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A review by thatdecembergirl
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
5.0
You know there are times when you read a book and you think to yourselves, "Where I have been all this time??" or "Why didn't I read this sooner??" or anything similar, right? This, however, is the opposite. The rare occasions when I am actually glad putting off reading this book until now and not years earlier or immediately when the book came out, because this way, I know one important thing: If a book has a theme song, Taylor Swift's "Bigger Than The Whole Sky" from Midnights album would be the best song to represent Eowyn Ivey's "The Snow Child".
This book is a retelling of the classic fairy tale, and the characters inside it are even aware of the existence of that particular tale. Mabel and Jack, an aging married couple who moved to the Alaskan wilderness to restart life (and their relationships altogether), get a regular visit from a mysterious girl who appears every winter and disappears when spring comes. I have such a soft spot for aging couples and witnessing the struggle and love and devotion between Jack and Mabel throughout the story makes my heart feel like being squeezed barehanded.
"The Snow Child" is very atmospheric. There is something in the writing, or in the overall theme, that gives you a somber feeling constantly. Like, you're feeling mellow as you journey through each page, ready to burst into tears anytime. It's purely magical. The strength of this book lies in its characters and their growth, along with Ivey's exquisite, beautiful-but-never-too-much writing. Do not expect an intense drama, because the book offers a more subtle one, something that comes to you like a whisper, soaring through the blocks of paragraphs at an unhurried pace. At the end of the day, as the story is about survival (either in the harsh Alaskan wilderness as well as survival against grief and loss and the weak, self-sabotaging side of yourself), when I reach the last page, I look back to the beginning of this book and feel glad that I chose to have experienced this book.
Eowyn Ivey's "The Snow Child" is definitely one of my best reads in 2022.
And I'll think of this tale each time Taylor Swift's "Bigger Than The Whole Sky" flows into the air from my earphones.
This book is a retelling of the classic fairy tale, and the characters inside it are even aware of the existence of that particular tale. Mabel and Jack, an aging married couple who moved to the Alaskan wilderness to restart life (and their relationships altogether), get a regular visit from a mysterious girl who appears every winter and disappears when spring comes. I have such a soft spot for aging couples and witnessing the struggle and love and devotion between Jack and Mabel throughout the story makes my heart feel like being squeezed barehanded.
"The Snow Child" is very atmospheric. There is something in the writing, or in the overall theme, that gives you a somber feeling constantly. Like, you're feeling mellow as you journey through each page, ready to burst into tears anytime. It's purely magical. The strength of this book lies in its characters and their growth, along with Ivey's exquisite, beautiful-but-never-too-much writing. Do not expect an intense drama, because the book offers a more subtle one, something that comes to you like a whisper, soaring through the blocks of paragraphs at an unhurried pace. At the end of the day, as the story is about survival (either in the harsh Alaskan wilderness as well as survival against grief and loss and the weak, self-sabotaging side of yourself), when I reach the last page, I look back to the beginning of this book and feel glad that I chose to have experienced this book.
Eowyn Ivey's "The Snow Child" is definitely one of my best reads in 2022.
And I'll think of this tale each time Taylor Swift's "Bigger Than The Whole Sky" flows into the air from my earphones.