Join AD Miller to talk about SNOWDROPS, our January Book of the Month, on Tuesday Jan 31, 9-10pm

[TillyBookClub]

Shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize, January's Book of the Month is a superbly chilling novel that's perfect for frozen winter days.

SNOWDROPS is set in the tawdry, corrupt underbelly of Moscow, where murder victims lie hidden in the snow until the spring thaw brings them to the surface. Nick, a high flying British lawyer, has begun a new life in the city, negotiating with oil barons, exploring the maze of streets crammed with expense-account brothels, power plants, glitzy restaurants and gridlocked traffic. His guide is the enigmatic Masha, who inexorably reels him into a morally ambiguous and self-deluded love affair.

Cool, complex and menacing, this is, as the Spectator put it 'a heady noseful of Moscow, an intoxicating perfume that will whirl you off your feet and set your moral compass spinning'.

You can find out more at our book of the month page.

Atlantic are giving 50 free copies to Mumsnetters - to claim yours, send your name and address to [email protected], putting Mumsnet/Snowdrops in the Subject Bar.

And if you're not lucky enough to bag one of those, don't forget you can get your paperback or version here

We're delighted that A.D Miller will be joining us for the webchat on Tuesday 31 January, 9-10pm. Look forward to seeing you there.

Tatiana!

Why do you not speak? Has your noble heart split in pieces like our great mother country? Who will remember the Tsar now?

My hearrrrt has swollen under my red star medals comrade.

I weep for you, child of new Russia. Mother Russia cries red tears at your empty heart, blank eyes and freezing cold legs in those PVC mini skirts. Would you not like a greatcoat and a pair of bearskin leggings child?

No, because then I couldn't snare the thick nick with his intemperate trouser snake with my sexy wiles and sauna sex. I must do it, it isn't clear why, I think it's plot driven and heavy on ze symbolism. Let us have a toast and then we won't care.

Nostrovia!

Nostrovia my child.

My our beloved Stalin's strength be with you on your journey to exploit the evil capitalist western pig (oh and me of course...)

Farewell. I must now return to my labours as my Tsarivich is watching me and I fear a return to the gulag if I do not toil more for the good of my country.

Do svidaniya!

Farewell brave Tatiana! I must purchase a red bra and find an odd pretend sister to watch me have sexy time with thick nick. Inexplicable again, but that's us Russkies.

I do suspect this book is the equivalent of something like Ryan's Daughter - ie v. full of cultural stereotypes. Mind you, I've never been to Russia; maybe it's all true...

RIGHT! Really have to bugger off now. Am marking GCSEs to a strict deadline.

Looking forward to reading the chat later.

hubba hubba!

I enjoyed this book and surprisingly enjoyed the inevitability of the story, I suppose I felt smug thinking that I could see what was happening while Nick couldn't (nice piece of flattery for the reader :)

Something I really would like to know is what does AD Miller think happened to the old lady?

I can't join the chat unfortunately as I am in another time zone (!!)

But I am reading Snowdrops at the moment - about a third of the way through. I think it's brilliantly good.

My question is:

• do all these marvellous metaphors and other literary devices in the book just come out onto the page for you or do you have to work hard to get them right, frowning over them for hours?

[NB zeugma: "he had a boy band fringe, a ten thousand dollar suit and a murderer's smile"]

Looking forward to your next novel.

Hello all.

I liked the comment about the perplexed potato.

I did enjoy the book.

I have not been well and though it felt like a page turner, wasn't desperate to get back to it. But as I said, I have not been well.

It sort of felt like a beach book, but not sure I would fancy reading about all that snow and cold on the beach

Actually, I was reading on my kindle so more like a "thumb-presser"

I haven't thought of any questions yet for you Mr Miller, other than perhaps a shallow one "why initials and not your name?"

Will watch with interest.

Thought I better pop on to balance out the naysayers

I really enjoyed the book. I didn't think that the letter was really meant to be read by his finance, I imagined it was Nick just pouring out his heart in a dear diary kind of matter to be chucked on the fire - is this the case or do you imagine that Nick actually intended to give the letter to his girlfriend? In which case, he is indeed thick.

How do you respond to those people who think it is full of stereotypes? I have just read The Help and really enjoyed that but that has also been accused of being stereotypical. Is it based on your experiences?

I really enjoyed Snowdrops and I'm so pleased you are on here, because as soon as I finished the book there was a question I really wanted to ask you:

When I was reading the book I was thinking a lot about Crime and Punishment. Nick seemed to be a modern day Raskolnikov, a lawyer, but without any pretence of ideology and so his involvement in the death of Tatiana was through inaction (not action like Raskolnikov and his 'old woman'); Masha is like Sonia, but without virtue or religion, she's just pragmatic. How much were you thinking about Crime and Punishment when you were writing the book?

I have been slightly/very obsessed with russia since I was very young. I have a completely romantic view though-all doctor zhivago.bolshoi ballet,anna karenina etc.

