Snowdrops
by A.D. Miller
Most of us enjoyed this well-written and thought-provoking first novel.
Drawing upon his own experience as a correspondent living in Russia the author paints a depressing picture of a country riddled with corruption, exploitation and moral breakdown.
The only really sympathetic characters are the older ones whose formative years were well before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Nonetheless we are presented with some wonderful descriptive writing – particularly regarding the snow – and a very atmospheric picture of contemporary Russia.
To some the novel was somewhat marred by the early signaling of how the course of the story would unfold, its predictability rendering it less than “totally gripping” and “dazzling” (descriptions from the cover reviews).
To others it was a wonderful story, a classic “noir”, which held the attention throughout and certainly provoked some interesting discussion about politics and individual moral responsibility.
NS February 2012
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