When a barrier between truth and illusion grows stronger, a family's trust crumbles in this arresting short story by the number one New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10.
Leah has spent her formative years isolated on a remote island with her family. But their quiet existence, far from the devastated mainland, is cracking. Father, sensing a coming threat, demands that a wall be built. As the stone blockade rises, Father's paranoia escalates. So does Leah's dread that the violence the family left behind has found its way to their sanctuary.
Ruth Ware's Snowflakes is part of Hush, a collection of six stories, ranging from political mysteries to psychological thrillers, in which deception can be a matter of life and death. Each piece can be read or listened to in one truly chilling sitting.
***
When father began to build the wall, we didn't understand it at first.
***
(Amazon Original Stories, 30 July 2020, 26 pages, ebook, borrowed from @AmazonKindle, #PrimeReading)
***
***
I make it my business to read all of the Amazon Original Stories collections, sometimes you get a story from a favourite writer, sometimes you get stories that don't work so well and sometimes, if you're lucky you'll find new writers. I'm a fan of the author so expected to enjoy this story. I really enjoyed it. This is not the story I expected. The first few pages seem to suggest the story is set in some dystopian world where the characters are some of the last survivors. However, this impression is gradually peeled away and the true, unexpected story is revealed. I was completely surprised by the turn of events.