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As Simple as Snow

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 1,508 ratings · 270 reviews

A mesmerizing labyrinth of art, magic, cryptic codes, and young love that sparks the imagination and teases the mind-an arresting first novel about a young man's quest to unravel the puzzle his missing girlfriend may (or may not) have left behind.

Anastasia (Anna) Cayne is a complicated high school girl with a penchant for riddles and affectionate mind games, who spends m...more

Hardcover, 308 pages

Published March 3rd 2005 by Putnam Adult (first published March 1st 2005)

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Mar 27, 2008 Patrick rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008

This was a real shit-show. A bland high school dude falls in love with this goth chick who has all these obscure interests she forces on him, and long story short, she disappears and you have to try and figure out if she was murdered, committed suicide, or ran away. There are a bunch of so-called "clues" throughout the book that are actually all red herrings and the book concludes with no resolution. That didn't bother me so much as the fact that the road to nowhere was boring. I would only reco...more

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Oct 27, 2008 Michelle L rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who loves a good mystery.

As Simple as Snow by Gregory Galloway is a novel about a normal teenager whose life changes dramatically when he meets Anna Cayne. This boy (his name is never told to the readers) narrates the story and takes the readers back to when he first meets Anna and their romance. Then Anna suddenly disappears and leaves behind a black dress in a hole in the snow and unanswered questions of what happened to her that the narrator takes upon himself to solve. The author Gregory Galloway has a MFA from the...more As Simple as Snow by Gregory Galloway is a novel about a normal teenager whose life changes dramatically when he meets Anna Cayne. This boy (his name is never told to the readers) narrates the story and takes the readers back to when he first meets Anna and their romance. Then Anna suddenly disappears and leaves behind a black dress in a hole in the snow and unanswered questions of what happened to her that the narrator takes upon himself to solve. The author Gregory Galloway has a MFA from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. He lives in New Jersey.
In about the first half of the novel, it describes how Anna and the narrator meet and all the things they did up to her disappearance. First they agree to be in a relationship with each other. Then Anna starts frequently putting notes into her boyfriend’s locker but stops this and starts constantly sending him packages in the mail, emails, and IM’s about things that she found or thought were interesting. Right away from this you could tell that Anna is information hungry. I loved this part of Anna’s character because Galloway incorporated stories and quotes, and I got to learn some things while reading this novel. For example, Anna put this note into the narrator’s locker and it said “I hate you. I never want to see you again. You said it wasn’t true but I saw your car outside her house. You lie, and I can’t take it anymore. I hate you. P.S. Call me later”(49). Another reason why I thoroughly enjoyed this book is because it was relatable. The book showed things that happen in a typical high school. For example, there was dating which comes with jealousy and other emotions, and groups of people such as popular jocks, the Goths, the nerds, the geeks, and the people that do not belong anywhere. Anna fit into the Goth group while the narrator really didn’t belong. When people found out they were in a relationship, they got hate notes in their lockers. I think their peers where shocked because they acted like two completely different people. Anna was the scary girl while the narrator was the social outcast. But I like this type of love story. Also, the book showed how the narrator grows in the book. One instance to support this was when the narrator’s brother Paul pretended to be drunk so that he could get the feel of it. Another instance was at the end of the book where he accepts the fact that Anna was gone and learns from how she suddenly disappeared. He realizes that he has no life in the town with his socially inept parents, and goes to live with his brother so that he could start over again. The fact that the protagonist comes to realize this in the end of the novel makes the ending acceptable.
Although this book was very enjoyable to me, there was one thing that could have made it better. If the author had answered at least some of the open ended questions, it would have been even more enjoyable. In the novel, everything was going so well but she just disappears one day. Without Anna’s disappearance, the novel would not have been different from any other love story between teenagers. This made the plot unique but I wish that the author had told us what happened to Anna in the end. Some people may find this a good aspect of the book because it lets the readers invent their own end to the story, but I do not.
Other than how the author did not tell us if Anna was murdered, got into an accident, or just decided to leave, it was a great read. I really liked the type of love story, how I could relate to the novel, and the unique plot. The way the author incorporated information through Anna’s personality was ingenious and interesting for me to read. This book would be perfect for anyone who likes mystery, romance, and a strange plot.
(less)

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Jun 27, 2008 Sean rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

