In the Falling Snow

by Caryl Phillips

From one of our most admired fiction writers: the searing story of breakdown and recovery in the life of one man and of a society moving from one idea of itself to another.

Keith—born in England in the early 1960s to immigrant West Indian parents but primarily raised by his white stepmother—is a social worker heading a Race Equality unit in London whose life has come undone. He is separated from his wife of twenty years (whose family “let her go” when she married a black man), kept at arm’s length by his seventeen-year-old son, estranged from his father, and accused of harassment by a co-worker. And beneath it all, he has a desperate feeling that his work—even in fact his life—is no longer relevant.

Moving deftly between past and present, the narrative uncovers the particulars of class, background, temperament, and desire that have brought Keith to this moment, and reveals how, often unwittingly, his wife, his son, and, ultimately, his father help him grasp the breadth of the changes that have occurred around him—and what these changes will require of him.

At once intimate and expansive, deeply moving in its portrayal of the vagaries of familial love and bold in its scrutiny of the personal and societal politics of race, this is Caryl Phillips’s most powerful novel yet.

Genres: Fiction, Novels, 21st Century, British Literature, Contemporary

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Caryl Phillips was born in St.Kitts and came to Britain at the age of four months. He grew up in Leeds, and studied English Literature at Oxford University.

He began writing for the theatre and his plays include Strange Fruit (1980), Where There is Darkness (1982) and The Shelter (1983). He won the BBC Giles Cooper Award for Best Radio Play of the year with The Wasted Years (1984). He has written many dramas and documentaries for radio and television, including, in 1996, the three-hour film of his own novel The Final Passage. He wrote the screenplay for the film Playing Away (1986) and his screenplay for the Merchant Ivory adaptation of V.S.Naipaul's The Mystic Masseur (2001) won the Silver Ombu for best screenplay at the Mar Del Plata film festival in Argentina.

His novels are: The Final Passage (1985), A State of Independence (1986), Higher Ground (1989), Cambridge (1991), Crossing the River (1993), The Nature of Blood (1997), A Distant Shore (2003), Dancing in the Dark (2005), In the Falling Snow (2009), The Lost Child (2015), A View of the Empire at Sunset (2018) and Another Man in the Street (2025). His non-fiction: The European Tribe (1987), The Atlantic Sound (2000), A New World Order (2001), Foreigners (2007), and Colour Me English (2011). He is the editor of two anthologies: Extravagant Strangers: A Literature of Belonging (1997) and The Right Set: An Anthology of Writing on Tennis (1999). His work has been translated into over a dozen languages.

He was named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year in 1992 and was on the 1993 Granta list of Best of Young British Writers. His literary awards include the Martin Luther King Memorial Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a British Council Fellowship, a Lannan Foundation Fellowship, and Britain's oldest literary award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, for Crossing the River which was also shortlisted for the 1993 Booker Prize. A Distant Shore was longlisted for the 2003 Booker Prize, and won the 2004 Commonwealth Writers Prize; Dancing in the Dark won the 2006 PEN/Beyond the Margins Award. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Royal Society of the Arts, and recipient of the 2013 Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Award for Excellence.

He has taught at universities in Ghana, Sweden, Singapore, Barbados, India, and the United States, and in 1999 was the University of the West Indies Humanities Scholar of the Year. In 2002-3 he was a Fellow at the Centre for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. Formerly Henry R. Luce Professor of Migration and Social Order at Columbia University, he is presently Professor of English at Yale University. He is an Honorary Fellow of The Queen's College, Oxford University.

A regular contributor to The Guardian and The New Republic, his most recent book is, Another Man in the Street.
(taken from carylphillips.com official web site)

Reviews

[Pavel Nedelcu · Rating 3 out of 5]

About family problems, cheating, adolescent sons defiantly changing, about incommunicability, even incompatibility, racism-related mournfulness, difficulties in finding one's place in the constantly changing world, about all this and other Caryl Phillips writes in this novel, with special reference to Caribbean backgrouns and their impact on the lives and mentalities of his characters.

[Terry Perrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quiet yet powerful portrait of a man's undoing during his middle years and his lost of identity as husband and father. I think Caryl Phillips, a native of St. Kitts and a resident of London, is one of the finest writers of this century.

[Woody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. I immediately trusted Phillips's sentences, diving into them completely--the way I did as a kid (when I read at night, under the covers, with a flashlight). The novel is about how a somewhat recently divorced middle-aged man navigates his relationship with his son and father. And about what it means to be Black in London as a teenager, a professional, and an old man.

What seems to be most unique, stylistically, is Phillips's sense of time. The piece flows back and forth between the present, the recent past, and the past, without any sort of formal demarcation. As a result, Phillips effectively represents the mind of his protagonist, and, consequently, heightens the level of intimacy. This is the first book I've read from Phillips, but I'll certainly be reading more.

[Maggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a challenging readbut a great book. A book about three generations of black men who live in the UK. One of the black men, Keith Gordan, a middle aged man going through a midlife crisis. Yes, he may be a little annoying, irratating at times but that is to be expected from an individual who doesn't really understand himself and therefore is at odds with his environment. He tries to connect to his mixed race son, he can't; he tries to connect to his ex-wife, the Polish girl and his father but he can't. You are even annoyed at him for having an affair with a member of his staff because as a Manager, he really should know better. But he doesn't. This is a book about isolation and given the ending (a long monologue in patois by his father just before he passes away)that even though it is not possible to seek and gain an identity, you can still exist not knowing yourself?? I think that is what the author is saying. Please let me know what you think of the ending.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not like it. There was this sense of detachment that I felt throughout the entire book. Keith felt detached from his life, and the way it was narrated made me feel equally detached from him. It was more a listing of what Keith was doing moment by moment, but without any real emotion or motivation attached to it. None of it mattered, really. I didn't care about any of his problems, and I barely cared about any of the people in his life as well.
The flashbacks were awkwardly placed and abrupt, and only maybe a quarter of it was interesting.
The author seemed to have a hard time writing convincing women. Sometimes they were catty in a very stereotypical "angry wife/girlfriend" way, which was out of character with the way they were presented for the entire first half of the book.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't enjoy this book very much, and if it wasn't for my determination never to give up on a book I don't think I would ever have finished it.

I didn't have any sympathy for Keith - he had an affair and ruined his marriage and he doesn't seem to be that sorry about it, and I just found a lot of the dialogue unrealistic and unbelievable. The characters seem to get angry very quickly (particularly Danuta and Annabelle) and the conversations between characters didn't seem to flow like they would in real life. The Head Teacher of the school claimed not to know that an entire yeargroup of his school had study leave - not very likely.

I would have preferred more of the book to be about Keith's father's life rather than the self-absorbed Keith.

[Enrico Downer · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, Caryl Phillips is one of my favorite writers, so I am apt to forgive a story that ends somewhere out in the ether or perhaps has no real ending. I read his books because I love his prose and his knack for insightful detail regardless of the vapid ending of this book. For those readers who were whiplashed by his tendency to shift the story from the present to the near past to the distant past and back again, I say that is one of his characteristics that I find natural though I would prefer some warnings when he shifts gears. I read "Dancing in the Dark" and think that book was a better read. He is so much better when he captures historical events in his books.

[Merilee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really 2.5 stars rounded up. I found his way of skipping between past and present gimmicky. “He was on the bus remembering the conversation he had...he was home remembering what happened at the station.” Also I could barely make it through the last part of the book, even though it was really important, because the stream of consciousness went on and on and on...I’ve never read this author before so maybe I’d like his other work better, though I’m not excited to try.

[Emma-Louise Ekpo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off slow but it got to the last 100 pages and couldn’t put it down.

Very interesting read about different generations of black men in the UK and how issues such as gender, racism, changing societies and immigration impact their likes.

Keith is an incredibly unlikeable character and at times you just want to shake him violently to screw is head on.

Phillips is a magnificent storyteller, I will be looking into his other works.

[Amy Carver · Rating 2 out of 5]

The closing narrative act was slightly redeeming for a text that otherwise didn’t land with me. What is it with 2000s/2010s Lit Fic and male protagonists who signal “self awareness” through sexualisation? I don’t need to read about middle aged men finding young women attractive!!! It’s always the least interesting part of the text!

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like plots, avoid this novel. If you have an overabundance of cheer in your soul, give it a whirl.

(I was actually finding it pretty compelling through most of the book, but the total abdication of an ending means I can't recommend anyone actually reads it.)

[Mark Nunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick skim of the reviews shows this book has very mixed reactions, and I can fully understand why. It chronicles the very different struggles of three generations of black men to cope with British society and the challenges that involves.

It's a compelling, believable and worthwhile read. I did struggle in some places with the style, the jumping between time and location with no transition felt unnecessarily confusing to me and some elements of the story felt a bit superfluous, although that is probably me failing to understand something deeper.

[Tomi Adenekan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that the ending is hopeful. This is different to Phillips' other books I've read. I like that watching the lives of the three men - Keith, his son and his dad - unfold. And what each makes of what they've been dealt. And how they face the decisions they make, and the repercussions. Keith is so laid back, which I find annoying when it's to do with Laurie. I have to say though, I admire his decision to not let that English student (I forget her name now!) kip in his hose for a few days. I like the writing - lots of unpredictables.

