Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle
A biblical blizzard reveals gothic folk horrors
Snow Drowned starts in the snow with a prologue that details a tragedy — a death in the snow. It turns out to be not all that relevant to the main story of this novel, but it sure does set the scene. And, as with real estate, that’s the most important thing here. It’s all about location, location, location.
Fall Island is an isolated community off the northern tip of New England. Most of its inhabitants are descended from generations of islanders. There are some folks that have moved there over the years, married into old Fall Island families, for example, but this is predominantly a place with a strong sense of shared history and community.
The island even has its own religion — a form of Christianity, really — but one specific to this island. It was brought here by its settlers, and is has managed to survive, passed down through the island’s bloodlines. But as is the case with many old traditions, it is dying out. Only the elderly and most affluent families closest related to the island’s original leaders still attend the church regularly.
Modernity has come to Fall Island. But still, the island persists. And that is its rugged charm.
Though Gracie’s parents are both scientists (a midwife and a physician respectively) who are firmly in the modern world of science and technology, they intentionally chose the slower pace of the old-fashioned island. There’s something quite endearing about that.
Lyle does a great job, as I’ve alluded, of world building. She’s created a very real sense of place with a textured past that’s populated by real people. It all feels very grounded and believable. It sets the stage well, and has a bonus creepy atmosphere built in, given that this is a remote island secluded from the rest of the world and subjected to devastating snowstorms on an annual basis.
Which is where this particular story begins: on the eve of a once in a hundred-year blizzard.
Many residents have already sought refuge on the mainland in anticipation of the storm. Gracie’s mother is also there, attending to a patient in hospital, but Gracie and her father are hunkered down at home. Bracing themselves.
A last-minute errand confronts Gracie with a brutal crime scene — a ritualistic murder right out of True Detective. Her father gets called in to assist the sheriff, and Gracie is sent to the Wescott Manor (home of the island’s oldest, wealthiest family) to ensure she’s safe both from the storm and the mysterious killer on the loose.
Except, it turns out, Westcott Manor might be far from the safest place on the island after all. The Westcotts, you see, are the keepers of the Fall Island faith. They are the direct descendants of the leader of the original settlers — and the founder of the island’s esoteric religion.
Trapped inside a gilded mansion with a whiteout raging outside, Gracie gradually uncovers secrets both about the island and her own family that suggest she is in incredible danger.
Snow Drowned is a gothic, folk magic mystery horror novel that’ll keep you itching to discover what twists and secrets lie ahead — even as it grows ever more claustrophobic and likely that a tragic conclusion is inevitable.