Go get this book right now and read it, then report back. I'll be very interested to hear what you have to say. This is not your average young adult novel. Certainly the main characters are teenagers, and there is some angst, but it's not overdone. In fact, it's rather tasteful and sort of tangential to the plot, so you can look past it if that sort of thing bothers you. Pay attention when you read this book. I did, but I still didn't exactly know what happened when I got to the end. There are h...more

6 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2013 Issac Diamond rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wonderful book. Thoughtful writing and creative characters. I would love to give this book 5 stars, but not knowiing the name of the main chaaracter (______ G_____) takes away from the plot.
I was also very disapointed that the book didn't have a solution to the reason Anna left. It ends with G______ leaving his hometown, but he never finds out what happened to Anna or Carl.

1 like · like · see review

Aug 27, 2008 Marya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-mystery

I guess this is a mystery; a main character disappears in the middle of the story, leaving the narrator to try and work out what happened to her. Yet, this is not a whodunnit story. The book is more interested in exploring the narrator's sense of self and how others define/do not define it. The character who disappears is equally self-absorbed. She drops names of famous or obscure artists/musicians/writers/performers constantly, as though these, plus her Goth attire, define her. She also has a p...more

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Jul 03, 2008 Kyla rated it 2 of 5 stars

Unlike everyone else in the world, I hated this book. Should have liked it: YA, numerous literary and musical references, etc. But the characters were flat, flat, flat. And unrealistic. It was like the author sat down and wrote what he wished had happened to him in high school with the benefit of years of reading and listening to music - which is my fantasy/style of YA writing too, which is why my writing sucks. Kind of feels like he got his MFA and read somewhere that YA novels were selling so...more

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Mar 31, 2009 Nicola added it

Shelves: fiction, teen, unfinished

Apparently, Galloway has an MFA. I know this from this book jacket blurb, but the clues are also in his style of writing. As Simple As Snow, a bleak little adolescent love-story-turned-mystery, reads like a clumsy creative writing dissertation. Most of the first dozen chapters are simply vignettes describing the novel’s major characters. They’re not integrated into the story in any way – they’re just there, as if copied&pasted from a homework assignment to write 1,000 words about a single ch...more

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Mar 18, 2009 Sarah B. rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 27, 2013 A-pas-de-velours rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ce livre est très original. Le plus c'est que le lecteur est vraiment impliqué dans l'histoire. On cherche chaque indice, on construit le récit avec le narrateur.
Celui-ci n'a malheureusement rien qui permet de s'attacher à lui. Un physique " banal ", une vie sociale inexistante, et par dessus-tout, aucun nom ne lui est attribué. Et je dois dire que je n'ai pas compris l'intérêt de le faire rester anonyme car cela n'apporte absolument rien à l'histoire.
Par contre j'ai beaucoup aimé Anastasia, ou...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Sera rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'll be honest, I really wanted to like this book. And for the first half or so, I did. Anna was an original sort of character, and despite the blandness of the narrator, I liked the way that the two interacted with each other. The plot promised to become even more interesting, and to be honest, I was all set to give this book five stars.

Then I read the second half, and things started to go downhill.

I'll start by saying this- if you're like me, and like books with a real conclusion that ties up...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Nikole Cotten rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-tales

To be perfectly honest, I am giving this book such a high rating because it pissed me off and I couldn't get it out of my head. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy reading the book. The reason I was so obsessed and angry after finishing it was all the unanswered questions. For starters, you never even learn the main character's name (and this is the least of the mysteries). Then there is the eccentric goth girl he falls for that has more secrets than she has appearances in the book. To top it off, h...more

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Nov 26, 2011 Jendimmick rated it 3 of 5 stars

As Simple as Snow is far from simple, but leaves you as cold as snow on its final page. A nameless and unremarkable narrator meets the new Goth girl in their school library and is thrust into her exotic world of books, music, art, shortwave radio, Houdini, and above all, mystery. This unlikely match grows in intensity as Anna trains our narrator in the art of cryptic communication by sending him custom CD mixes and art projects, each with its own coded message. Immediately after Anna and the nar...more

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Oct 21, 2009 Gloria Choi rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anna Upson

