These two stories were written during two visits, one to Neuchatel, Switzerland and the other to Florence, Italy. In both stories, Mikdadi tries to make sense of events around him and to create some order out of perceived chaos. He does so with gentle satire and the occasional fury. Snowflake has received considerable critical praise for its dream like quality and for its gentle and zany humour. The narrator arrives at his stepmother's home in Neuchatel and, through a stream of consciousness narration, he alternates between the present and his unhappy past and his failed marriage. He links his current observations with his sad experiences and desperately tries to make some sense of his seemingly empty life and his Diaspora existence.