BLINK ONCE TO SPREAD SNOW

Debut author Christie offers a haunting narrative of innocence lost and sacrifices made in order to preserve a family.

In 2002, Cal Brenneman is dying after suffering a massive stroke. He was once a towering and robust man, but now he’s a mere shadow of his former self and only able to communicate by blinking his eyes. He’s tethered to life only by his family’s visits and his own memories of love, loss, and tragedy. After the drowning death of his youngest sister, for which he blamed himself, and abandonment by his depressed, guilt-ridden father, Cal channeled his pain into a commitment to work and a determination to love others. He also believes that the Devil is largely responsible for injustice in the world—and he witnesses much injustice in his own life, including the racism of those around him, the horrors of war when he was an ambulance driver during World War II, and the untimely deaths of loved ones. Cal is a stoic hero in the eyes of his family, and when Connor, his troubled brother’s child, appears after Cal’s stroke, the dying man takes the opportunity to reconcile aspects of his own bitter past. Christie offers a gripping narrative about the difficult choices people make for those they love. By juxtaposing present and past events, the author allows readers to come to understand Cal in ways that even his family doesn’t—specifically, his horror and outrage at a world that allows atrocities to befall the innocent and his guilt and grief regarding those he was unable to protect. Although the story comes to a hopeful resolution, Christie’s work is often heartbreaking. It’s worth noting, however, that the text contains several moments of graphic, realistic, and haunting violence, which may not be appropriate for all audiences.

A brutal but often beautiful novel.