It's remarkable how much Rowland was able to establish the feeling of the neighborhood in this story, both in its physical setting amidst the storm, as well as through the relationships and tensions between (and amidst) its households. I loved how the storm's power was never fully explained, but that the chapters interspersed with the main narrative established it as a constant, ever-looming presence across time. I thought the characterization of each neighbor that we were given in the first half of the book really added to the awfulness of what was to come in the later chapters; I appreciated that it took some time for the horror factor to build up rather than giving us the monster right from the start. The tension that this built carried throughout the book, even after it becomes clear that something is terribly wrong. A delightfully creepy, compact horror novel!

I'm sure this will be fixed in later editing, but I do have to say that the phrase "tree belt" and the word "masticate" are used far too much in such a short book -- distractingly so. This tapered off in later chapters but I thought I'd mention it here.

This look at the dark nature of people and the decisions they make is absolutely horrifying and a terrific book. In the midst of an enormous blizzard , a neighborhood collapses under the weight of the mistakes and regrets of the people living in the perfect looking houses. This books skips around brilliantly in time, showing you glimpses until it all comes together in a tapestry of tragic horror. Truly wonderful.

I really enjoyed this book. Multiple pints if view. One messed up part of a neighborhood under attack of unknown entity. Who will survive the snow?