The Symmetry of Snowflakes

by Paul Michael Peters

It’s the day before Thanksgiving and twenty-nine-year-old business owner Hank Hanson is about to tackle the annual challenge of visiting every one of his relatives. The product of a blended family, Hank has parents, stepparents, and former stepparents—not to mention an assortment of siblings—and feels the responsibility to see them all.

To give structure to his unconventional network, Hank compares it to a snowflake’s intricate design. The only missing piece in his life, the element that would form that rare, perfect snowflake, is the love of an amazing woman.

When Hank meets Erin at the Thanksgiving Day parade, it seems like she might just be that woman—until pressures start to mount with his family and business, and secrets about Erin’s past spill out.

In the vein of Empire Falls and Wonder Boys, The Symmetry of Snowflakes explores the complexity of modern life and relationships and the precarious nature of love.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Christmas, Chick Lit

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Paul Michael Peters is a storyteller with an original voice who thrives at the edge of the human condition, blending humor and darkness with keen insight. His tales navigate the intricate dance between the mundane and the profound, capturing the ephemeral moments that define our lives with passion. His work invites readers into a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, exploring life's shadowy corners with narratives that resonate with authenticity and imaginative daring.

Dive into the work of Paul Michael Peters and discover stories that echo the complexities of life: Right Hand of the Resistance, Mist and Moonbeams: Stories from the Great Lakes Edge, Broken Objects, Combustible Punch, The Symmetry of Snowflakes, Insensible Loss, and several beloved short stories like Mr. Memory and Other Stories of Wonder.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hank Hanson's family is not only blended, it's pulverized.

Both parents have remarried more than once; there is an assortment of siblings, second families, former spouses, and surviving grandparents, which or course means plenty of burning resentments and old grudges. Yet every Thanksgiving, Hank feels compelled to spend hours in the car, visiting them all, basking in that good ole holiday cheer. Yeah. Right. During this particular trip, he happens upon his dream girl, a woman who seems to good to be true, and indeed, it is soon revealed - she is hiding a very big secret.

This was an unusual read for me, as I tend to avoid the light, fluffy rom-com stuff. But I gave it a go because I was hoping for some version of Four Christmases without the annoying presence of Vince Vaughn. Plus, there really don't seem to be too many Thanksgiving novels out there.

I was pleasantly surprised. This goes W-A-Y beyond romantic silliness and turns out to be a fairly involving look at family relationships. For it seems, Hank's dad, who has been a pretty big rat in the past, desperately needs Hank's help. Just to complicate matters, the old man is now married to the first girl Hank's brother ever loved. And she's now making eyes at Hank.

Better cut another slice of pumpkin pie, 'cause things are about to get even more complicated.

This is yet another book that has left me scratching my head as to why it ended up being self-published when there's so much publisher-blessed drivel floating around out there.

The only two problems I had with the book were the slightly clinical sex scenes, though it is nice to occasionally run into a man who realizes that not everything below a woman's waist is called a "vagina." AND, I didn't need to be clobbered over the head by how families and friends resemble snowflakes. It's mentioned again and again. I'm pretty dense and yet I managed to get it from the title of the book alone. I preferred Hank's dad's take instead:

"Love provides freedom. When you are young, it comes from your parents and family, it provides security. Later, love comes from friends; it gives you courage to explore the world. When you find someone to be with, love is a home. No matter where you go, you know you've got one place, one person to go to."

Yeah. What he said.

