Smilla's Sense of Snow, by Peter Hoeg: ***1/4

This was a very enjoyable thriller, not because of an extraordinarily fascinating plot (in fact, the plot is ultimately kind of mediocre), but because of the author's enchanting writing style. Also, the book fulfills the expectation regarding the importance of snow and ice to the plot. During the course of the 5-6 days I spent reading the book, I imagined myself ensconced in blistering cold, surrounded on all sides by white. I am not exaggerating. Literally, I could feel the cold around me, and it was only late fall. I found myself wishing that I had actually waited until a big snowstorm was about to hit. I can only imagine the crush that would have brought. Or how much time I would have spent looking at ice crystals on my windows.

The author brings about this sensation somehow through his description of the snow and ice, and I loved it. So, rather than a character-driven or plot-driven thriller, it is almost an ice-driven thriller. Okay, not really, the plot works too, but the reasons that the book works and that Smilla, our protagonist, succeeds, directly result from the importance of snow and ice to the plot. Her daring escapes, her deductions about the causes of the murder, her personality - all tied to snow and ice. For this kind of book it was quite cool. (ha ha)

Quotes:
pg. 118 - "One of the signs that your life need cleaning up is when your possessions gradually, overwhelmingly consist of things that you borrowed a long time ago but now it's too late to give them back because you'd rather have to shave your head than confront the bogeyman who is the rightful owner."
(late fall 1999)

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