Winter in London tends to be grey and wet rather than white and magical. Maybe that is why, I long for books with a proper winter setting at this time of year. In my post Ten Perfect Winter Reads I asked you for recommendations and The Snow Child was one of the titles, which came up. Below you can see my experience of this much praised debut novel.
1. Summary
Attempting to flee their old lives, Jack and Mabel have come to Alaska for a fresh start. However, their involuntary childlessness and loss of their stillborn child continues to lie as a shadow over their lives.
As the first snow of the winter falls, the couple creates a snow girl. When later spotting a little girl running around in the woods, Mabel can’t help wondering whether the snow girl has come alive, similar to the traditional Russian folk tale, The Snow Maiden.
2. Review
Overall, I enjoyed The Snow Child, but certain elements deducted from my rating.
2.1 Setting
Set in Alaska in the 1920s, The Snow Child perfectly depicts the inhospitable climate and the hardship of farming in this tough isolated place. The winters are dark and cold, the summers are short. Surviving for the rest of the year relies entirely on getting the right weather in these short summer months.
The setting is an integrated part of the novel and plays a crucial role in the storyline. The author, who lives in Alaska herself, did an amazing job with her descriptions. I felt how the cold penetrated my bones, I inhaled the crisp air and I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful, but merciless Alaskan winter landscape.
2.2 Magical Realism
The Russian folk tale, The Snow Maiden, plays a central role. Being one of Mabel’s favourite childhood stories, it is referenced throughout the novel. Elements from the novel are taken directly from the folk tale. In addition, the character traits of the mysterious little girl mirror those of the snow maiden. The author plays with the concepts of the folk tale and teases the reader throughout. Is the girl a little miracle? Or is there a perfectly rational explanation behind her appearance?
I mostly enjoyed the author’s utilisation of the Russian folk tale. But my rational mind didn’t like how this bordered on magical realism without going full in. Being a 100% science-driven person, I couldn’t help joining Jack rolling his eyes, when Mabel went on about Russian snow maidens. If the novel had crossed to proper magical realism or fantasy, I would have been on board. But keeping the story in a rational world barely adjacent to magical realism didn’t work for me and the (possibly) magical elements took me completely out of the story.
2.3 Characters & Plot
Being slow-paced without much plot, the characters have to carry the story. Overall, they felt real and easy to emphasise with. They certainly weren’t perfect, but their reactions and behaviour were oh so human. However, with the exception of the snow girl, I wasn’t that invested in them, which affected my engagement with the novel.
An exquisite dark melancholy penetrates the novel. This is partly due to all the hardship, the couple experiences. But Mabel’s summary of the Russian folk tale, The Snow Maiden, also induces an atmosphere of dread regarding how it will all end, seeing that the novel is inspired by the folk tale.
3. Analysis (spoilers included)
If you haven’t read The Snow Child, please skip this section, since it includes spoilers.
3.1 Winter as symbol for the couple’s feelings
The harsh winter reflects Mabel and Jack’s suppressed feelings relating to the child they lost and the children they never had. The couple is unable to talk about these issues and Mabel in particular has been unable to work through her feelings relating to their stillborn child. Jack, on the other hand, finds it difficult to cope with Mabel’s feelings and often chooses to walk away, when she is in dire need of his support. Like the winter landscape, certain elements of their life and their relationship are literally frozen.
3.2 The Snow Child as a catalyst
The snow child also fits into the winter symbolism. She thrives in winter and needs the snow and ice to survive. She comes to the couple in their darkest hours, but remains elusive and keeps everyone at a distance. When she eventually opens up her heart for love (i.e. becomes unfrozen), her faith mirrors that of the snow maiden in the fairy tale – she melts away.
I feel this novel may be interpreted by different readers in different ways. I saw the snow girl as a catalyst. She came to the couple, when everything looked bleak and she stayed with them until they had got their life back on track, at which point they didn’t need her anymore and she disappeared from their lives again. Seen from that perspective, the novel provided some degree of closure and hope despite all the sadness.
3.3 The Snow Child as a free spirit, who doesn’t conform
However, a more sinister story appears, looking at things from the snow girl’s perspective. She was clearly a free spirit, who didn’t thrive under the normal conventions and did just fine on her own in the wilderness. And yet, people around her tried to get her into a conventional life. Giving in for this pressure ultimately led to her demise.
I emphasised a lot with Mabel and Jack and all their troubles. But my heart truly ached for the snow girl and I desperately wanted her to be able to live the life, which suited her. Her story reminded me of Convenience Store Woman. Why is it so important that everyone fits in and why do people try to put individuals in a box, when it clearly doesn’t fit?
4. Final Thoughts
The setting, the interaction between characters, the melancholic atmosphere – clearly there is a lot to admire in The Snow Child. I wasn’t as engaged with the story and the characters as I’d hoped for, but the snow girl certainly captured my imagination. I would like to think she is still out there, running around in Alaska’s wilderness, hunting and gathering with a fox by her side.
Title: The Snow Child [2012]
Author: Eowyn Ivey
Format: Audiobook, narrated by Debra Monk
Genre: Fiction, Magical Realism
Stargazer, this is brilliant review, thank you! The Snow Child is a seminal book for me; I was dazzled by it when I first read it. I reacted viscerally without the need for analysis and it was my selection for our then monthly book club. Others did not react to it as I had which hit me hard; I never put forward a book which meant that much to me again! Since then I’ve read it twice more and each time the impact has lessened which is not surprising, yet it hasn’t put me off reading it again (though it won’t be this year). In your review you’ve identified many things which I hadn’t considered so I know when I do return to it, my experience will be different again – enhanced in a new way. I had no problem with the magical realism issues you mention; for me it was enough to simply suspend disbelief. And I related easily to the characters. What pulled me into the book though, was the sense of place and the brooding desparation, especially at the beginning when Mabel walks onto the ice.
Eowyn Ivey’s second book is also set in Alaska. The Bright Edge of the World shares some characteristics with The Snow Child but perhaps the magical realism aspect is easier to relate to as it is clearly connected to the indigenous culture. She has a third book coming out any day now called Black Woods, Blue Sky. I’ll be reading it very soon. Also set in Alaska but I think it’s contemporary which will be interesting.
Ooops, I’ve written an essay! 😄
It was the harsh environment that I remember most from reading this, ‘dark melancholy’ is a perfect description!
It’s several years since I read this. I reember she brought the harshness of the environment of the story richly to life, and I can’t have minded the magical realism too much, because usually – I do!
Thanks for the review. You’ve reminded me of a non-fiction book I read years ago: The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen. It’s set in the Himalayas. I remember enjoying the book a lot.
Magical realism might be one of the hardest genres to get right – if it’s not done well the reader loses their connection with the story.
I haven’t read The Snow Child but your review reminded me of the plot of The Light Between Oceans. The setting is very different but it is about a childless couple who live on a remote island who keep a shipwrecked baby as their own.
I enjoyed the Snow Child, and the Alaska setting had much to do with it … And I liked the folk tale aspects and the farming survival aspects too. And the story keeps you guessing a bit about who the girl is and what she means etc. It’s a slow burn of a read but it kept my interest. I think you make many good points about it. Here is my review https://www.thecuecard.com/books/summer-blazes/