[Marta Tandori · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a book that’s big on action and body count, you won’t find it in The Symmetry of Snowflakes. The only “count” in this book, as it were, has to do with family members, extended family members, family members once or twice removed, departed family members and, well, you get the picture. Snowflakes has heart and integrity, much like the main protagonist of the story, Hank Hanson, who’s the owner of a successful greeting card company. Hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Hank is a nice, unassuming guy with down home values who one would think was the product of the perfect American nuclear family. However, readers quickly learn that Hank’s upbringing was anything but “perfect”. With his parents’ subsequent divorces and remarriages, Hank happens to have a complex family structure of parents, step-parents, ex-step-parents, siblings and half-siblings, requiring him to assign alpha-numeric parental unit numbers based on each parent’s marriage as well as formulate a master plan for visitation during Thanksgiving that is not unlike a well-oiled military maneuver. At twenty-nine, Hank is single but hopeful of finding a good woman to share his life, little expecting that he’ll find her at the Thanksgiving Day parade which he impulsively attends – but then life is full of these unexpected surprises. At its core, Snowflakes is about relationships and brings home the fact that in this day and age, families are complex creations – just like snowflakes – coming in all shapes and sizes. Peters’ prose is solid, dependable and comforting like a wonderful piece of warm apple pie on a crisp autumn day. An altogether great read!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a charming story! I read a lot of darker books and this was a nice change. Romance, humor and just enough drama for my liking. I look forward to reading more by this author!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book early enough in the winter that I am not yet sick of snowflakes and the annoying way they have of piling up and making life difficult. It is also set between Thanksgiving and New Years so it's a great book for getting through the holidays or when you want to stay in the holiday mood just a little longer.
I took turns really enjoying this read and trying to look past the problems I have with it. I liked the whole symbolism of snowflakes and the complexities of relationships. Hank Hanson takes the trophy for the most complicated relationships: too many parental units to keep track of, a girlfriend with a very unique problem, and friends who are supportive, but provide their own stress in Hank's life. I completely became hooked into these character's lives..... And then I get ripped out of the story by annoyingly fake dialogue sequences, and places where characters changed from one chapter to the next for no good reason. By this I mean Hank's attitude toward his stepmother Midge. He is disgusted with her unwanted attentions one minute and lusting after her in the next. I also felt ripped out of the story with Hank's dialogue with his brother For instance. He would say something like "tell our sister what we just talked about"instead of "tell Lisa what we talked about.". Siblings don't talk about fellow siblings like that unless maybe they aren't on speaking terms (the sibling relationship is completely normal) so the story started to feel like a story ;not characters becoming real in my imagination.
I still like the book but if I keep feeling jerked out of the story I can't love it. It is a deeply philosophical story full of twists and turns of which just start to aggravate by the last 10% and I just want the resolution of it all.

[Stacey McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You really need to read this book!

I'm not quite sure how best to describe The Symmetry of Snowflakes. It's not a love story, but at it's heart, it's about the complexity of relationships. To me, this wasn't necessarily about Hank & Erin. What it was about was Hank's relationship with his dad. Let's face it...we really are the sandwich generation. Hank works on his relationship with his father in a way I find admirable. Although he makes many, many mistakes, he comes to realize it's about the effort. Now, as for Hank and Erin....Let me just say that if I found a man like Hank, who could forgive such big stuff, I'd hold on tight, with both hands and never let go.

I'm going to be honest and say that this book made me feel so many emotions. I cried on page 4.... if you've ever spent a holiday alone, pondering your life choices, you might too. I felt for Hank as he dealt with family drama. I guess for me, the most relatable part of this whole book was how complex all relationships are, and how they can grow and evolve over time.

If you are from Michigan, you'll appreciate the hometown touches - the Lions Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field, Zingerman's Roadhouse (best mac & cheese ever!), downriver, and of course, Tigers opening Day. Do yourself a favor, download this book NOW, and lose yourself in a wonderful story. You won't regret it.

[Desirae Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was not what I expected at all. I was expecting a mushy gushy romance but instead I got something very real and raw. It wasn't all butterflies and rainbows between Hank and Erin, there were also some surprising twists on almost every page!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book kept my interest through the entire book even though there was no action, per say. This is a story about how people handle relationships. It takes place during the holiday period between Thanksgiving and New Years. There are times that I want to just grab the hero, Hank Hanson, and shake him. At other times I can truly sympathize with his choices. Hank Hanson (as he was always called by both names) has a lot of lessons to learn during this short time period, but he took them all to heart. It is a very enjoyable story. I will happily read more by this author.

[Patricia R. Repka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't want it to end

I grabbed this book from Kindle unlimited and living in a suburb of Detroit loved that the author wrote about places I was very familiar with. No huge anticipated ending but rather characters you can relate to and keep reading to find out more about them. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book over a cold Michigan weekend.

[Annette Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The disjointed writing style made this something of a struggle for me, it read like something written by an author in their second language, it lacked fluidity. The story started out quite well, with an interesting concept of a family that was not just blended but pulverised, but the characters seemed so unreal and unlikeable that it was difficult to engage with them or the story being told.

[Mary Strasser · Rating 3 out of 5]

A harmless little book. Funny about all the “extended” family. A couple of graphic sex scenes between consenting adults. Glad it was a free Kindle book. I would not have wanted to pay extra to read it.

