In Falling Snow

July 8, 2013
The well-crafted new novel from Australian author MacColl, her first to be published in America, traces an elderly woman’s reflections, avoiding the trappings of sentimentality while easily slipping through time. Iris Crane is comfortable in her Australian life when an invitation for a commemoration catapults her back 60 years to WWI and her stint as a nurse in a Parisian abbey. Iris remembers the past she has kept hidden from Grace, her obstetrician granddaughter whom she raised. Iris’s career as an attendant began in childhood when she began caring for her younger brother, Tom, after the untimely death of their mother, and it’s why she followed his trail after he enlisted as a young man. In 1978, Grace tends to her patients yet ignores potential evidence pointing to a health risk in her young son, Henry, while worrying about Iris’s health. The ceremony in France serves as a catalyst for Grace to learn more about her grandmother’s mysterious past and her own heritage. MacColl’s novel will appeal to a wide audience including those who enjoy historical fiction and medical drama. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House.

Narrator Orlagh Cassidy excels in her portrayal of the two main characters in this novel. One is Iris Crane, a WWI nurse who is attempting to bring home her young brother, who enlisted though he was underage. The other is Iris's granddaughter, Grace, a doctor in 1970s Australia who is attempting to balance family responsibilities and the practice of medicine. Aided in no small part by Cassidy's performance, this is the rare dual-time-period novel in which both stories are equally compelling. Cassidy gives distinct personalities to each woman with her vocal inflections, completely pulling the listener into the story. The novel is full of beautifully wrought emotion, which Cassidy conveys perfectly. J.L.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine