The Extinction of Snow

Londoner Louise Tennant struggles to accept the death of her grown son, Joseph, in this probing psychological study from Lightfoot (My Name Is E). After the discovery of Joseph’s body by the roadside outside a French village, an autopsy reveals drugs and alcohol in his system. His mother is sure this can’t be true since she’s convinced that he never touched drugs. Joseph’s last text message to Louise—“I am sacred, comfot [sic] me”—presents a puzzle. Is “sacred” a typo for “scared”? Louise decides to go to France, but first turns to Joseph’s wife, Sara, in Leeds, and gets a shock on learning that Joseph had left Sara and their child. This is but the first of many shocks. An anonymous phone call gives her a cryptic message and the phone number of a French woman who might be of help. In France, Louise’s quest leads her to an understanding of Joseph’s fate, before an ambiguous but satisfying resolution. (June)