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Where are the Snows
This powerful novel by one of Britain's foremost contemporary writers tells the story of Christopher and Alexandra--a dashing couple who realize the universal dream of abandoning responsibility to depart for a never-ending vacation, and who live to face the shattering consequences.
384 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 1992
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About the author
Maggie Gee
39 books53 followersMaggie Gee is an English novelist. She was born in Poole, Dorset, then moved to the Midlands and later to Sussex. She was educated at state schools and at Oxford University (MA, B Litt). She later worked in publishing and then had a research post at Wolverhampton Polytechnic where she completed the department's first PhD. She has written eleven novels and a collection of short stories, and was the first female Chair of the Royal Society of Literature, 2004-2008. She is now one of the Vice-Presidents of the RSL and Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Sheffield Hallam University. She has also served on the Society of Authors' management committee and the government's Public Lending Right committee. Her seventh novel, The White Family, was shortlisted for the 2003 Orange Prize and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
She writes in a broadly modernist tradition, in that her books have a strong overall sense of pattern and meaning, but her writing is characterised by political and social awareness. She turns a satirical eye on contemporary society but is affectionate towards her characters and has an unironised sense of the beauty of the natural world. Her human beings are biological as well as social creatures, partly because of the influence of science and in particular evolutionary biology on her thinking. Where are The Snows, The Ice People and The Flood have all dealt with the near or distant future. She writes through male characters as often as she does through female characters.
The individual human concerns that her stories address include the difficulties of resolving the conflict between total unselfishness, which often leads to secret unhappiness and resentment against the beneficiaries, and selfishness, which can lead to the unhappiness of others, particularly of children. This is a typical quandary of late-20th and early-21st-century women, but it is also a concern for privileged, wealthy, long-lived western human beings as a whole, and widens into global concerns about wealth and poverty and climate change. Her books also explore how the human species relates to non-human animals and to the natural world as a whole. Two of her books, The White Family and My Cleaner, have had racism as a central theme, dealt with as a tragedy in The White Family but as a comedy in My Cleaner. She is currently writing a memoir called My Animal Life. In 2009 she published "My Driver", a second novel with many of the same characters as My Cleaner, but this time set in Uganda during a time of tension with neighbouring DRC Congo.
Maggie Gee lives in London with her husband, the writer and broadcaster Nicholas Rankin, an author, and their daughter Rosa.
She writes in a broadly modernist tradition, in that her books have a strong overall sense of pattern and meaning, but her writing is characterised by political and social awareness. She turns a satirical eye on contemporary society but is affectionate towards her characters and has an unironised sense of the beauty of the natural world. Her human beings are biological as well as social creatures, partly because of the influence of science and in particular evolutionary biology on her thinking. Where are The Snows, The Ice People and The Flood have all dealt with the near or distant future. She writes through male characters as often as she does through female characters.
The individual human concerns that her stories address include the difficulties of resolving the conflict between total unselfishness, which often leads to secret unhappiness and resentment against the beneficiaries, and selfishness, which can lead to the unhappiness of others, particularly of children. This is a typical quandary of late-20th and early-21st-century women, but it is also a concern for privileged, wealthy, long-lived western human beings as a whole, and widens into global concerns about wealth and poverty and climate change. Her books also explore how the human species relates to non-human animals and to the natural world as a whole. Two of her books, The White Family and My Cleaner, have had racism as a central theme, dealt with as a tragedy in The White Family but as a comedy in My Cleaner. She is currently writing a memoir called My Animal Life. In 2009 she published "My Driver", a second novel with many of the same characters as My Cleaner, but this time set in Uganda during a time of tension with neighbouring DRC Congo.
