Book Review: The White

Reviewed by Alexandria Ducksworth

You will never think of snow the same way.

 Snow is lovely in small doses. Snowstorms, on the other hand, can be a totally different story. They’re the culprits behind power outages, flight cancellations, traffic accidents, and death. Some see them as one of Mother Nature’s worst creations. 

Author Matt Micheli makes snowstorms even worse. Reading Micheli’s crazy horror story will make you want to stay indoors until springtime.

The story begins with Daniel’s disappointment. His mother Margo has unexpectedly arrived, and his life was going so well without her. Margo has come to visit to check on the family. It’s been a year since she has even spoken to her son. Margo’s not pleased with everything about her family, and her family isn’t pleased with her for reasons kept in the closet. 

Meanwhile, a snowstorm steadily makes its way to Daniel’s neighborhood. Dan only thinks of it as a casual storm—until it’s gotten too big. And why in November of all months? Dan discovers that there’s more happening in the snowstorm than meets the eye. People are disappearing. Will they be next?

Micheli manages to nail so many horror elements in The White. There are plenty of gruesome moments, terror, and questions left to readers’ imaginations. The biggest mystery left to readers is the snowstorm. Why is it making people go mad? Is it a mutant storm created by an ancient god? Is Margo behind the whole event? Everything was fine until she showed up. She is referred once as an “ice queen.” 

It’s quite unsettling to see what snow can do to people. We have heard stories about people going berserk being trapped in a cabin somewhere during a freak snowstorm. Innocently, we may look at snow as a time to play and to celebrate the winter holidays. You never would have imagined it would turn people into rage-filled zombies. The White is 28 Days Later (2002) with snow. 

The White is short (around 60 pages), and it’s filled with action, plot, and character depth. In a short period of time, readers get to know the characters, even the juicy details left in the subtle dialogue. Reading this book is like watching a full-length movie, a captivating way to spend a few hours. 

All I can hope for at this point is that Micheli writes more horror. The White is an excellent read for anyone who’s looking for something frightening and cold. Micheli plays the “What If..?” game well with weather. With Micheli, snowstorms are another type of monster to keep us on our toes.

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