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Don’t apologise, Xanthe! Stop being friends with this asshole instead! Sometimes, the treasure was dumping the assholes you met along the way!
Though seemingly unable to escape comparisons with Sally Rooney, this book is in an entirely different register from Rooney's work. While Rooney is interested in philosophical questions about our place in the world and how relationships work, Nealon's work is much grittier and down-to-earth. This is not a slight on either author: I've really enjoyed both of their work, but I think the similarities between them are superficial. Though Nealon's novel begins with Debbie going to university, this story is rooted in the world of a rural dairy farm. The world of Dublin and of Trinity college are secondary to the beating heart of the novel, which is Debbie's immediate family: her mother, Maeve, and her uncle, Billy. The family is loving, but struggles to function: Billy blames himself for his mother's death, and drinks heavily, while Maeve seems constantly on the point of breakdown. Debbie also uses alcohol to cope: it's all she's learnt. Though she was alienated at school, she also feels dislocated in university, and struggles to find her place, though she befriends the privileged but depressed Xanthe. This book is also an indictment of the struggling mental health systems and of clueless therapists, as characters try to seek help and meet bureacratic walls. First, thank you GR friend Peter for reviewing “Snowflake” by Louise Nealon and gushing over her honest representation of the country/farm folk in Kildare County in Ireland. According to Peter, who hails from that area, there is little literature reflecting the lives of the people in that area. One main reason I read is to learn about something I did not previously been acquainted. I wanted to give this novel a shot because I was very curious. Hoci to má dlhý rozbeh, tak za polkou to ide šialene dolu kopcom. A koniec! Vločkin koniec bol také pohladenie na duši, kde cítite dobrý pocit z toho ako sa to celé vyvinulo. Proste také ukončenie som potrebovala. SO GROSS. There’s also two – TWO! – scenes describing Debbie raw-shaving her pubes. Why did I need to read this once, let alone twice?! She has the internet, she has a MACBOOK (despite her supposed poverty). GOOGLE. IT. 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.But really, [Alice] shouldn’t belong to anyone, least of all Lewis Carroll. She exists independently of him.’ this is another contemporary, coming of age tale which follows debbie, an 18 year old who lives on a dairy farm as she navigates her 1st year at university, while also trying to handle her eccentric and troubled mother and uncle. if you know me you know i love a coming of age story, so this premise was right up my street. the writing was beautiful and lyrical but also raw, perfectly capturing the mindset of what it’s like to be a young woman figuring out life and trying to survive university (perfect for fans of sally rooney and naosie dolan in that regard). it also had a small magical realism element related to dreams which i definitely think added something unique to the story, even though i do wish it was developed a bit more. i also really enjoyed the irish slang in the dialogue and the exploration of some of the folklore, i found it all so interesting to read about! nealon also touches on several themes in this book too, like mental illness, family dynamics, friendship, identity, alcoholism, the pressure of university, and more. I can’t imagine someone going through life without grasping the concept of the iconic six-armed snow crystal,’ I say.
Debbie isn’t the only funny one. She comes home drunk, and her Uncle Billy gives her one glance and tells her he needs to teach her how to drink. Billy takes her to the local pub, and the lessons are hilarious. This is a quirky story laced with serious themes. This is a description of the local therapist in Debbie’s home town. There are so many problems in these two sentences alone. The ONE thing everyone loves? Everyone? And is that really Audrey’s problem? Or is it the problem of the people around her? In addition, this is presented as received wisdom from Debbie’s neighbours. Debbie does not question this in any way. Yet she’s apparently very smart? I guess in the ‘I am very intelligent’ meme sense only.Veľmi dobre je tu zvládnutá téma dospievania. Nie je to zabalené do cukrovej vaty, proste poukazuje na to, že ten prechod zo strednej na vysokú nie je taký plynulý ako sa zdá. A môže byť miestami dosť krutý. Plus hlavná postava pochádza z dedinky neďaleko veľkého mesta a neskutočne sa mi páčilo ako sa to prelínalo/kontrastovalo spolu.
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