Maggie Gee lives in London with her husband, the writer and broadcaster Nicholas Rankin, an author, and their daughter Rosa.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 4, 2022
This was a real struggle. I hated ALL of the characters at various points and could not have cared less about their thoughts, feelings or motivations. "Alex and Christopher have sex all over the world until they don't" sums the plot up. I obviously missed something, as the book seems to be critically acclaimed, but it's a big "no" from me. It's getting two stars because there were a couple of enjoyable scenes- in particular with Isaac- where Alex displayed one or two redeeming characteristics. Overall a terrible read though.
September 19, 2018
In many ways this is a depressing & miserable book. Horribly self deluded rich people being generally selfish & unpleasant. However I found it wonderful. Without really liking anyone in it I found myself drawn into their lives. If I could compare it to any book it might be "A little life" which focuses on miserable self harming rich people but is just awful & so so depressing. This book has humour & brightness despite the despicably selfish people. Alex must be one of the most hideous characters Ive ever come across & yet I ended up really liking her . Maybe its the skill of Gee's writing & her honesty. Even at her most terrible worst I found myself laughing at Alex's observations & her view of herself. Very erotic at times & I feel very sorry for anyone who has parents like this. What damage they create but I still wanted things to end up well.
March 7, 2012
I love Maggie Gee and I understand why this books is hyped for its observations on human nature. But some aspects of the book bothered me. Gee's prose was quite often overblown and it felt to me, that she was trying very hard to be 'literary'. I contrast this with her other novels such as My Cleaner, where the voice is authentic and compelling and feel a bit disappointed.
I also struggled with sympathy for the characters, it was hard to regard them as much more than self-indulgent and emotionally immature creatures, all with a sense of entitlement to their individual fulfillment. I understand that this was Gee's point, but to make it work, there has to be desire for redemption on the part of the reader. For most of the book I felt they deserved all the awful things fate could conspire to deliver. That said, when Alexandra finally showed a sense of self awareness, it was satisfying. So something must have worked!
Unfortunately in the cast of characters, all with their issues, there are some extremely weak points. The Madonna character in particular is undeveloped and frankly, a bit pointless. (Thank God there was no big reveal about her being the adopted daughter, which would have been toe curlingly awful). I didn't need her to help me understand anything about Susy, or Chris, and the scene at the airport at the end is a total let down - not convincing.
I wanted to like it, perhaps that's why I've given it a 3. I don't feel I wasted my time on it, it was a good read. Gee hasn't lost me as a fan.
I also struggled with sympathy for the characters, it was hard to regard them as much more than self-indulgent and emotionally immature creatures, all with a sense of entitlement to their individual fulfillment. I understand that this was Gee's point, but to make it work, there has to be desire for redemption on the part of the reader. For most of the book I felt they deserved all the awful things fate could conspire to deliver. That said, when Alexandra finally showed a sense of self awareness, it was satisfying. So something must have worked!
Unfortunately in the cast of characters, all with their issues, there are some extremely weak points. The Madonna character in particular is undeveloped and frankly, a bit pointless. (Thank God there was no big reveal about her being the adopted daughter, which would have been toe curlingly awful). I didn't need her to help me understand anything about Susy, or Chris, and the scene at the airport at the end is a total let down - not convincing.
I wanted to like it, perhaps that's why I've given it a 3. I don't feel I wasted my time on it, it was a good read. Gee hasn't lost me as a fan.
April 21, 2021
A married couple put a hedonistic lifestyle before their own children. Alex and Chris are hideously selfish, flying to freedom away from domestic routines in an attempt to slake their lust for each other. Fabulous writing, highly erotic and absorbing. I found myself having a morbid fascination for the lives of Gee’s hateful main characters. Just goes to show, you don’t have to care about characters to find a book satisfying as long as the writing is good and Maggie Gee is very good!
January 14, 2013
Interesting novel about a beautiful couple who are madly in love and the abandon their children and go traveling aimlessly around the world. The last part is set in the future and they are no longer together and their son has died of AIDS. There are numerous drugs and computers in the part set in the future.
April 13, 2015
It was one of those books where it was an ok book, not bad. But for some reason I couldn't stay focused when I was reading it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews