Reviews
The Boy Made of Snow was published in the UK as a hardback in November 2017 and as a paperback in October 2018. It has also been published in several other countries. Reviews from the national press, other authors, and readers may be found below. The novel is available to buy here.
“There is much to admire in this ambitious debut, primarily Mayer’s handling of Annabel’s unsettling descent into a slothful haze.”
“The novel wins through on both the evocation of the period and the setting, brilliantly capturing the isolation of mother and son, making the awful inevitability of what follows extra affecting.”
“This story is unlike anything I have ever read. Some books move you - and this is one of them. I absolutely loved it.”
“Mayer’s debut novel is swaddled in the deepest blue, but the writing occasionally sparkles and offers pinpricks of light.”
“Heart-breaking... Your jaw will drop.”
“The period and her son’s imaginary world makes this special.”
“Calling upon classic fairy tales - in their original, not Disney-fied versions - this is a beautiful and evocative debut by Mayer.”
“It excels in its tense, acute rendering of Annabel’s deteriorating mental state.”
The Boy Made of Snow has drawn the following comments from other authors.
“A testament to the power of stories, The Boy Made of Snow had me compulsively turning the pages to find out the fate of Daniel and his mother. A haunting and thrilling read. I absolutely loved it.”
“The Boy Made of Snow is an evocative and haunting story with moments of heart-breaking poignancy. This dark and compelling tale, of wartime austerity and one boy’s vivid imagination and its devastating consequences, is an assured and beautifully written debut.”
“Original and unsettling - and just a little bit heart-breaking.”
“An evocative and stunning debut from an exciting new writer.”
“Heart-breaking, chilling, and beautifully written, The Boy Made of Snow will stay with me for a very long time.”
“I loved it and feel so sorry I’ve finished it. I should have slowed down, but just couldn’t... A fabulous writer.”
Readers and various book reviewers have posted the following comments online.
“The Boy Made of Snow is a deliciously dark and clever collision of several dangerously discrete worlds. Chloë Mayer has penned a fearful fable, a wondrous work, a twentieth century classic fairy story.
…‘Buttoned Up’ times are exquisitely caught on the page…What happens next is frightening, touching, wholly involving. Horribly real, totally understandable, from all angles.
…This is one of those truly outstanding books that, as soon as you finish it, you happily start it all over again. This time to savour and enjoy the quality of the writing, things that you may have missed the first time, while hurrying to see what happens. Next thing – pass it on, recommend to friends and family, read other reviews, try to move on from the characters you have come to know, but it’s hard to stop thinking about their story. Reminding me a little of The Go-Between, and some of Susan Hill’s books/novellas, I can’t speak highly enough of Chloë Mayer’s first book. FIVE STARS.”
“This an assured debut novel from Chloë Mayer. A dark tale of a German POW, a young wife whose husband is fighting away from home and a child who is entranced by fairy tales. Ms Mayer finds the individual voices for her characters with unerring accuracy and is particularly adept at getting into the mind of the young boy, Daniel, whose actions lead to chilling consequences. I loved this book. Beautifully written and well paced and a real page turner. Highly recommended. FIVE STARS.”
“The Boy Made of Snow is essentially a dark fairy tale.
…The author draws a vivid picture of life in Britain during the war, emphasising the loneliness of both those fighting away from home but, most pertinently, those who have remained behind — and how they might choose to escape into a made-up world that has dark consequences.
What struck me most was how real the characters seemed. So often children in adult novels are portrayed as being much younger or older than their actual years, and characters such as Hans can be reduced to caricature or cliché, but here Chloë Mayer has done a fantastic job of creating good characters, a haunting and unforgettable plot, and characters who we can care about. It’s hard to believe that this is her first novel, it’s so assured, and it’s one that will stay with me for a very long time indeed. An excellent read; dark, fantastical, and thoroughly enjoyable. FIVE STARS.”