Cold Enough For Snow

Cold Enough for Snow is a startling and subtle mediation on family and belonging from the winner of the inaugural Fitzcarraldo Novel Prize. It is incredibly vivid and sensuous but it is also a gentle read, Au takes us movingly through different scenes, unhurried by plot. At times it’s reminiscent of a series of anecdotes, scenes from the life of the narrator and the narrator’s family are strung together through the conversations between mother and daughter as they wander through Tokyo, eating dinner, visiting tourist attractions. The prose radiates quiet beauty, every detail from the weather to the food that they eat is realised in precise detail. I highly recommend this novel for fans of Rachel Cusk and Sheila Heti.