A review by velozebra
Snow by John Banville

sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Content warning that I didn’t have:
this book contains a horrific scene of the sexual assault of a child told from the offender’s POV about halfway through
. I wish I had known about it. It’s unnecessary for the plot development, it was obvious long before this what had happened and it did NOT need to be there. I do not read past books that contain gratuitous scenes of sexual assault when they are clearly there for prurient reasons and do not advance the story in any way. Like, is this supposed to be edgy? Because it’s most assuredly NOT. It’s exploitive. Also, I can’t stand books where you’re not sure if the MC, a detective, is meant to be an idiot? Because this one surely is. Even if he’s annoying and stuck up, I don’t think he’s meant to be stupid enough to miss obvious clues and
cross boundaries with a waif-like damsel in distress
. The tropes are strong in this novel, and not in a good way. What a waste of my time. It could have been a good book, which is why I read more than half of it. Ruined by a lack of subtlety and imagination. 
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