My question is-nick seems to be seduced by russia? is that the effect it had on you? does it still hold you in its thrall?

Evening everyone

Well, there couldn't be a more heated way to kick off an icy New Year. SNOWDROPS has elicited strong responses from fans and critics alike, and I am thrilled that AD Miller is here to throw light on the inspiration and ideas behind the book.

There is much to pack into an hour, so without further ado....

Mr Miller, firstly, thank you very much indeed to taking the time to join us. And many congratulations on such a successful and vividly atmospheric novel. We'll kick off with the advance questions from further up the thread. And then we'll aim to get through as many new ones as possible over the next hour (although getting through the current stack of comments may take a good chunk of that...)

I'd also like to add our two standard MN Bookclub questions:

Which childhood book most inspired you?

What would be the first piece of advice you would give anyone attempting to write fiction?

Over to you...

First of all, thanks for having me and for reading and thinking about my book. On your standard questions: Book: The answer to this depends on how you define childhood. When I very young my mother gave me archy and mehitabel, which I loved. When I was ten-ish I used to read a lot of Agatha Christie books. If we?re talking about school days, then perhaps The Great Gatsby or A Handful of Dust. Being a little more flexible, then probably Moby-Dick, which I read on my gap year.

On writing: Do it your own way?ie, try to find your own voice. Also, stick at it. Writing a novel is a long, lonely enterprise: as much as anything else, it takes a lot of stamina.

@yUMMYmUMMYb

finished the book, and i did find it really easy reading and enjoyed the style of writing and descriptions of characters. however, i do agree that the ending was somewhat disappointing. my question - is there a follow up book planned, being penned? it seemed to me that i'd like to find out more about Nick's current situation. also, how much personal experience is in the book?

Good, it works! Thanks for the question yUMMYmUMMYb. I?m sorry that you didn?t like the ending. It is intentionally opaque, partly because that?s how things often are in Russia, a place where getting to the bottom of events, and crimes in particular, can often be impossible. You sometimes feel as if you?re living in a world of infinite regress. This isn?t a story in which anyone is punished, or in which the guilty feel their guilt very acutely. Nick doesn?t even leave Russia because of what happens to Tatiana: he only goes because he has to, on account of his job. So this isn?t a very consoling story, I?m afraid. And I?m afraid I intend to leave it there; me and Nick Platt are done (me and Russia too, so far as novels are concerned).

@southlondonlady

OK I've finished it now and really enjoyed it - def a page turner. I can see now that Nick was not being niave, he knew he was being played but in fact didn't care because he just wanted some glamour in his life. I'd say there are plenty of men like this out there. There's also the interesting point as to how do people's boundaries change when in an unfamiliar environment away from family and friends. Nick's story is an extreme example obviously but lots of people do things on holiday that they would never do at home.

My question: what is the likelihood of the wedding going ahead now?! Aside from Nick's part in tricking the old lady, he's also told his fiance that he misses Masha and that she (the fiance) is part of his now "thin life". I think the chances are not good!

I agree with you southlondonlady. The point of the framing device is to reflect and reinforce the themes and mood of the Moscow narrative. I tried to disorient the reader in various ways: this might seem like a story about scheming Russians and naïve westerners, but it turns out (I hope) to be more morally complicated than that. Similarly, the story is presented as a confession, but the reader might begin too wonder how guilty Nick really feels about what he?s done, and whether he fully understands their gravity. They might also ask whether Nick?s feelings towards his fiancée and impending marriage are more complicated than they seemed at the beginning. As you say, I imagine the fiancee?s feelings might have changed a bit by the end, too.
Incidentally, I?m pleased that you?ve picked up on the fact that Nick isn?t really naïve: wilfully blind and self-deceiving, yes, but not gullible, exactly. He can see what?s happening but goes along with it anyway.

@typicalvirgo

Right, in the spirit of a book club discussion my question to A D is this:

being selected for a man booker award must be a fantastic experience for you. How important do you feel that being selected for such lists is and how did you go about this ? do you think being on a, for example, richard & judy book list helps get your work read by a wider audience ?

Hi typicalvirgo. As the author, you have no influence over the Booker process at all. You write the book, and hope that someone else will like it enough to publish it. Publishers decide which novels they want to submit for prizes (for the Booker, I think they get an allowance of two or three books per imprint); the judges decide which books they think should be shortlisted, etc. For me, the whole Booker experience was wonderful?when I was writing Snowdrops, I wasn?t at all sure that it would ever see the light of day?but also surreal and occasionally upsetting. As for Richard & Judy, I?m afraid I don?t know, since they haven?t picked me, though I imagine that they?re pretty good for sales!

@Bellstar

I bought this book a ccouple of days ago. Was wary after seeing some of the comments on here but I have to say I enjoyed it. Thought the description of life in post soviet moscow was excellent.

I dont know if I would describe it as a thriller as I agree-it wasnt that thrilling. I think it was more pyschological-looking at the influence of moscow,its culture and its people on nicks life.

