Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka
Published by Simon & Schuster on August 1st 2017
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Who Are You When No One Is Watching?
When a beloved high schooler named Lucinda Hayes is found murdered, no one in her sleepy Colorado suburb is untouched—not the boy who loved her too much; not the girl who wanted her perfect life; not the officer assigned to investigate her murder. In the aftermath of the tragedy, these three indelible characters—Cameron, Jade, and Russ—must each confront their darkest secrets in an effort to find solace, the truth, or both.
In crystalline prose, Danya Kukafka offers a brilliant exploration of identity and of the razor-sharp line between love and obsession, between watching and seeing, between truth and memory. Compulsively readable and powerfully moving, Girl in Snow offers an unforgettable reading experience and introduces a singular new talent in Danya Kukafka.
The Review
Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka is a debut thriller about a girl who was murdered one night. Although it was supposed to be a mystery, it felt like more of a study of the characters that were narrating it. Cameron was the boy who was obsessed with her, Jade was the girl who disliked her, and Russ was the investigator assigned to her case who comes with a ton of his own baggage.
The ending was pleasing but the overall book for me was just alright. Nothing excited me from the extremely slow pace Girl in Snow was written. All the characters were just so damaged that their daily turmoils took away from the overall murder of the story.
Kukafka has outdone herself on the quality of the writing though. From the creepy atmospheric descriptions to the character dialogue, I thought she did a good job. She was able to bring the characters to life in a way only a good writer can. With well thought out phrases and the raw emotions, Kukafka seems to know her craft.
If it wasn’t for the heavily filled backstories of these damaged characters, I feel like I might have enjoyed it more. It felt like the murder was just a backdrop to the life of Cam, Jade and Russ. Maybe it just missed it’s mark on me, but for what it was worth, it was still a good story.
The cover is gorgeous by the way. One of the reasons I picked this one up to begin with!
Let me know what you guys thought of Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka! I would love to hear your opinions as well!
Until next time,
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Danya Kukafka is a graduate of New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She works as an assistant editor at Riverhead Books. GIRL IN SNOW is her first novel.
Books at Dawn 
First off, the cover is phenomenal. The story sounds like something I would enjoy. Your review gives me some hesitation, but I am still interested. Maybe it is just that awesome cover!
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I agree with all of this! I didn’t love this but I didn’t hate it! It’s so true that the murder/mystery aspect of the story took a backseat to the lives of the three characters.
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