It’s a story about snowy Iceland. It is also a story about two young Instagrammers who meet during an interview. And it’s a story about an ice-cold murder that leads into the dark milieu of some unscrupulous advertisers and politicians who want to exploit Instagram for their own purposes. Accordingly, the youth novel “The dark whispering of the snowflakes” by Sif Sigmarsdóttir is very exciting.
After the death of her mother, teenage Hannah travels from London to Iceland, where she is supposed to live with her father and his new family. Hannah sees this flight as a journey into exile. But after she was expelled from school because of a critical report in her school newspaper, the internship at an Icelandic daily newspaper organized by her father offers her a new opportunity.
Interview with an influencer
She is not very enthusiastic about her first job as a journalist: an interview with a well-known influencer who has over a million followers on Instagram. Hannah, who is also on this social network with her little account and is happy about every single like, is immediately full of prejudice and antipathy, because she reckons with a hollow-headed being that constantly revolves around itself.
But at the meeting she is immediately drawn under the spell of the mysterious, beautiful Imogen, who, at 19 years of age, not only masters her job as an influencer perfectly, but also works in an aspiring marketing agency.
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Modern myths
Imogen speaks of her success on Instagram being accidental and that she sees her posts as a parody. For Imogen, Instagram is the best modern tool for traditionally established myths. Because on this social platform every individual can create himself anew. Against her will, Hannah is fascinated by her interview partner and uses intuitive questions to turn the conversation around unexpectedly, which Imogen then abruptly ends.
But a murder case ensures that the two young women stay in touch: shortly after Hannah’s arrival in icy Iceland, the renowned scientist Mördur Pórdarson is found murdered. Imogen is arrested by the police during a public lecture because she knew the lecturer and is suspected of murder. In the midst of the general uproar, she secretly slips Hannah’s cell phone. And the student, who has a good journalistic flair and immense curiosity, tries to track down the hidden message in the cell phone.
Secrets behind the facades
Because both Hannah and Imogen, who both ensure perfect facades on Instagram, have their secrets. The English novel title “The Sharp Edge of a snowflake” aptly describes the underlying story, because “Snowflake” not only means “snowflake”, but is also the somewhat derogatory term for overly sensitive people – as it is explained in the German translation. Hannah has been looking after her alcoholic mother, who recently passed away, on her own since she was twelve. So she never had the feeling of being normal and is being haunted by a curse.
And the life of the beautiful Imogen was thrown off course by a brutal sexual assault. The young woman never dealt with this trauma and has since tried with an iron will to continue to live up to her image. But the thoughts of this “monster”, as she shuddered to call the perpetrator, affect her whole life: Imogen had to give up her studies and broke off contact with her family. And the perpetrator at the time is none other than the murder victim Mördur Pórdarson.
Dubious machinations
During her secret research into this murder case, Hannah comes across dubious advertising companies who are trying to exploit the personal data of all Instagram users for their campaigns and to conduct targeted marketing – for sometimes highly suspicious products. Together with her friend Kjarri, who also works for the newspaper, Hannah also takes a look behind the scenes of the not-so-honorable scientist’s life. Mördur Pórdarson seems to have been involved in all sorts of shady deals. A man who has made many enemies in his life … The two young journalists suddenly find themselves targeted by criminal figures and have to fight for their freedom …
Gripping Nordic noir thriller
With this Nordic teenage thriller, Sif Sigmarsdottir has succeeded in creating an exciting, multi-layered and profound novel, which convinces with its authentically depicted, clearly drawn fictional characters.
The structure of this thriller is very successful (and target group-optimized!), In which the experiences of the two protagonists Hannah and Imogen are told alternately in short, time-shifted episodes. Each chapter begins with an Instagram post by the respective actor – including information about the photo filters used and the reactions in the network.
The sharp edge of the ice crystal
The novel shows the development processes of the main characters, because both “Snowflakes” are increasingly remembering their sharp edges – the “sharp edges” of the feather-light ice crystals: Imogen wants to expose the sexual assault in the media and Hannah is learning to use her journalistic skills increasingly professionally thereby intervene in their lives in a self-determined manner.
Suitable for this novel is the open, mysterious end of the story, which gives the poor readership hope that the author has long been working on a second part! Because this Iceland thriller catches its readers ice cold and keeps them in its wake even after the last page!
The author
Born in Iceland, Sif Sigmarsdóttir is an author and journalist who has been writing books for children and young people for ten years, all of which are bestsellers in Iceland. The novel presented is the author’s first work to be written directly in English.
Sif Sigmarsdóttir: The dark whisper of snowflakes, published by Loewe-Verlag at the end of 2020, recommended for young people aged 14 and over, 432 pages, 14.95 euros (paperback)
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