Teens’ secret pact explored in psychological thriller Silent as The Snow

Author Emily Pattullo’s new novel explores the decisions we make when we’re young and the long-term consequences they can have.

Anna is a teenager hanging out with her friends when they get involved in a car accident that kills someone. It’s the worst snowfall in years, and it literally covers their tracks.

But secrets don’t usually stay that way – and that’s the premise of the book, Silent as snow.

Pattullo is a British author who has lived in New Zealand for several years. Her first book The Ring Around Rosiewas a young adult novel that explored the issue of child trafficking.

She’s always been fascinated by the decisions we make as teenagers, she told RNZ From nine to noon.

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“I wanted to write a story that encapsulated that. And obviously, this is a pretty extreme example, because the four teenagers in question are actually involved in the murder of a stranger, through no fault of their own, but it’s how they deal with the accident that happens. And then the ramifications that follow in the years that follow.”

The story is told from the perspective of 20 years later, when the four are reunited for a funeral, she said.

“You can sort of unravel who they are now as a result of what happened. And little by little, the revelation of what really happened that fateful night becomes clear.”

Snow serves as a metaphorical device in the novel, she said.

“I liked the idea of ​​snow, snow was really a metaphor in the story for the hidden secrets of silence that snow brings. When it covers everything and there’s this silence, it’s almost deafening.

“And you know there’s stuff going on underneath and there’s still stuff growing under the ground when it snows, but it creates a kind of silence that covers all of that.”

Then, the gradual melting of the snow reveals what is hidden, she said.

“Things are being revealed, but you never know when the snow is going to start melting, you never know when the temperature is going to start warming up enough for that to happen.

“So all the characters are always on edge about how much time they have and when someone is finally going to see what happened.”

The adolescent spirit fascinates Pattullo.

“I love teenagers because they still have the innocence of children and yet they begin to take in a lot more outside information and form their own opinions at this stage about what they consider right and wrong.

“So it’s really beautiful to work with them in that regard. And then I really like seeing them come back as adults, because of all the changes that come with that.”

In addition to being a novelist, she has a successful job as a life coach, which she says fits perfectly with her creative work.

“I integrated the two, so my life coaching is basically about creating the life you want to live through writing and drawing, and exploring your life as it is now, and what story you could then generate from your life and live your own life adventure, as if you were choosing your own adventure.

“So I started a newspaper called 12 Creative Steps to a Fulfilling Life that I recently published, and which allows people to embark on this journey of life and really explore it in the way they want to.”