Released: 2nd September 2021
Genre: Historical, Drama, Romance
Number of Pages: 351
Sebastian Faulks is adept at mixing history with deep, personal drama. “Snow Country”, the second in his Austrian trilogy, boasts a great deal of emotive resonance.
Taking place across two decades from the 1910s through to the early 1930s, we follow two characters and their close acquaintances over five main parts. Anton is an Austrian journalist and writer, keen to explore the world and further his career; but when he meets the French pianist Delphine, he is overwhelmed with desire. Following the outbreak of World War One, the two are split apart by their opposed nations, leaving Anton an aimless wanderer.
Meanwhile, Lena lives a difficult life; her mother is an outcast and her unknown father is a mystery. This colours her world view and her first experience of intimacy with a young lawyer named Rudolf influences the path she chooses. Eventually this crosses with Anton and the two strike up a growing bond. Through a combination of detailed scene-setting and poignant thoughts, the author hooks the reader in to these protagonists. Sprinklings of politics, world events and the social scene are added in along the way with the perspective switching between the two main characters.
The core theme of the book is the weight of time and history. As Anton and Lena go through life, witnessing the collapse of empires and the death of millions, their perspectives on intimacy, politics and society all undergo change. Much like the society of the times, they struggle to come to terms with their lives; for Anton it is the disappearance of his lover, for Lena her troubled upbringing and lack of a father figure. With the two leads being so compelling, it’s unfortunate that the focus sometimes shifts to the side-lines. Supporting characters like Lena’s colleagues are portrayed realistically but they end up distracting from the central narrative.
Recommended?
YES: It’s very slow paced and thoughtful, but Snow Country’s story of romance, growing up and changing perspectives is deeply absorbing. On occasion there are some side characters that get in the way of the main leads but anyone looking for deep, evolving plot threads and empathetic characters will enjoy the book. It’s a standalone tale that doesn’t require reading the other two entries in Sebastian’s series.
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