The Snow Child

The Snow Child

Author: Eowyn Ivey
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reviewer: Lydia

The phrase “pleasantly surprised” might seem like a cliché, but I was both surprised and completely enamored with this hidden gem of a book. Eowyn Ivey’s debut novel, The Snow Child, is a promising start to the career of a new writer, and I look forward to her burgeoning success in the future.

The novel is like nothing I’ve ever read before; part fairy tale and part realistic account of farm life in the 1920’s Alaskan wilderness. The story is tender and poignant, yet wild and dangerous—just like the novel’s main character, Faina, herself.

The other two main characters are Mabel and Jack, who are middle-aged and childless, a burden that weighs heavy on both of them. One night in a fit of playfulness they build a snow girl complete with scarf and mittens. The next morning the snow girl is gone, as are the mittens and scarf, and there is a track of footprints leading into the woods. After this Mabel and Jack begin seeing a strange girl in the woods who looks oddly like the snow child they created. What follows next is a story full of surprises and suspense as Mabel and Jack begin to love the child as fiercely as their own.

From the gorgeous artwork on the front cover to the haunting story, this tale of happiness, sadness, loss, pain, and hope is as enchanting as your favorite fairy tale. I plan on rereading The Snow Child many times in the future, as well as impatiently waiting for Ivey’s next work of art.