The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

I kept seeing a picture of Eowyn Ivey's The Snow Child. Finally, curious, I purchased it online and--it still being winter--I picked it up to give it a read.

Those who had posted about the book claimed it was a beautiful story, and that is precisely what I found. 

I found myself in Alaska, wild and frozen, in the 1920's. Specifically I was in the cabin of an elderly couple, Mable and Jack, who were struggling to survive in the wilderness after risking everything to move in hopes of farming and making their own way. Childless, Mabel aches for what she can never have, and Jack, uncertain how to communicate with his wife in her misery, throws himself into work that he is becoming far too old for, especially considering he's working alone. 

As the snow begins to fall, they share a moment of youthfulness, throwing snow at each other and then building a little girl from the cold white. In the middle of the night, the snow child has been destroyed and the mittens and scarf it had been clothed in are gone. Soon after, Jack and Mabel begin to spot a young girl wearing the scarf and mittens running through the trees near their home with a fox. 

Mabel remembers a story from her childhood about an old couple building a girl out of snow and, by some miracle, the child coming to life. Is this girl out of a fairy tale, or is there more to her story?

I won't spoil it.

Everything was shown to me so clearly, from the scenery to the characters, including the child, Faina, and a family neighboring Jack and Mabel. This novel collected much of life; romance, marriage, childhood, fantasy, loss, healing, mystery, and acceptance. I highly recommend finding a copy, as it is very deserving of the praise it received. It will be placed on the list of my favorites.