The Snow Child

The Snow Child is a remarkable blending of an old fairy tale and a modern story of love, longing and loneliness. Add to that a picturesque Alaskan wilderness shortly after World War I and you have the recipe for a beautiful debut novel. 

The story revolves around middle-aged Jack and Mabel, who left a comfortable life in Pennsylvania to escape the sorrow over the stillbirth of their only child ten years prior. I personally fail to see the enjoyment of becoming a homesteader in Alaska, but that’s just me!

One night, on a whim, the two fashion a snow girl, complete with scarf, mittens and berry-stained lips. The next morning, their creation has been reduced to a simple lump of snow, the scarf and mittens nowhere to be found. During the next several days, Jack and Mable spot a small, blonde girl at the edge of the woods near their home. They see footprints in the snow. None of the townsfolk, however, have any knowledge of a young child living in the area. And what’s more, no one seems to believe the “child” is even real. How could she possibly survive in such harsh conditions?

Eventually, husband and wife form a relationship with this undomesticated, quite possibly otherworldly child, and a magical tale unfolds.

Eowyn Ivey has taken her love for Alaska and written a book that skillfully contrasts beauty and austerity, joy and tragedy. I must say that in order to really love this book, a reader must be willing to suspend disbelief. If you do, you’ll experience something enchanting from the first page to the last.