Comments on: After the Snow, Questions

By: Elizabeth Burns

Elizabeth Burns — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 02:49:42 +0000

From the author’s website. ONE CROW ALONE, February 2013 (Amazon says January 2013). ““They say it’s going to get worse. That it’s not going to end.” The snow won’t stop falling in this dangerous-new-world. The long, bitter winters are getting worse, and a state of emergency has been declared across Europe. In Poland, the villagers are subject to frequent power cuts and fuel shortages. After the death of her grandmother and the evacuation of her village, fifteen-year-old Magda joins forces with the arrogant, handsome Ivan and smuggles her way onto a truck bound for London – where she hopes to find her mother. But London, when they reach it, is a nightmarish world, far from welcoming. Riots are commonplace and the growing chaos is exploited by criminals and terrorists alike. Magda’s mother is not to be found, and as the lost girl struggles to come to terms with her changing situation, she eventually becomes friends with a rag-tag group of travellers planning a new home and future. They will need all the cunning and know-how they possess as they realise that the frozen wilderness of Britain has become just as lawless as the as the city.”
http://www.sdcrockett.com/sdcrockett.com/books.html

By: Karyn Silverman

Karyn Silverman — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 02:43:35 +0000

Is the prequel a short story? Because this is a first novel, per her agents website.

By: Elizabeth Burns

Elizabeth Burns — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 01:37:13 +0000

Not a fan of the dialect; never have been, not just here, but it did make this a tough book to read. That said, it was consistent with who Willo is as a person and coherent and consistent throughout the book, tho I did wonder if one generation was enough to create such a distinction in thought and speech between Robin and his son. While I liked how Willo was show with almost a pre-historic view towards animals and hunting (down to his use of the cave and the bones) this also seemed quick timewise. (But then, exactly, how old is Robin?)

I could buy a lot of this world: chaos and limited supplies creating a governing body intent on keeping a tight grip on people. I had a bit more problem believing that the John Bloyvan painted by others was the same man Willo describes at the start of the book. It didn’t quite work; but I also only read it once. And who made the copies of these books? How long has this been going on? Again, it may have to do with the timeline — when was the book written? Before or after Bloyvan goes off the grid into the wilderness?

What I did like that i don’t see mentioned was how this seemed almost a fairy-tale at times, with the innocent encountering a series of challenges and tests along the way to prove his worth.

I know there is a prequel; any idea if there is a third book planned?

By: Kelly

Kelly — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 01:30:03 +0000

Let me start with the superficial: I hated the sans serif. I can’t even believe it was worth commenting on, but it was so tough to read — and I think it was complicated by the dialect — that I kept getting distracted. The choice there was not reader friendly.

I quite liked the dialect, though. It reminded me a lot of how dialect was used in Moira Young’s BLOOD RED ROAD, and I thought it gave a huge sense of Willo’s class and education, as well as his wild nature (he is nature-driven, after all).

That aside, I had so much trouble figuring this world out. I couldn’t quite crack into Willo’s mindset nor his goals, and it made this a frustrating read. I’m just going to copy what I said in my review because this is still where I stand on it:

Willo’s heart is driven in finding his father and that’s where it becomes challenging to connect with him or understand what he’s doing. We don’t get a sense of what’s going on in Willo’s mind, and when he makes choices, they aren’t logical to us as readers. This in and of itself wouldn’t be a challenge, except it is made that way because readers are not given a sense of what is at stake in the city. It’s never clear what the government is doing that’s so bad. We’re never clear why Willo or anyone should be fearful. We don’t know what it is they need to escape from. Part of this has to do with Willo’s lack of knowledge, since the story’s from his perspective, except since we don’t know much about Willo, the tactic falls flat. It leaves the reader confused and unable to emotionally connect with him.

I noted, too, being unsatisfied by the ending and wondering what the point was.

We had really similar reactions to this, though I was far more willing to buy Will’s voice than you. I wish the starred trade reviews of this one were more in depth because I feel those readers got a greater grasp of the world than I did, and I’m curious what I missed. But I was put off enough on this one not to want to give it a second read.

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 21:02:53 +0000

I didn’t have a problem with the dialect, I found it very effective as the main character changed from the wild animal he basically was at the beginning.

I also liked the atmosphere, it was somewhat a mystery as to what was really going on with the government but I didn’t mind that because the book wasn’t about that, it was Willo’s story and his growth and change that I was most concerned about.

I did have a problem with an uneven plot. Very tense moments were broken up by long periods of very slow development (not to mention some very odd character choices–did he really leave the girl in the creepy guy’s hole in the sewer and think she’d be fine??) and the ending was pretty abrupt and way too unbelievable that those characters would just find each other like that.

I thought the book had some real strengths, but plot would keep me from voting for it.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 17:01:01 +0000

I read this one way back in the beginning of the year, but, from what I recall (rusty memory and all), I completely agree with everything you’re saying. I found myself mystified, baffled, gobsmacked, etc. every time I saw a positive review for this book. I found it ceaselessly boring and tiresome. I did not have any problems with the dialect in CHAOS WALKING trilogy but I found it unbearable to trudge through the dialect of this one. I had a problem with the pacing of the narrative and detested the main character. I felt like the book left some of the more interesting plots undeveloped. I just did not get this book and would be shocked if this book was honored.

By: Tatiana (The Readventurer)

Tatiana (The Readventurer) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 13:53:40 +0000

Unlike you, I did enjoy the dialect. However, this enjoyment didn’t affect the fact that the story made little sense to me, especially the dystopian set-up. I would really appreciate it if someone explained it to me why it was a dystopia at all and, like you said, why population that wanted to live in the wild had to be oppressed and persecuted.

By: Maureen E

Maureen E — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 12:59:03 +0000

I am one of the readers was able to slip into the dialect without much of a problem and therefore was very engaged with the story. I liked that it had more of a post-apocalyptic than dystopian feel; I liked Willo a lot. Mary was probably the weakest point for me, though I was willing to read past her. I did predict Patrick’s return, but I’m not sure how much of that was just being an avid reader and having a sense of the shape of stories. I do think that the quotations at the beginnings of the chapters didn’t serve a good purpose (Unspoken is the only recent book I’ve read where I thought epigraphs really worked.)

Of course I was also reading for pure pleasure, not for a formal review or with the Printz in mind at that point so I’m sure I would have a different reaction if I re-read with that lens.

As a side comment on dialects–I wonder if part of the difficulty here is that it’s not simply dialect but British-based dialect? One step too far for American ears? Not at all sure, but thinking aloud.