[Morgan Radley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think this book is for me. It's not bad. I just picked it up thinking it was going to be more of a romance novel and was disappointed to find that it's more of a contemporary family-relationships novel. DNF @ 25%.

[Lisa Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming, unexpected. All in all a sweet read.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this book were utterly charming others not so much, but the good outweighed the banal.

[Virginia Goatcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story points out the difficulty and challenges of finding and understanding real love and turning it into unconditional love. Once you find it...its awesome.

[Shari DeRuyter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy Read

It was a poignant story, but not one that made you sit and read and have it never end. I did learn something about snowflakes that I did not know. Interesting.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the advance edition of this book and the personalized note from the author, which was a lovely extra touch. This book reminded me of Jonathan Tropper's The Book of Joe in several ways: the main character is a young, bright and successful guy who is, however, clueless in several ways and who eventually grows up by the time the novel ends. At first I was put off by the almost-unbelievable blended and extended family that Hank belongs to, and his silly names for them, as well as his cat and car. It made it more challenging to empathize with Hank. The more I read, however, the more I got drawn into the story and into Hank's journey.

As several reviewers noted, this is not a plot- or action-driven story. It is much more a character study, and by peeling back layer after layer, the author lets you see Hank at his best and worst.

The author's writing style is assured, and he knows how to hook the reader emotionally and keep you there for the ride. My quibbles are few and touched upon above, that some things in the book feel they are forced and stretched too far to be believable. Another example is Hank's father, while very ill, goes on a long dialogue about love and finding it and so on. It just didn't ring true for me.

I am glad I had the opportunity to read this story and look forward to reading more by Paul Michael Peters.

[Ian Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snowflakes are described as being hexagonal, symmetric, they have six corners and six edges, although all are different. Hank Hanson has a mother who has had three husbands, and a father who has had three wives, a sort of symmetric family, and on Thanksgiving Day, he visits them, and their children, his brothers, etc, in other words he drives all over the place. Hank is also single. This year he is in luck: he has some spare time so he stops to watch the big parade, and ends up talking to Erin Contee. What follows is a romance coupled with a number of family problems, coupled with personal failures, coupled with some rather unusual sexual histories. In short it is a tangled story, with Perry the cat being the only reasonably stable "character".

The story is quite readable, the plot uninvolved apart from the falling in and out between characters, and it gives a pleasant light-hearted look at life around a decaying Detroit. The writing style is clean and engaging. For me, some of the coincidences seemed just a bit excessive, and contrived for the story, but it is a pleasant read with moderately explicit sex scenes.

[Myrthe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the writer, thanks a lot! It was wonderful and I loved the personal card I got together with the book.

It’s hard to describe what the Symmetry of Snowflakes is. So I’ll tell you what it’s not: it’s not a story full of action or combat. Instead, it’s more of a story about relationships. The main character, Hank Hanson, has a big, blended family structure which he thinks about as a snowflake: complicated yet symmetric. Then he meets Erin, who he falls in love with but how does the concept of a snowflake involve her? Because of the complicated family structure, things are not as easy as they might look like.

Some people might find this book boring. It is very slow and, as said before, there is nearly no action. However, I did not find this book boring at all and I read it in one breath, only pausing for basic necessities like eating and sleeping. I look at this book as a piece of art, just like snowflakes. Art doesn’t have to involve al kinds of extraordinary things, but finds beauty in the ordinary and I think that Paul did exactly that.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hints of great writing

Overall, this was a good read. Main character has many layers, and I liked him, for the most part. I started out really liking Hank, as he was quirky, but smart in business and confused when it comes to love. He seems dedicated to his very dysfunctional extended family, which comes off as endearing. Then, there is with a sweet first random meeting of boy and girl. Suddenly, it seems that the author lets Hank become what all men dream to be...wanted by all/many women. A few parts where this occurred had me rolling my eyes, and thinking, "Give me a break..." So Hank goes from nice guy to shady guy to untrustworthy guy.

