Who Are You When No One Is Watching?
When a beloved high schooler named Lucinda Hayes is found murdered, no one in her sleepy Colorado suburb is untouched—not the boy who loved her too much; not the girl who wanted her perfect life; not the officer assigned to investigate her murder. In the aftermath of the tragedy, these three indelible characters—Cameron, Jade, and Russ—must each confront their darkest secrets in an effort to find solace, the truth, or both.In crystalline prose, Danya Kukafka offers a brilliant exploration of identity and of the razor-sharp line between love and obsession, between watching and seeing, between truth and memory. Compulsively readable and powerfully moving, Girl in Snow offers an unforgettable reading experience and introduces a singular new talent in Danya Kukafka.
Audiobook, eAudiobook
Published August 1st 2017 by Simon Schuster Audio
Source: Publisher
Three stars: A troubling novel with unlikeable characters, a haunting story line and beautiful writing.
When a beautiful golden girl turns up dead, everyone in a small Colorado suburb, starts whispering. Who would kill Lucinda and why? Of course, all eyes turn on Cameron, the eccentric, quiet artist who fell in love with Lucinda. Cameron isn’t quite normal. He spends hours and hours, still as a statue staring and observing everything around him, his favorite pass time was to watch Lucinda. Would Cameron kill Lucinda? What about Jade, the sharp tongued, acne covered teenager who had every reason to hate Lucinda as she took many things that Jade held dear. Then there is police officer, Russ, who promised to watch over his partner’s son. Russ has his own trouble and secrets, but he is determined to help find out who killed Lucinda. Who is the murderer?
What I Liked:
- Girl in the Snow is a difficult book to read and review. It is one of those books that takes a long time to grab hold, but when it does, it will keep you reading. This is a book with a slow pace that manages to work despite the unlikeable characters. What makes this one tick is the mesmerizing writing and attention to detail.
- The book features three points of view. Cameron was the voice I found the most fascinating. It is never revealed what makes Cameron different, if I had to guess, I would say he has some form of autism. He is bothered by loud sounds, he doesn’t function in the social world, and his preferred pass time is to stand for hours on end, quiet like a statue and observe. It was interesting being inside Camron’s head. Jade is a sharp tongued teenage girl full of hate and self loathing. She is hiding her guilty secrets and anger at her mother and the rest of the world. I found her voice funny, and I especially enjoyed her snarky scripts.
- What made this book work for me was the haunting writing. The writing is gorgeous. I appreciated the attention to detail. The descriptions are carefully crafted and stunning. If you like lovely writing that focuses on the details, this is one to read.
- Of course with any good mystery, there are lots of suspects and plenty of motives. I have to admit, that I was never sure as to who the killer was, and then when it was finally revealed, I was shocked. I didn’t see it coming.
- The ending draws to a satisfying close. Everything is revealed, the questions are answered and it ends as well as a story can end when it involves a murdered girl.
And The Not So Much:
- I was never sure as to why the author included Russ, the police officer’s voice. I did not like Russ at all, and his view point really didn’t offer much toward the story. I could have done without Russ all together. I hated his chapters.
- As I mentioned, the pace of the story is slow. It plods along, exposing little secrets as it goes. If you want a fast paced mystery with exciting twists and turns, this is not for you.
- I was bothered by the whole story line centered around Cameron’s dad. I wanted to know more. Where did he go?
Girl in Snow is a sophisticated type of mystery. This is not a book for everyone as it features a slow pace and an unlikeable cast of characters. What makes this book fascinating is the writing that is full of rich descriptions and haunting detail. If you want an interesting story, check this out, just remember to be patient.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
