Original language: French
Original title: Blizzard
Year of publication: 2021
Translation: María Teresa Gallego and Amaya García Gallego
Valuation: recommendable
Blizzard It develops, no surprises, during a blizzard, in this case in Alaska, in the middle of nowhere, so said blizzard could very well end the life of anyone exposed to it. Even more so if it is a child, who is the one who has been lost in this novel, whose protagonists, therefore, set out to look for him: the adults responsible for the boy, Bess and Benedict, and his neighbors, Cole and Freeman. The narrative alternates the point of view and the thoughts of these four characters, in such a way that not only is a story that at first is rather enigmatic gradually organized, but it also allows us to learn the secrets that saves each one of them and the motivations that have brought them there, since, except for Benedict, who is a native of the area, the rest have arrived in Alaska fleeing a rugged past and the guilt that comes with it.
This is one of those novels that captivates not only because of its plot and plot, but because of the way in which the pieces of the puzzle fit together, like a Rubik’s cube that we see go from a colorful disorder to the restoration of its original integrity. going through various phases (which I cannot detail because I have never been able to solve one). Hence, the president of the jury that awarded this novel the French Bookstores Prize in 2021 said that “Rare are novels so well structured both in the construction and in the work on characters and places“(we should hire her as a reviewer). Not bad for a debut feature, too.
In conclusion, a perfect short novel to spend the afternoon (better if it is stormy, not to mention snowy) absorbed in its pages because, in addition, it has the advantage of allowing a very agile reading – without this implying a detriment to the literary quality -, with very short chapters and, as I have already mentioned, a constant change of point of view between four characters, which always helps to avoid falling into tedium. Impossible in this case, otherwise…
Source: https://unlibroaldia.blogspot.com/2023/12/novelas-pirana-4-ventisca-de-marie.html
