Smilla's Sense of Snow is a vast and challenging book. It's challenging because the main character, Smilla, resists every attempt that the reader makes to like her. She is totally unapolgetic. And that is wonderful. The book also makes use of setting. Hoeg transmits the feeling of Cophenhague. There is also a good sense of character and family struture. The book seems to lose steam slightly once the setting shifts to the boat. Still, this is a good read.