#GirlInSnow #DanyaKukafka #Review

GIRL IN SNOW

by DANYA KUKAFKA

Tragedy struck in northern Colorado this morning where the body of a fifteen year old girl was discovered on an elementary school playground. The victim has been identified as Lucinda Hayes, a ninth-grade student at Jefferson High School. 

Girl in Snow is about the murder of Lucinda Hayes and the impact it has on the sleepy Colorado suburb she lived in. The subsequent unravelling of events revealing the murderer are told from three different points of view; Cameron, Jade and Russ. Each of these characters has to confront their own secrets in order to reveal the truth. 

This is a story that is dark, contemporary and ambitious. It is about identity, love and obsession. It's a novel that centres around a murder and solving a crime yet the author is really interested in the hidden lives of these three key characters. This is less a race to solve the mystery but more an exploration of something more sinister. Lucinda Hayes is dead but Cameron, Jade and Russ are left disillusioned, broken and damaged. 

The organisation of this novel is interesting and I admire how Kukafka has tried to do something more original with her narrative structure. There are three different points of view to follow which alternate throughout the novel and then within each section, the characters often add in lists, notes or even a screenplay to expose more about their inner thoughts and feelings. The writing style is accessible, informal, readable and each voice is distinctive. Although the style is sometimes a bit jarring or lacking in fluency, this reflects the themes and ideas that the author is trying to explore and emphasises the nature of the characters telling the story. 

It is interesting to look at who Kukafka has chosen to tell the story and whose point of view she wanted to follow as she examines the impact of a murder on a small town and school community. Cameron is obsessed with Lucinda and his room is like a shrine to her, filled with pictures he has drawn of her. He talks about his Statue Nights when he stood in her garden and spied on her. Jade hated Lucinda and speaks frankly, honestly with the authenticity of a jealous, angry teenager. She shares extracts from her 'screenplay' in which she says what she might not be able to express in the real world. Russ is the police officer in charge of the investigation and has never worked on a murder case before. 

There are also some lovely descriptions within the characters' chapters which show Kukafka to be a good writer  with an eye for imagery and the ability to convey emotion through her choice of metaphor. 

"Lucinda was dead, and the fact settled over the houses like last night's snow. It fell gently at first, and soon it would melt carelessly into the way of things. But not for Cameron: Lucinda was dead, and the reminder slapped him constantly, freezing ocean waves against his thighs."

Girl in Snow is an interesting attempt to write a crime thriller about a murder through three very different and distinctive narratives. It's an ambitious debut and Kukafka shows skill in weaving a complex plot and creating intriguing characters. 

Girl in Snow is published by Picador on the 11th January 2018.