of communication -especially across generations。 By primarily focuses on the perspective of the daughter; her thoughts， interactions and Cold Enough For Snow is a fairly subtle and simple novella， that follows an unnamed narrator and her ageing mother on vacation in Japan。 The objective of which -mainly relation to the daughter， is that the trip will be a “bonding” experience。 Allowing them both to get a better understanding of themselves， and each other。Au astutely captures the imperfect nature of communication -especially across generations。 By primarily focuses on the perspective of the daughter; her thoughts， interactions and attitude towards her mother -who becomes an almost spectral presence throughout their trip， we witness the constant shift -and ultimately “drift” of this sense of “understanding” both characters so desperately seek。There is a great distance between the two -whether that’s through age or experience， that means they’re never quite on the same page。 Talking AT， rather than TO each other。 Overall， though I’m usually a huge fan of introspective and meandering novels， this one just didn’t quite hit that sweet spot for me -at least not on an emotional level。 I think this “distance” between the two was too great even for me to immerse into。 That said， I have since wondered whether this was also an intentional ploy by the author。 Perhaps this “distance” between the two， is more a representative （or process） of someone experiencing grief （no spoilers -just an interpretation）。 And this “journey” that the mother and daughter are on， is perhaps more a metaphorical one。 Where the daughter is conjuring up memories of their shared past， and the things left unsaid or forgotten， in order to assemble some sort of reckoning。 WHO KNOWS ？！A short， sparse and somewhat meandering novella， exploring the intersection of past and present， whilst contemplating the reliability （and fallibility？） of memory and human connection。3 stars 。。。more
Nayeli
，
I didn't expect to like this book so much。 I found it randomly when browsing a book store， on a day I told myself I could only buy one book， and it should be by a woman and something that I would read soon - this because I buy a lot of books and then I forget them for a while （as I'm sure happens with a lot of people）。 It was in a shelf that either said "quick reads" or "money back guarantee" or something like that。 And I must say both descriptions are correct。The story is about the author and h I didn't expect to like this book so much。 I found it randomly when browsing a book store， on a day I told myself I could only buy one book， and it should be by a woman and something that I would read soon - this because I buy a lot of books and then I forget them for a while （as I'm sure happens with a lot of people）。 It was in a shelf that either said "quick reads" or "money back guarantee" or something like that。 And I must say both descriptions are correct。The story is about the author and her mother， traveling together in Japan。 Even though it is never quite mentioned， one would imagine they both lived in Australia and the mother was an immigrant from Hong Kong。 The descriptions are wonderful， though the writing gets a bit dense， and you could say it's basically a book about everything and nothing。 They talk about the past a lot， the author intertwines the chronicle about the trip （the restaurants they go to， museums， churches） with stories about her childhood and her mother's， as she remembers it。 She also briefly touches on possible futures， and it's both sad and hopeful。 It kind of felt like reading someone's dairy， or talking with an old friend over coffee。 The stories here are entirely shareable， things that you'd want to talk about with friends and family。 I tried sharing some quotes here， but I quickly realized this is hardly a "quotable" book， because the writing， like I said， is kind of dense and with quite chunky paragraphs。 。。。more
Britt
，
3。5 / A lovely little daydream of a book
Esther
，
Edit: It dawned upon me that books have their own circadian rhythms。 And so this book is best enjoyed in an unhurried state of mind。 Genre: No plot， vibes only。Why is it that seemingly mundane activities on a holiday feels vastly different from any other day back home？ （The cliched you-travel-to-find-yourself。） A homely item in a foreign land triggers a memory from an earlier place in your youth。 You start remembering things that don’t surface when you are in your regular routine。 Something that Edit: It dawned upon me that books have their own circadian rhythms。 And so this book is best enjoyed in an unhurried state of mind。 Genre: No plot， vibes only。Why is it that seemingly mundane activities on a holiday feels vastly different from any other day back home？ （The cliched you-travel-to-find-yourself。） A homely item in a foreign land triggers a memory from an earlier place in your youth。 You start remembering things that don’t surface when you are in your regular routine。 Something that doesn’t have an impact on the grand scheme of （your） life， but small moments that collectively add up （to what？）， interspersed along the humdrum of our daily lives。 。。。more
Ada Haynes
，
a woman makes a trip in Japan with her mother。 lots of beautiful moments described （present and past）， but the woman purpose for inviting her mother is not clear， and many times during the read， I was thinking that all the woman's choices were about her， what she actually wanted to see/do， and not so much about really connecting back with her mum。 nice read， but I didn't get overenthusiast about it， sorry a woman makes a trip in Japan with her mother。 lots of beautiful moments described （present and past）， but the woman purpose for inviting her mother is not clear， and many times during the read， I was thinking that all the woman's choices were about her， what she actually wanted to see/do， and not so much about really connecting back with her mum。 nice read， but I didn't get overenthusiast about it， sorry 。。。more
Joseph Reynolds
，
This is certainly an evocative and mysterious book。 The writer is talented， the writing is calm cool and like a fresh spring。 The descriptions are crisp。 However， this is an author flexing writing muscles。 There is not a lot here。 It’s like authorial fragments pasted together。 I’m very critical of that， usually。 It’s a little bit of a con。 But you might try it。 It does pass the time。
Atri
，
