Awards
2002 Lambda Literary Award Finalist, Gay Men's Mystery
Synopses & Reviews
In the darkening chill of winter, three Atherton University freshmen are being mysteriously drawn together by fate, and a compulsion they cannot comprehend. Though they come from vastly differing backgrounds, the college holds the promise of a better life for each of them and an opportunity to break away from the anguish and desolation of their former lives.
But the past does not die so easily, and the intricate webs of deceit that they have spun to protect themselves are slowly twisted into shackles that chain them to their doom. Snowbound and trapped on the campus, the friends find themselves unwilling pawns in the machinations of a malevolent force that has taken hold of Atherton and all their oldest fears, veiled passions, and secret nightmares are about to come to life in...The Snow Garden.
Review
"In his second novel, the author...expertly builds suspense. An enthralling narrative that is certain to be as popular as his first book, A Density of Souls." Kristine Huntley, Booklist
Review
"The Snow Garden offers finely nuanced character studies as its pages whiz by to its chilling conclusion." The Advocate
Review
"A dark, moody thriller...is revealed in layers, moves at full speed, and starts twisting from page 1." Out Magazine
Review
"[A tendency toward melodrama] muddles what might otherwise have been a decent gay-themed mystery, but readers may not want to relive freshman year for 400 pages in order to learn whodunit." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Narcissistic college students spend a semester studying their own rampant sexual diversity." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[A] histrionic hodgepodge....Rice tries to imbue this pretty much plotless novel with an aura of foreboding, but it just ends up being tiresome. Stick with mom." Library Journal
Synopsis
Electrifying in its intensity, with a plot that accelerates with every page, The Snow Garden is an unforgettable read a psychological thriller and a modern horror story that probes the terrible weight of the past on the present and the corrosive power of secrets. From the author of A Density of Souls.
About the Author
Christopher Rice is the son of Anne Rice, the novelist, and Stan Rice, the poet. He lives in Los Angeles. The Snow Garden is his second novel, after A Density of Souls.