Snow

This is a novel that wasted none of my time from start to end. I enjoyed this book a lot, perhaps an unhealthy amount.

Malfi wrote this novel with the reader in mind. He used every inch of paper to make sure something was going on as we learned the details, rather than more information, action, more details, some other stuff, and repeat. It starts in a tense scene where Todd is already on the wrong side of time, placing bets with the typical airport annoyance who knows it all. When his flight is canceled, he is left in a tough situation, wait or accept the postal on the luggage he may never get back and face the road ahead covered in snow. Assuming you read it, so you know what he picks, if not, refer to the title of the book.

The readers are then taken into the last four-wheel drive available with Kate, Fred, Nan, and, of course, Todd. They run into an estranged hitchhiker that was looking for his kid. He acts very strangely, and they find his truck has been abandon for more than the time he claims. A little further down, we are introduced to the first glimpse of the monsters we will be dealing with in this story. The group encounters the daughter without a face. Let me say, I thought it was smart of Malfi to make it so the creatures could not take over children properly. (At this point in my life, I am tired of killer children. I want the children to be killed.) And just like that, Malfi spares no space when it comes to the detail of the possessed, cannibalistic zombies the monsters use their "skin-suits" for. From Nan being dragged to Shawnda being eaten alive, much of the gore is left to the imagination.

I could also feel the isolation of the characters, even if I have never experienced their situations. Kate with an estranged fiance, Todd with a controlling ex-wife, Molly losing the only decent man in her life and falling off her rocker, all except the kids. The siblings in the church, to Charlie and Cody, I am glad they all became faceless suits for the creatures. Children are the most annoying things, in my opinion. Unless they are Lizzie Borden-ing, they lack any entertainment for me. Malfi feed me well by making sure all the little runts became coats (except Justin, he was too minor of a character in the plot, not motivation but plot, to become an annoyance to me).

Everyone's favorite part, my take on the ending. I have a notorious string of hating almost every end I read. Spoiler: the two main characters don't die, and I am okay with that. I fell in love with Kate. Todd used his brain for the majority of the novel. They were both written exceptionally well, easy to follow, reliable, and relatable. I was happy to see them live but sad to see them continue their personal isolations, Kate with Gerald and Todd with Bree. Another portion of the ending that was satisfying is that these people were believed. This happened in the majority of isolated towns. The conclusion was closure. Them not being believed, that would have really pissed me off, and that is how most of these types of works end. Malfi wasted no time on the pages, everything was written in action, and the reader learned through the tension. He created great characters (brownie points for making the children possessed faceless), a terrifying idea (I mean Jesus, a snowstorm full of weird creatures), and left no left-out feelings on imagery, even when somethings were meant to be left to the imagination. The narration is loose. The readers get to see a lot. We see burnt bodies, weird orb light things, swirling snow, buildings, broken windows, bodies with heads blown off. We can also smell burnt flesh, dead bodies trying to rot in the cold, candles, and blood. Not only are we not wasting time with the words, what the words display also do not lack in-depth.

My final comment: Tracey had your dumb ass just remembered, so many people would still be alive.