That's when the story kind of gets off track. And the ending feels too fast and doesn't feel emotional enough. It's like the author needed to end the book and wasn't quite sure how to do so. All in all, the story is a bit unbalanced, as if the main character can't really decide who he is.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novel about a 29 year man named Hank. It opens around Thanksgiving and covers the holidays and into the new year. Hank has a lot of responsibilities to his very large and complicated family, to his work (he owns his own business), etc, etc. He struggles to deal with these responsibilities, and for the most part, he is a really good guy. He meets a woman, Erin, who he starts to date and really care for, but some secrets from his past end up complicating his present and his future. He has to figure out how to handle this, and he does not always end up making the best choices. Basically, he is human, and you really feel for him (even when you disgree with some of the things he does). The author throughout the novel compares a lot of relationships and things that happen to snowflakes, snow, ice, etc which is a neat metaphor. It's a nice story.

I won this copy in one of Goodreads giveaways.

[Pam Shultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! This book was so wonderfully sent to me by the writer. First, I want to say thank you to Mr. Paul Peters for sending me this book, I really enjoyed reading it! I don't like to have spoilers in my reviews so it should be safe for all to read. This book is wonderfully written and very insightful, it is very good at showing the complexity of the many relationships we have in our lives. Our parents, grandparents, siblings and lovers all have such different impacts on our lives. I love Erin she is so snarky and blunt and I find that totally endearing. Hank is just a mess but reminds me of myself in the way of being such a people pleaser. Sometimes we don't understand how things we do impact the people around us when at the time we only feel like it will only effect us. In all this book was great and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a first read. It's a great book about modern families and how intricate and complex they've become with step-parents, siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings, etc. The book is full of love, longing, regret, emptiness, and the ever elusive search for happiness and fulfillment. The characters are well written. The dialogue is realistic. The pace is neither too slow nor too fast. There's a lingering mood of awkwardness and melancholy and compassion throughout the book. The book is exceptionally well written. The descriptions are beautiful and the imagery vivid. The snowflake analogy was perfect. There is something wonderfully breathtaking about the style of writing in the book. Fans of Milan Kundera and Julian Barnes will greatly enjoy this book.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hank has problems. Parent problems and girl problems. Some may even say he has work problems. That may sound normal, however Hank has 6 parents and 3 girls (women) intertwined in his problems. He also has a set of grandparents with whom he deals. This book is about how Hank handles these problems and how they handle him. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It definitely didn't drag as some books can.

I recommend this book to any adult looking for a good read. You may find Hank's problems are somewhat similar to yours and then again you may thank God your problems aren't nearly as complicated as Hank's.

I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a love story that I enjoyed reading very much. It take place in Ann Arbor, MI and it was fun reading about places I have been to. The main character, a successful business man, feels a responsibility to visit all of his relatives (stepparents, siblings, grandparents, etc.) during the Thanksgiving holiday. He meets a woman at the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the rest is history. With the help of his college roommates they help define who he is and he is able to make a life changing decision.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way he talks about snowflakes in the beginning of this book had me amazed. There is so much depth to Paul Michael Peters writing. Being in Michigan myself and having a mixed up family, I can definitely relate to his journey. Once I went to college I stopped visiting everyone for the holidays, picking only a few family get togethers to go to. When I was a kid, I went to at least three places sometimes more. Some of these locations were mentioned in the book.
This was a cute story and I look forward to reading more!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. I won this through Goodreads and was asked to give an honest review. Honestly, I loved it! Its a wonderful story about relationships, mistakes in life, making up and moving on.

Our lovable and single protagonist has crazy family dynamics, great friends and a succesful business. When he meets a new lady, we wonder if she can fit into the life he's designed for himself.

Great summer read. I want to read more by this author.

[NormaCenva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, the main character had quite a complicated backstory, that kept me both guessing and interested. It was nice to read something where good attention to detail is present, and where dialogues are believable and advance character arcs consistently.
Also the snowflake metaphor usage was masterful - very well done!

[Tianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a goodreads giveaway.
The Symmetry of Snowflakes by Paul Michael Peters was a wonderful story about finding romance. Hank has to go through challenging events to keep the woman he loves and to take care of his family and cat as well. It was a sweet romance and a very lovely read.

[Ann]

You should read this book

I got this book as a free download and it wasn't required that I give a review, but since I got enjoyment out of the book, I thought it the only polite thing to do. I'm really no good at writing reviews. Four stars is a really good book since I reserve 5 stars for Shakespeare and that sort.

[Stacye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the author's heavyhandedness in driving home is titled theme, I enjoyed this book. The story which unfolds smoothly and realistically, is contemporary and can be shared by many of us. The characters are well-crafted so that the protagonist, though imperfect and sometimes weak, ends up feeling just very human. I could see this as a very entertaining movie.