Author(s): Jessica Au

Aust Fiction

A mother and daughter travel from abroad to meet in Tokyo: they walk along the canals through the autumn evenings, escape the typhoon rains, share meals in small cafes and restaurants, and visit galleries to see some of the city's most radical modern art. All the while, they talk: about the weather, horoscopes, clothes, and objects, about family, distance, and memory.

But uncertainties abound. Who is really speaking here--is it only the daughter? And what is the real reason behind this elliptical, perhaps even spectral journey?

At once a careful reckoning and an elegy, Cold Enough for Snow questions whether any of us speak a common language, which dimensions can contain love, and what claim we have to truly know another's inner world.

MATILDA BOOKSHOP REVIEW

Reading this short novel is to enter a space of quiet reverence; for the beauty of places both grand and commonplace, and for imperfect relationships. As a mother and daughter travel Japan, they comment on the scenery, weather, shared meals and all manner of things. Underneath the courteous words are currents of affection and unspoken pain. The bond between the two is explored with great delicacy. There is an obvious deep love they share for each other, though one without real understanding. 

The voice of the daughter rings out so clear and true I mistakenly believed for a while that this was a particularly fine memoir. The writing has a sincerity that is quite unusual and very moving. There is much to admire in the way Au can find profundity in fleeting moments, both beautiful and seemingly banal. Emilie