A review by essjay1
Snow by John Banville

3.0

On the one hand, this is John Banville - of course the characters, the setting, the atmosphere are all perfectly set. He is such a craftsman. On the other, this plodding, predictable plot had me yawning well before the end. I see what he is trying to do, but I was bored. Maybe it was a case of timing, maybe I’ll read this again in 10 years and think it’s a masterpiece. Maybe. Note that there is a rape scene in the 1947 section. The scene of course is sickening, however the writing here is Banville at his best. He doesn’t shield us from corporal punishment either.