The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey is a wonderful novel, mixing fairy tale magic with the realities of life, homesteading in the Alaskan wilderness in the 1920's.
Mabel and Jack always wanted children, but this was never to happen. Searching for a different life, they head to Alaska, only to discover vast wilderness, bitter winters, and hard earth that doesn't seem able to yield enough food to live on. One night, during the first snow of the season, they build a snow girl and dress her in mittens and a scarf. In the morning, she is gone and in her place a mysterious snow child seems to have appeared running through the trees and leaving little gifts for them.
Ivey does a wonderful job of blending magic with reality, exposing our greatest longings, hopes, dreams and fears. I was drawn into this story immediately and carried away to another world. It reminded me of why I love to read. A beautiful book.
No comments:
Post a Comment