Books home


  ---------------------------


Book news


  ---------------------------


Fiction reviews


  ---------------------------


Biography reviews


  ---------------------------


Factual reviews

Entertainment news

A.D. Miller, Snowdrops

A.D. Miller, Snowdrops
Shortlisted in the 2011 Booker Prize, and the CWG Gold Dagger 2011, A.D. Miller's Snowdrops got close to pulling off a couple of awards last year. It's quietly gripping as it seeps under your skin the more you read, but it also skates close to painting a sweepingly dark brush on the character of the Russian people, which is sort of to its detriment.


It centres on the vaguely questionable character of "lost-man" lawyer, Nick, as he gets tangled up with a couple of Russian girls in Moscow, where he has been living and working.


It starts out with the story behind the name of the book, the sinister appearance of bodies laid cold under the snow during the onset of winter, where they remain until the summer thaw, appearing with the ripe smell of decomposition. Some of these are the result of the homeless laying down in the snow, but the majority are as a result of corruption and murder, which sets the tone for the book and A.D. Miller's portrayal of Russia.


Though few of the characters are likeable in any real way, including Nick, it's still a book that draws you under with a firm grip into the dark underbelly beneath the blanket of white. It builds intrigue slowly but relentlessly, making the book an easy read, despite the abundance of deeper themes, including shame, exploitation, corruption, moral boundaries and a very thin layer of decency.


However, in general, the book doesn't really say much on the positive side about Russia or the people there, despite Nick's twisted love of it (for all the wrong reasons). It makes it a bit too one sided, like there's pages missing on the good, safe and happy people that live in Russia. Having know a few Russian's I can safely say that they have all been lovely, but the book seems to imply that the only lovely Russian's are just fodder for the taking. There's obviously a lot of corruption in Russia, but to take that as the defining nature would surely be a little remiss, which is what Snowdrops feels like in this respect.


A.D. Miller's Snowdrops is a great low key thriller, underlaid with subtle suspense and the scorching heat of the Russian winter. While the confession slant of the book doesn't necessarily work as well as the main plot, the fascinating characters, pseudo-insight into a distant and alien environment  and the clever escalation of the storyline makes Snowdrops such a good read.


A.D. Miller, Snowdrops review: 3.8/5

 
Music_news_and_reviews.html

Art

TV

Home     > Books & literature     > Fiction reviews     > A.D. Miller, Snowdrops review

© 2009 Tuppence Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

Tuppence entertainment magazine Sitemap

Privacy Policy

Tuppence Magazine UK is an entertainment, news & reviews website that delivers my take and your take on stuff about music news, film release dates & trailers, television, books, computer games, food & drink, politics, theatre, comedy, art and fashion. Send in your reviews.


Follow Tuppence Magazine on:






Twitter






Facebookhttp://twitter.com/tuppencemaghttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Tuppence-Magazine/418499815297?ref=search&sid=100000637388035.3163739187..1shapeimage_18_link_0shapeimage_18_link_1