Snowglobe

Gr 9 Up–The world is cold; -50 degrees is the norm in winter. Communities survive by linking to power plants run on kinetic human energy. To escape their bleak existence, ordinary people watch television produced in Snowglobe, where glamorous reality shows are filmed inside a geothermal heated dome, the only warm place left. Chobahm and her twin brother work daily alongside their mother at the power plant, creating the electricity needed to survive. Yet she dreams of becoming a director for Snowglobe, creating a popular show and living in the safe warmth of the dome. Surprisingly, the opportunity presents itself, just not in the way Chobahm hoped. She is to replace an actor on a hit show, a girl who bears a striking resemblance to Chobahm and who has supposedly just died by suicide. But who would want to die in paradise? Snowglobe is not what it seems, hiding ugly, violent truths. Can Chobahm survive this new reality of lies and betrayals? Park’s first novel translated for an English-speaking audience falters in pacing for much of the middle. With the plot mired in minutia, most readers will see the twists coming long before they arrive. However, readers will appreciate the rich Korean culture that permeates every part of the book and the well-done character development. All characters are Korean.