“Was that why they had come north–to build a life? Or did fear drive her? Fear of the gray, not just in the strands of her hair and her wilting cheeks, but the gray that ran deeper, to the bone, so that she thought she might turn into a fine dust and simply sift away in the wind” (p. 32)
Tag Archives: Eowyn Ivey
From The Snow Child…
“She was several feet from safe ground when she allowed herself to stop and peer down between her boots. It was like walking on glass. She could see granite rocks beneath the moving, dark turquoise water. A yellow leaf floated by, and she imagined herself swept alongside it and briefly looking up through the remarkably clear ice. Before the water filled her lungs, would she be able to see the sky?” (p. 7)
The Snow Child: Enchantment in Alaska
One word describes this book perfectly: spellbinding. Eowyn Ivey has turned a Russian fairy tale on its head in this novel, which captures the mystery and natural beauty of Alaska in a way that makes me wish I lived there (although I really, really don’t). Jack and Mabel, a married, middle-aged couple who moved to an Alaskan homestead to start a new life, share a painful past. After building a spontaneous snowman one night, Jack and Mabel meet Faina. Mabel believes Faina to be the stuff of fairy tales, but Jack is privy to more realistic details about her life. Together, the three try to create a life in the Alaskan wilderness.
Ivey is an extremely talented writer and I enjoyed all aspects of this book. Because it is founded on a fairy tale (although it takes on a life of its own), Ivey is able to include seemingly magical elements without explaining them. I can see how some readers may not appreciate this, as there are several interesting and rather inexplicable details; however, I loved the atmosphere these details created. Paired with the unharnessed beauty of Alaska, these magical elements created a wondrous backdrop to a story that would otherwise become very dark. The heart of the story lies with Mabel and Jack, not Faina, so I have no problem with certain details about her life going unexplained.
What I love most about The Snow Child is the detail Ivey puts into the story. The novel is not overrun with unnecessary descriptions; the details included are beautiful and call attention to images that paint the scene. The book starts quickly, beginning with a scene in which Mabel nearly attempts suicide by slipping into the river. Although this scene could have become emotionally horrific, the detail Ivey includes–and the way in which she approaches the topic–are beautiful. In fact, a scene from page seven has stuck with me since reading the book:
“She was several feet from safe ground when she allowed herself to stop and peer down between her boots. It was like walking on glass. She could see granite rocks beneath the moving, dark turquoise water. A yellow leaf floated by, and she imagined herself swept alongside it and briefly looking up through the remarkably clear ice. Before the water filled her lungs, would she be able to see the sky?”
Descriptions such as these create a tragically beautiful atmosphere, one that permeates both the plot and the characters. Beneath everything lies a bit of sadness, which is tied to the past from which Mabel and Jack are running. Quotes like the following serve to subtly anchor the story to this past:
“Was that why they had come north–to build a life? Or did fear drive her? Fear of the gray, not just in the strands of her hair and her wilting cheeks, but the gray that ran deeper, to the bone, so that she thought she might turn into a fine dust and simply sift away in the wind.” (p. 32)
Ivey is able to create a sustainable tension, which drives the characters and the plot. This undercurrent of melancholy gives depth to the plot, much like the water rushing beneath the ice in the passage quoted above.
The title is appropriate and I love the colors used on the cover. The art itself seems a bit too modern–too angular–for the story. I do like the UK cover, though:
I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates wonderful writing and imaginative yet poignantly real stories.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