Just to let people know I am not a reader and I dont read books. But this book has to be one of the best i've read. This book focus is on Anna and her boyfriend -who is not named- and their last moments together. During this time Anna tells her boyfriend -who I will call Gregory, after the author- about a hunted place, Houdini and his tricks and codes, shortwave raidos and her obituaries that she wrote about everyone in the town. Anna would ususally send Gregory random stuff like CD's she would...more

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Apr 29, 2009 Jacqueline rated it 2 of 5 stars

Reading the short preview of the book at the back, I was quite excited to read the book. It was like a typical high school story about a guy trying to fit it. The part that really interested me was that there was a twist. Typical high school boy meets gothic girl. They are complete opposites but attract each other in a really interesting way. The beginning of the story where the main character gets to know Anna was in my opinion the most interesting part of the book. In my opinion, the most exci...more

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Aug 31, 2008 Edward rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

A "Young Adult" book that could only be called such because the characters are high school age. Yes, it explores many "coming of age" themes but not sophomorically. Very thought provoking, with memorable characters, a bit of mystery, some heavy elements, and a wee bit of humor. Later, I discovered there was a whole thing going on with people trying to figure out the story. Google the title, visit the author's website, get totally involved, or just enjoy a good read.

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Oct 17, 2012 Kathryn Burak rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As Simple As Snow is not simple. I first picked up this novel because I heard John Green likes it and I see common ground between the writers' stories. Snow has an unnamed male narrator who ends up being selected and wooed by Anna (everyone else calls her Anastasia, and this is important--more on that, later). Like some of Green's main characters, the guy in Snow is in way over his head with the girl. She's edgy and detached and artistic and literary. She's a sexy Goth hipster with some kind of...more

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Dec 23, 2011 Luke rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just finished listening to this book as an audiobook, and I think that I will actually read it in a little while, both because I want a second exposure to it, and because there are some instances where my attention wanes when I'm listening to audiobooks, so I want to make sure that I understand with exact clarity where the author was leading me.
The plot itself was fairly simple: boy meets girl, boy begins to date girl, girl goes missing, boy tries to find girl. However, this mystery was was d...more

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Jan 13, 2011 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-about-books, children-ya, psychological

If I were 16 or 17, this book probably would have gotten 5 stars. The author is excellent at capturing the mindset of a smart, somewhat hapless teenager. I read parts of it thinking, "My mind doesn't work that way now, but I remember it working that way when I was in high school."

Basic synopsis: main narrator, who remains nameless throughout the book, gets his boring little world turned upside-down when he starts dating Anna, an eccentric, fascinating, magnetic new girl in his school. He can't u...more If I were 16 or 17, this book probably would have gotten 5 stars. The author is excellent at capturing the mindset of a smart, somewhat hapless teenager. I read parts of it thinking, "My mind doesn't work that way now, but I remember it working that way when I was in high school."

Basic synopsis: main narrator, who remains nameless throughout the book, gets his boring little world turned upside-down when he starts dating Anna, an eccentric, fascinating, magnetic new girl in his school. He can't understand why on earth she likes him, but he goes with his good fortune. She introduces him to a lot of new books and music and ideas, pushes his boundaries and makes him think about things differently - and he likes it. Then she disappears, and he has to deal with the fallout of that, trying to figure out what happened to her.

It's a short book, and always interesting, but the pace really picks up after Anna disappears. I had a really hard time putting it down after that point. They characters are outstanding, I think. I found them all very interesting and well-developed, even several of the minor characters. My anal, OCD side was sort of disappointed in the ending, which I felt left too many unanswered questions, but my more creative and spontaneous side kind of likes that, likes that it's not all tied up in a neat little package. Overall, I did really enjoy the book, and think I would have thought it was the best book ever written as a teenager.

A word for the concerned parents and teachers: there is sex in the book, but not graphic or anything - they just mention that two people had sex and that's kind of it. And there is a little underage drinking, but not much underage drunkeness - there's numerous instances of adult drunkeness, though. The only drugs I remember come in the form of the narrator's best friend, who is the school's drug dealer (and is quite a likeable character for the most part) but admits at one point that he mostly just sells people sugar pills. I don't remember much, if any, cursing - any obscenties are fairly mild, I think. As a former teacher, I would certainly feel comfortable handing it to ages 15+ to read.(less)

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Jan 11, 2009 Slygly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Synopsis: The self-described normal and ordinary narrator starts dating Anna Cayne, the eccentric new Goth girl who likes to write obituaries for everyone in town. Shortly before Valentine's Day, Anna disappears. The narrator must figure out what happened to her by deciphering the cryptic codes that she left behind as well as the clues which continue to arrive in the mail.

