Anita Shreve - Light on Snow - Book Review

What could be more tragic than finding a baby abandoned in the freezing cold snow? Have a good think about it... can't come up with anything? Neither could I. But this is indeed how 'Light on Snow' by Anita Shreve opens. Light On Snow is about the secrets people hide from each other and the lies that we tell people, as well as the lies that we tell ourselves.

The narrative is delivered from the point of view of a twelve-year-old girl called Nicky Dillon. Who, after losing her mother, has moved with her father away from the hustle and bustle of the city and into the quiet, isolation of Shepherd. Their hopes for our quiet life are shattered during an evening walk in the winter snow, when they hear the cries of a tiny human. The novel quickly and unashamedly establishes a direct line to the reader's heart strings and tugs on them heavily at any and every available opportunity. This is definitely for those that love a good, thorough, tear duct emptying, use-up-all-your-tissues crying session. It is, perhaps, not ideal for those of us that prefer a more subtle approach. Having said this. Shreve (who lives in Massachusetts) is undeniably an accomplished author, having written widely acclaimed novels including; "All He Ever Wanted", "Sea Glass", "The Last Time They Met", "Fortune's Rock", "Eden Close" and "The Pilot's Wife".

Light on Snow is not for the feint or cold of heart and can by no means be described as a comfortable read. It provides a painful but ultimately worthwhile experience and as such scores a respectable Great Book Guide score of 67%