[Jennifer Wiget · Rating 3 out of 5]

took me a bit of time to get into this as the style if writing is very detailed and long sentences but once i got into it i found the story flows very nicely. it talks about a lot of important things like belonging somewhere, changing and having to let go, family and obviously racial issues. all in all i found the whole story just a bit too mellow

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took time to get used to going back to the past then to the present. I particularly enjoyed the part where Keith’s father reminisced about his time arriving here and hearing about his experience; It made me reflect on the impact of the racism on that generation and the way they withdrew from sharing the experience with their children. The loss of friends but also hopes and dreams.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different book for me in that it chronicles experiences that are some what different than mine because I grew up in the States. Wasn’t crazy about the ending.

[Ethan Crowe · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book had zero payoff and kind of edged me the whole time

[Faz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book bland albeit prose was fluent and clear, so it was a comfortable read. But nothing got my attention. Some thoughtful observations about approaching middle age, but that's it. Written in 2009 but already seems a bit dated with allusions to alcopops and yuppies, but that's not the writer's fault! I've read nonfiction by Carly Philips exposing racism in Europe; he's a talented writer, but this I found underwhelming.

[NancyKay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readable novel describing what it's like to be a man, an ex-husband, an adult son, a father of an adolescent, and a West Indian in London. Clunky prose, and clunky shifts back and forth from a present story told in present tense to flashbacks, and lots of passages where a character is speaking in the kind of smooth detailed narration that has never come out of a person's mouth. But while these infelicities did get in a way for me a bit, I was engaged all the way through in the main character's struggles -- often ineffectual and counter-productive as they were -- to stay upright while big parts of his life fall away. Keith is a man who makes a lot of mistakes and miscalculations -- they cost him his marriage and his job -- but as a tour of his inner life, and how it connects up to his immigrant parents' past and his bi-racial son's future, the novel succeeds.

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haven't read any other books by this author, so I can't compare them, but I have a feeling this can't be among his best. The central character is having a mid-life crisis but does that explain all his actions. He behaves very strangely for a social worker used to bureaucracy - doesn't get a lawyer to protect his interests at work, immediately starts stalking that Polish girl, is somewhat ambivalent towards his son . . . all in all I as not very engaged because I stopped believing in it all. His father's deathbed narrative is interesting but implausible as an actual speech. And the ending? Well, I suppose it had to end somewhere, and why not where the generations start repeating themselves?

[textual silence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book read primarily because of the opportunity to attend a masterclass/seminar with Caryl Phillips. There are interesting engagements with themes that dropped out of favour sometime in the 90s, but that now are starting to make their presence felt once more in the present day, and rightly so: issues w/r/t class, ethnicity, generational concerns, and the like. At a time when immigration appears to be a major point-scorer for political parties in the UK, this is an intelligent and thought-provoking novel which reminds us that the fallout from the days of 'Empire' has yet to be resolved.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, as male mid-life crisis books go, but the main character is borderline unpleasant and his issues (a troubled son, an angry ex-wife, an absent father now dying, various troublesome young women) are kind of tedious. The best part is the long monologue his father tells near the end about his coming to Britain from the Caribbean, in a long stream-of-consciousness section that seems more colorful and fully lived than anything the main character goes through.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this a somewhat teedious read. While the characters are well written and the locations are rich in descriptive depth the overall story was ... well ... boring really. Nothing new, nothing I didn't already know, about life. Maybe because I'm roughly the same age as the main characters or maybe because it just seemed so ordinary to me but I was left dissapointed. Inspite of all that I still think the author is a gifted writer with a beautiful descriptive style.

[Tasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. I was drawn in pretty fast and I thought the writing style was great. Although I didn't really like Keith, I thought he was a well constructed character and everything he did/said/thought was very realistic. Plot wise, not a lot actually happens but it's an interesting portrayal of a middle aged black man's life and the disappointments he has endured. The only thing I would say is that sometimes the paragraphs were ridiculously long.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that you read the whole thing because it's interesting enough but you keep waiting because you are sure at some point there will be some purpose or meaning. Then you get to the end and realize that, no, there was really nothing. This is the first book I've read by this author and it definitely did not make me want to read any of his other books.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Keith is a fortysomething trying to navigate his way through today's sexual mores after separating from his wife. He's also trying to keep his son out of trouble and contend with being a black man in modern society. I wanted to like this, I really did, but the writing style was so strange that I found it difficult to connect with the book and the characters.

[Marjanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I should have liked this book more, but I came away feeling 'meh' about it. The overall story was ok; nothing too predictable or unbelievable. The author leaves the reader guessing at the end. The writing is generally good, though I thought that four page paragraphs were a bit ridiculous.

[Bernadette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned about the West Indian immigrant experience in the UK and racism's effect on two generations of a family. The author had a compassionate tone and a great eye for small details that I enjoyed.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written portrait of a middle aged man struggling to come to terms with himself, his dying father and his son; this book also provides an insight into the experience of 1950's immigrants to Britian from the Carribean.

[Victoria]

Captured the feel of London, although could not quite agree on the timeframe, although maybe that infers its timeless..... Felt quite forgiving of the all, bar Yvette, come the end. Are we not all flawed?