Snowflake, Louise Nealon
“Great", she says when told she may have generalised anxiety. "It’s not just anxiety, it’s generalised too.”
You would be mistaken to think Nealon’s title refers to the term often used to describe the supposed over-sensitivity and lack of resilience of millennials; in fact, the term is beautifully reclaimed in Nealon's compassionate and raw debut. An honest, tender, and original piece of writing, Nealon’s Snowflake is a well-deserved winner of this year’s Newcomer award.
In an entirely unique take on the many novels based in Trinity College Dublin, Snowflake is far from a predictable tale of a rural Irish girl navigating the big city; instead, this novel is a beautiful account of complex mental illness and the many ways in which our childhood experiences are ingrained upon our character.
Debbie’s home life is marked by both mysticism and severity. Her free-spirited mother, who lives with an undiagnosed mental illness, spends her time recording her dreams and collecting shells, while her uncle Billy lives in a caravan with only alcohol, the stars, and tales of Greek gods for company.
During her first year studying at Trinity, as Debbie attempts to navigate between her metropolitan friends and her troubled family, the many threads of her existence slowly begin to unravel. Her mother’s eccentricity morphs into something darker, while Billy's drinking and state of mind gradually worsens. Nealon traces Debbie’s gradual understanding of her own mental health and her family’s attempts to hide their issues until it’s almost too late, skilfully addressing the shame around depression, addiction, and suicide in Irish culture.
An empathetic and endearing read, Snowflake tells the tale of a young girl who determinedly leaves home, only to find she has taken it with her.
Review featured in Family Issue