The goods: I love mysteries! This book had been on my list for so long that I had forgotten why I put it there. I picked it u...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Scott Taylor rated it 3 of 5 stars

Improbable and somewhat incredulous high school romance between a realist and idealist that ends in a mystery. Whether the mystery is an actual mysterious happening or one contrived by the idealist is hard to tell. Anna, the idealist, is a goth girl who creates her own stamps, likes to write obituaries, and enjoys building mysteries. The other guy, unnamed, is hopelessly caught up in her quirky charms.

Many of the themes and subjects are those common to any breathing human being who had a high sc...more Improbable and somewhat incredulous high school romance between a realist and idealist that ends in a mystery. Whether the mystery is an actual mysterious happening or one contrived by the idealist is hard to tell. Anna, the idealist, is a goth girl who creates her own stamps, likes to write obituaries, and enjoys building mysteries. The other guy, unnamed, is hopelessly caught up in her quirky charms.

Many of the themes and subjects are those common to any breathing human being who had a high school experience. Jocks, goth people, nerds, geeks, people who don't know where they fit, and all kinds of emotions from jealousy to envy to love to anger to joy. I related to the settings and situations, even if its from a turbulent time in my life I am perfectly ok with forgetting about.

Anna is cute. She sends constant letters to unnamed, with little trinkets, tailor-made CDs, and riddles and notes in them. One time she sent a map to buried treasure that turned out to be a Valentine colored red box buried by a tree with the usual custom CD and a bunch of random stuff she found. The two lovers also develop a secret code that only they know so that, in case of doubt, they can confirm each others identity. It so captures the whimsy and randomness of young romantic abandon that one can't help but be charmed.

One thing I personally enjoyed were all the literary references. Writings and references to Poe, Lovecraft, other horror and mystery writers and many poets are peppered throughout the book. There is also a notable sequence about Houdini, one of my personal heroes. The author skillfully wove an aura of mystery into the narrative and effectively created a unique setting for the story.

The one big flaw in the book was the ending. I felt it left a lot too much to the imagination. There is a resolution to the mystery present, but its well hidden within some clues in the early narrative along with one particular obituary. Beyond the pages of this book, the two lovers presumably survive their turbulent teenage years and end up living happily ever after. But this ending is by no means clear. Kind of like being a teenager, actually.

Thanks for reading.(less)

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Feb 21, 2009 Pinky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-09

Young narrator is sleeping through life, meets a fascinating goth girl, falls in love, wakes up, goth girl goes missing, falls apart, moves on with life.

I wanted to give this book five stars. If I had just stumbled into the story and didn't know anything about the book, I would have. The writing is beautiful, the story unique, the characters so very interesting. But I don't appreciate the hype and for that I have to deduct a star. It breaks my heart, but I have to do it. I am not interested in k...more

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Oct 27, 2012 Jamie rated it 1 of 5 stars

What I really want to say is: Skip this, read John Green's Paper Towns instead.

While this premise is not bad, the way in which Galloway goes about unraveling it is clumsy, clunky and slightly more boring than watching goldfish swim around in a tank. The first half of the book is just an bunch of back stories clumped together to "tell" us about Anna (the narrator's sole existence is to tell us about her and how "strange" she is next to "ordinary" people), it all feels so contrived and overworked....more

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Jun 19, 2011 Nathan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Perhaps it could be criticized as following too obvious a 'normal boy meets quirky counterculture girl who has quirky unusual interests' basic premise (complete with tracklists from her quirky mix CDs!) with a bit of intrigue added on later but ultimately the reason that is such a common formula (is it really common, or does it just feel common because of the formula's existence in our culture's consciousness? I mean, I guess "Juno" falls under that formula but I can't really think of any books...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this because John Green said that As Simple as Snow inspired him in part to write Looking for Alaska, and boy, that influence is apparent. I actually had to remind myself a few times that this was not, in fact, a John Green novel (interestingly enough, this was written as an adult novel, but has been adopted by the YA community with gusto).

