As Simple as Snow

This teen novel by Greg Galloway is a real gem - and like my favourite tv show that I just went on and on about, it leaves you with more questions than answers. Which, for the record, is a good thing. Its unnamed male narrator speaks like the young man in The Virgin Suicides, and for any teens who like mysteries full of clues (and not crappy Da Vinci-type clues) this is the story for them. Anna (Anastasia) Cayne is self-proclaimed Goth who moves to a small American town, has a "normal" teen boy fall in love with her, writes obituaries for all 1,500 inhabitants of the town, and disappears. It's not likely that she committed suicide but everything else is up in the air, and the labyrinth of art, magic, and secret codes that surrounded her as just as present after she disappears. The narrator is desperate to find her again, and the town is full of gossip about what happened. At 306 pages it might be a little long for some teens, and the many twists and turns and leisurely tone could turn some off from it, but those who stick with it will be rewarded with a great ending.