Snowflakes (Hush collection)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars | 4,924 ratings
Price: 1.99
Last update: 12-25-2024
About this item
When a barrier between truth and illusion grows stronger, a family’s trust crumbles in this arresting short story by the number one New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10.
Leah has spent her formative years isolated on a remote island with her family. But their quiet existence, far from the devastated mainland, is cracking. Father, sensing a coming threat, demands that a wall be built. As the stone blockade rises, Father’s paranoia escalates. So does Leah’s dread that the violence the family left behind has found its way to their sanctuary.
Ruth Ware’s Snowflakes is part of Hush, a collection of six stories, ranging from political mysteries to psychological thrillers, in which deception can be a matter of life and death. Each piece can be read or listened to in one truly chilling sitting.
Top reviews from the United States
By: Ruth Ware
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A father barricades his family and tells them a story and he is paranoid. Does his family understand? Is he telling them the truth on why he is keeping them from the outside world?
I would love to have seen more depth and a full book for this story, but it is nice to have a quick story every once in a while.
#snowflakes, #ruthware, #brillianceaudio,#stamperlady50
I should’ve read the premise regarding this short story because in my mind when I look at the cover I conjure up preconceived ideas on where the story will take me. Had I read the description I would’ve prepared myself for an entirely different type of story. In this case it’s best not to judge a book by its cover or by its title. This short story has absolutely nothing to do with the cold.
I purchased this as a deal on Amazon where the audiobook was free when the ebook was purchased.
Narrated by Jess Nahikian.
This is my first listen by Jess. Jess is a voice over actor and a British trained actor. This was spoken in English. It was an unabridged copy. It was about 30 minutes of listening time.
The story was okay. It’s not a psychological thriller or a mystery. This had more of a dystopian feel to it. It was a tragic story involving a family of six who live on the mainland where the father prepares for when the attack comes. He’s built a shelter on a island preparing his family fir when the war comes too close.
Looking back now however the title SNOWFLAKES takes on a whole new meaning. There's even a "fake news" reference from the villain of the piece. Regardless of that though I still didn't hate the story and was going to give it three and a half stars when the author had to go and do one of two things that always makes my blood boil. And since this contains a possible spoiler you can stop reading right now if you feel the need. But did she really have to go and kill the dog?
I'm sorry but children and innocent animals, especially dogs, hold a special place in my heart. There's just so much bad crap in real life that I do not want to read about in fiction. Although I know terrible things happen to innocents every day and I can't avoid that reality, I can avoid it in my choice of reading material which I enjoy so much for the escapism. Overall it was downright depressing as well as a bit predicable. At the end I felt so sad and drained that I wish I'd never read it.
NOTE: I simultaneously read this on Kindle while listening to the Audible version. I'd never listened to the narrator before (Jess Nahikian) and on a scale of one to five I'd give her a four. She did a credible job with the male voices too which was a nice surprise since I don't often like that aspect of audiobooks. My only issue was her delivery, which was a little slow and had long pauses. This resulted in a 56 minute story that would have taken only a half hour had I read it on my own.
Pages & Kindle Locations: The story ended at 97% on page 24 and location 353.
This story is so sad when you get to the end and realize what has happened.