Judith Robinson

A very appealing first novel, quirky and raw as Debbie from the village is inducted to student living in Dublin. The transition is not easy for her, it shows in her low self esteem and her problematic mother in bed at home does not help matters. The cast of eccentric, but very honest and real characters, as one often finds in rural Ireland, lend a good bit of humour. Her friends at Uni guide the innocent girl through college life which is a bit of an ordeal for her. One needs to disregard the ever present cursing and bad language throughout the book, which nowadays is almost de rigueur in movies as well. I found Snowflakes full of humour and empathy, the writing is fluid and well paced.