Thanks Bellstar. I can see others feel the same way as you. You are right that this is not a conventional thriller. I never intended it to be. There are no spies and very little violence (none that we actually see, in fact). The term I have used for it is ?moral thriller??ie, this is a book about how something?a bad thing--happens: how does an ordinary person like Nick come to be complicit in very bad deeds? Part of the answer is Moscow; part of it is him, his background, his yearning for excitement and his lasciviousness; part of it, also, is something more ancient: our ability to deceive ourselves, in particular to tell ourselves that true responsibility lies elsewhere. In a way the most important moments in the book are ones where Nick recognises a lie, but knowingly chooses to ignore it.

Somewhere towards the end of the book, Nick writes that the real snowdrop in the story is him: that what he discovers when the snow thaws is himself, and what he?s capable of. That is what the image and the title are supposed ultimately to represent: dark. close truths about ourselves that we would prefer not to confront.

@cakes82

Just finished reading this book. I pick my books normally by the blurb on the back and if I can read and like the first page. This one fitted that category and I enjoyed it. I found some of the names of places and people difficult and a bit confusing, but i'm not used to anything Russian. I think perhaps it needed a little more explanation about his fiance and why Nick felt the need to write to her- perhaps after an argument for example. I realised about three quarters of the way through that it was a con or long con ala too much watching Hustle on Tv. I think he did feel guilt especially for Tatiana but he got sucked in to the Russian life and his feelings for Masha. He was spending a lot of time thinking with his trousers. His neighbours very appropriate comments didn't make him think enough, his friend the journalist came out with comments too but always that little too late. I can't believe in the world of business even in Russia that they allowed the Cossack to get away with so much. I think he should have felt more anger at being duped over the money. I liked the final phonecall with Katya a confirmation of his naievity yet still left things (like Tatiana's fate) unsaid. Katya gave impression that there was more than a con to Masha's relationship with Nick and perhaps could have given him idea her son was at risk if she didn't. Not my normal sort of read but it was good.

My question to AD Miller is this 'have you ever been in a similar situation to Nick where someone has tried or even suceeded in duping you? Was it an influence for the book and did you learn from it?'

Thanks cakes82. I should say that this book isn?t autobiographical. I lived in Moscow for three years--but I lived there will my wife. I lived a very different life to Nick. I wasn?t involved in any acts of grand larceny or murder.
Having said that, there is a lot in Snowdrops that is drawn from personal observation, if not direct experience?of the city and the way the foreigners who lived there found themselves behaving. And this is as much a portrait of a time as of a place: the years before the credit crunch, a time of no-questions-asked money-making, and general blind-eye-turning, not just in Moscow but elsewhere.
This relates to your point about the Cossack and the oil terminal plot in Snowdrops. Six or seven years ago, bankers really were lending silly amounts of money to Russian firms with little or no security, for some of the same reasons that brought about the financial crisis?perverse incentives which meant they didn?t worry too much about whether the banks would ever get the money back again. The plot in my novel is maybe a slight exaggeration of the sort of things that used to go on, but not an enormous one.
By the way, I?m pleased you pick up on relationship between Nick and Tatiana. I wanted to convey the idea that he likes her, genuinely, though that doesn?t stop him doing what he does.

I wonder how many of the experiences in the book you describe you draw on from your own life?

I am thinking particularly of the saunas. I know that the last time I was in a sauna, in Finland, the heat drew the pine resin out of the walls and my hair stuck to it and completely ruined any sexy time ambience.

Ah, I see from your last post that it isn't drawn from personal experience.

So: I have another question:
the narrative itself and its relation to the new fiancée" - is it meant to be conversational? Or written?

That was one part that raised my eyebrows - it is one thing to say "Erm yes, we had sex and her mate watched " but would someone even as blind and self deceiving as Nick really be going into details like "there were marks on her body from where we'd been at it"? (sorry, I paraphrase)

@CountrySlicker

Just finished and was drawn in much more than I was expecting. In reply to Kumquatsaretheonlyfruit I felt Tatiana's acceptance was a last fling. The Old russia vs the new. She is loving the attention and the fantasy of the move and the memory of the woods but knows she would never be able to do it, her life in her home has gone and there is no life beyond. That was my take -I am wrong Mr. Miller?

PS What has happened to HullyGully -has she been removed by the FSB?

You?re not wrong, countryslicker. In my mind Tatiana is a bit like Nick, in a way: lonely and therefore vulnerable. She doesn?t go along with it exactly, but she is needy and flattered by the youngsters? attention and turns a(nother) blind eye. For all her worldliness and experience of wartime and the Soviet era, she?s a bit adrift and out of her depths in the new Russia. I met quite a lot of elderly Russians like that.

By the way, I'm pretty sure HullyGully can handle the FSB

Did you notice that the women were just the itsiest bitsiest teensiest bit stereotypical? Did you mean them to be? If so, why?