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You are here: Home / Culture / Books / Set in post-nuclear Ukraine, THE HALF-LIFE OF SNAILS is a beautiful yet unsettling story

Set in post-nuclear Ukraine, THE HALF-LIFE OF SNAILS is a beautiful yet unsettling story

May 18, 2022 Category: Books, Reviews Region: North Wales
The Half-Life Of Snails
The Half-Life Of Snails - Philippa Holloway
The Half-Life Of Snails – Philippa Holloway

A well-crafted and timely novel, Philippa Holloway’s The Half-Life Of Snails is a vivid and emotional exploration of human connections and the surrounding landscapes. Living against the backdrop of the Wylfa nuclear power plant on the island of Ynys Môn, protagonist Helen faces numerous challenges to try and keep the family’s farmland. While dealing with personal tragedy, she embarks on a trip to the Chornobyl exclusion zone in Ukraine – leaving son Jack with sister Jennifer, herself employed in the nuclear industry. Helen’s subsequent attempts to return home hit the buffers, testing her reserve in more ways than one – likewise that of the family back home.

RELATED: ‘A sobering sports movie with a vital political agenda, Olga is necessary, emotional viewing, and will have charity screenings throughout the UK to raise funds for those caught up in the appalling Ukraine conflict.’

Set around the nuclear landscapes, the haunting scenes of this novel – set during 2014’s Ukrainian Maidan revolution – are rendered additionally relevant in our current era of war. However, despite the bleak nature of many themes in the book, Holloway’s exquisite prose manages to provide pockets of hope in this emotional tale of community, identity, power and strong family ties. 

The author has crafted a beautiful yet unsettling story with a strong sense of place, accentuating the bond between humans and the landscapes they live in. The Half-Life Of Snails is a book to reflect on that will undoubtedly linger long after finishing.

KEEP READING: ‘This fictionalised account reimagines the ill-fated journey of 14-year-old Louisa Maud Evans, who in the late 19th century tumbled from a hot air balloon over the Bristol Channel.’

The Half-Life Of Snails, Philippa Holloway (Parthian)

Price: £15. Info: here

words RHIANON HOLLEY

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Tag: buzz book review, Parthian, Philippa Holloway, Rhianon Holley, Ukraine

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