A bittersweet， poignant novella。 Au dexterously evokes vivid synaesthetic images， as she vacillates from urban alleyways to rural idylls。 The past is rendered visceral with a poetic precision and nuance- not a word seems to be out of place， every attenuated sensation is atomised， distilled till the words become redolent。 She plays with the simultaneity of contrary emotions， with a beguiling tenderness that invades the recesses of intersubjectivity。Perhaps， over time， she had found the past harde A bittersweet， poignant novella。 Au dexterously evokes vivid synaesthetic images， as she vacillates from urban alleyways to rural idylls。 The past is rendered visceral with a poetic precision and nuance- not a word seems to be out of place， every attenuated sensation is atomised， distilled till the words become redolent。 She plays with the simultaneity of contrary emotions， with a beguiling tenderness that invades the recesses of intersubjectivity。Perhaps， over time， she had found the past harder and harder to evoke， especially with no one to remember it with。 Perhaps it was easier that way， so much so that after a while this new way became her habit， another thing she grew used to， like eating cereal for breakfast， or keeping your shoes on in other people's homes， or rarely speaking to another in your mother tongue。 。。。more
Zach
，
The number of books published since I was a teenager about adults going places and talking to people and buying things and catching up is directly connected to the popularity of cell phone / video games where you basically just play an adult doing things。 I'm flummoxed。 The number of books published since I was a teenager about adults going places and talking to people and buying things and catching up is directly connected to the popularity of cell phone / video games where you basically just play an adult doing things。 I'm flummoxed。 。。。more
Christine Hopkins
，
"Maybe it's good， I said， to stop sometimes and reflect upon the things that have happened， maybe thinking about sadness can actually end up making you happy。"5 you have to read it to get it stars so read it！ This beautiful， tiny book was able to express so much。 I relate to much of what occurs between the mother and daughter on this trip。 Any book that can express such complicated feelings without ever explaining what those feelings are is a rare thing。 "Maybe it's good， I said， to stop sometimes and reflect upon the things that have happened， maybe thinking about sadness can actually end up making you happy。"5 you have to read it to get it stars so read it！ This beautiful， tiny book was able to express so much。 I relate to much of what occurs between the mother and daughter on this trip。 Any book that can express such complicated feelings without ever explaining what those feelings are is a rare thing。 。。。more
Brittany Du Ly
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I love how Jessica Au made such simple descriptions and observations seem so gentle and warm。 The relationship between the daughter and her mom reminds me very much of my own relationship with my Chinese mother。 We don't say very much to each other but what is said resonates and satisfies in a way that no other relationship can。"My lecturer had said to us once that parents were their children's fate， not only in the way of the tragedies， but in many other smaller， no less powerful ways as well。 I love how Jessica Au made such simple descriptions and observations seem so gentle and warm。 The relationship between the daughter and her mom reminds me very much of my own relationship with my Chinese mother。 We don't say very much to each other but what is said resonates and satisfies in a way that no other relationship can。"My lecturer had said to us once that parents were their children's fate， not only in the way of the tragedies， but in many other smaller， no less powerful ways as well。 I knew that if I had a daughter， she would live partly because of the way I had lived， and her memories would be my memories， and she would have no choice in that matter。' - page 88The older I get， the more I realize I am the combined product of both my mom and dad's personalities。 I share many similar characteristics and mannerism。 What a touching novel ❤ 。。。more
Rachel
，
This was absolutely beautiful。 The narrator travels around Japan with her mother， all the while remembering moments from her childhood and other family stories。 Au’s description of Hong Kong brought me to tears （maybe because it reminded me of my time there）。 I just really admired this novel， especially from a writer’s perspective。 So short and sweet—nothing flashy， no daring voices or characters—just a stunning and thoughtful story。 Highly recommend。
Erik Martinez
，
"Back then， I had wanted every moment to count for something; I had become addicted to the tearing of my thoughts， that rent in the fabric of the atmosphere。 If nothing seemed to be working toward this effect， I grew impatient， bored。 Much later， I realized how insufferable this was: the need to make every moment pointed， to read meaning into everything。" Murakami on STEROIDS。 This book will send you into a gloomy disposition。 It's the perfect lay-on-your-back-and-read-in-the-sun book， and doing "Back then， I had wanted every moment to count for something; I had become addicted to the tearing of my thoughts， that rent in the fabric of the atmosphere。 If nothing seemed to be working toward this effect， I grew impatient， bored。 Much later， I realized how insufferable this was: the need to make every moment pointed， to read meaning into everything。" Murakami on STEROIDS。 This book will send you into a gloomy disposition。 It's the perfect lay-on-your-back-and-read-in-the-sun book， and doing so will probably cause you to fall asleep in a peaceful way。 It's a book about nothing but a girl remembering details from her past and holding onto them while she can， making sense and letting go as she remembers them。 It's tender and sweet， and while it makes you feel sad， it also makes you feel less alone—a complete dream of a read。 "I said that in this way too， writing was just like painting。 It was the only way that one could go back and change the past， to make things not as they were， but as we wished they had been， or rather as we saw it。 I said， for this reason， it was better for her not to trust anything she read。" 。。。more
Amandine
，
3。5
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Cold Enough for Snow
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Cold Enough for Snow&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Cold Enough for Snow&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0