I very much enjoyed this book. It was bleak, with a manic pixie dream girl and a boy who's lacking personality (and a name! I always find that frustrat...more

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Jul 29, 2010 Jena Gardner rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this quickly and enjoyed it. Mysterious, with many unanswered questions. Is the main character's search for clues, signs, and riddles unsolved about his girlfriend's disappearance a quest for a truth or a sign that he shares the obsessive nature of his mother. The novel explores the disconnected feeling many of us experience as adolescents and young adults (perhaps beyond). But as time passes, I wonder, will I feel less satisfied with all the unanswered questions in book. Did Anna suffer...more

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Sep 15, 2010 Ringo The Cat rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, ya

As Simple As Snow is a very touching love story / coming-of-age novel. It tells the story of an unnamed narrator and his relationship with Anna - aka Anastasia - Cayne. When they meet, the narrator become enthralled with Anna, not quite knowing why she might be interested in him. Anna is a quirky, intelligent, extraordinary girl, who writes imaginative (or are they?) 'obituaries' for everyone in town. As sudden as she arrives, she's gone again. In between, we uncover secrets, some pieces of the...more

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May 29, 2012 Paula rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a really interesting read. A young reader full of mystery and a bit of magic, this book moves along at a fast pace dragging you with it even if you don't really want to go.
Anna, a mysterious girl who dresses and hangs with the Goth crowd, is new to town. The narrator of the story, who remains nameless for the entire book, is intrigued by her and the two soon become a couple. Anna likes to think and talk in riddles, likes a good ghost story and spends much of her time filling notebooks...more

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Jun 09, 2009 Meryl rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who like Houdini and mystery

I saw this book on a shelf at my local library and was curious about it because I kinda like snow and I was wondering what was as simple as it? I started reading it immediately, as soon as I got back home and could barely stop unless I had to fall asleep. Really. It was just that amazing. Sitting at the dining room table--eating Chef Boyardon't Ravioli--out of a bowl--with this book--right in front of me.

The narrator remains a mystery, but people agree that it is just the author. Anna was very i...more

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Jun 14, 2013 Armana added it

The publisher should include something like 'Warning: Not meant to be read by people looking for a plot.' Or '
Achievement unlocked:
I managed to get a completely plotless book published, cheers!'
How to diagnose a lazy author:
'Puzzles?-great! Different hobby?-Even better. Shallow characters who like solving puzzles and have weird hobbies?- Couldn't get any better. Full stop. Now if you all could just complete the story for me, that would be great. Oh and yeah I killed somebody / made them disappe...more

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May 09, 2013 Kejana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: rb

In this story, the narrator dates Anna, a weird and intelligent girl that changes him irrevocably. You are immediately drawn by her personality, and when she disappears, you can't help but search for clues alongside the protagonist. As the narrator relentlessly searches for this girl who may or may not be alive, he actually finds himself in the process. Because of his relationship and his search for Anna, the protagonist is able to develop and grow into a full person. The story transported me in...more

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What's The Name o...: Teen drama: A boy meets girl story but not really a love story [s]	3	149	Jan 31, 2013 07:48am
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About Gregory Galloway

Gregory Galloway received an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His first novel, As Simple As Snow, was a recipient of the Alex Award.

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Quotes from As Simple as Snow

“I know absolutely nothing about where I'm going. I'm fine with that. I'm happy about it. Before, I had nothing. I had no life, no friends, and no family really, and I didn't really care. I had nothing, and nothing to lose, and then I knew loss. What I cared about was gone; it was all lost. Now I have everything to gain; everything is a clean slate. It's all blank pages waiting to be written on. It's all about going forward. It's all about uncertainty and possibilities.” — 35 people liked it

“It seems like it’s all just remembering and forgetting. Things happen so fast, and then they’re gone before you notice them. Events ambush you from out of nowhere, blindside you, and then you have to spend the time afterward trying to remember or forget what the hell it all was to begin with. The more you think about it, the more the events crumble, crack, breakdown, or refuse to change at all. They’re either pieces of ice in your hand, changing shape and melting away until they’re nothing like what they were to begin with, or pieces of glass. Sharp and irritating, unchanging reminders of pain and unpleasantness - or happiness.” — 14 people liked it

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