“In my old age, I see that life itself is often more fantastic and terrible than the stories we believed as children, and that perhaps there is no harm in finding magic among the trees.”

It’s 1920, Alaska. A harsh land where you need to work hard in order to survive. Jack and Mabel have just moved to start their life over. They are childless and because of grief drifting apart. When seasons first snowfall appears they carve a child out of snow. The next morning the snow girl is gone, but they see a young girl peaking out of the trees.

Snow Child is the debut by Eowyn Ivey. And holy smoke, did she made herself known by this wonderful retelling. It even made it into finalist of the Pulitzer Prize. And after reading this, I can understand why. It weaves the pain of grief so well together with the struggles of beginning a new life in a rough place like Alaska.

And no wonder, because Eowyn is born Alaskan. In the Guardian she mentions: It’s a little overwhelming as a place, even when you’ve grown up here as I have. […] The landscape is much bigger than civilisation here.“

That Alaska can be overwhelming, especially during winter, is so distinctly palpable in Snow Child. And choosing the 19th century retelling of a Slavic folktale, Snegurochka, to illustrate that, is so fitting. This tale is linked to snow and ice where a child appears to a childless couple in winter as a blessing.

I really enjoyed this retelling. It fabricated all the wonderful elements in a completely new, heartwarming and at times heart wrenching novel that made you feel warm and also so so cold. Highly recommend this for a cold winter night.