I picked up A.D. Miller's, SNOW DROPS, because I loved the first line, and because it was short listed for the Man Booker Prize. One of their selections, THE BOOK OF PI, is one of my all time favorite books.
SNOW DROPS is a spare novel that digs into the corruption of modern Russia, uncovering dead bodies, deals gone sour and cast of characters who have lost their moral compass. Nicholas, a London expat working as a lawyer for an investment bank, is at its center. Written as a confession to his future wife, the story slowly reveals his willing particaption in a scheme in which he sacrificed his morals for the possibility of passion. It is a subtle unveiling. There is no defining moment, just a slow shrugging off of what he knows to be right, in the hope that he can have what he wants. It is a layered novel stripped of pretense. With a surgeons precision Miller dissects complex themes with simple language.
In the end, knowing his culpability, he admits his guilt, but also owns his regret, not for having succumbed to temptation, but for the thrill of the chase and for the things that made him feel alive. For the walking dead who feel guilt for having broken the rules in order to find their way back to the living, Nick's confession will not alleviate the pain, but will let you know you are in good company.
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