The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Another book club book down! It's Alaska in the 1920's. Jack and Mabel are an older couple who have moved to Alaska to work the land. It was a dream of Jack's to make it out there. Alaska is synonymous with its rough terrain and to me Jack London. Jack and Mabel are a quite type but it's not just their personality's that are making them quite. There has been tension since Mabel had a stillborn. They never tried for another and never tried to adopt. They have been just quietly sad. Jack is having trouble farming his land while Mabel is at home alone for hours making her pies and cleaning and such.

All that changes when they meet a girl. A girl who appeared out of nowhere after one day they created out of the snow a little girl. Their wish... This girl comes and goes out of their lives. Mabel is convinced that she is the snow child they created come to life. She was read a story by her father long ago about a snow child. So she knows it could be true. Jack on the other hand knows a secret about the girl that may prove otherwise.

This story I was drawn to because it was like this movie that I have been anticipating called The Odd Life of Timothy Green. I loved the concept of parents who couldn't have a baby and they wrote all what their child would be in pieces of a paper in a box and buried it. The next thing they know here is this boy who calls them mom and dad. The Snow Child is like the adult version of it. When reading it it's all very serious and they live very tense and quiet lives. Everything starts to turn around with this girl who appears out of nowhere.If you couldn't have a child and suddenly you were given one... I can't imagine how that would feel. So I feel for Mabel but a lot of times she annoyed me because she was so obsessive about it all and very clingy. She was going to have things her way. I really liked Jack. He lied to Mabel though. Not really. He didn't tell her something important. I didn't mind. The only thing was that annoyed me about him was that he thought Mabel so fragile and wouldn't let her stand on her own two feet.

The Snow Child reveals her name later and it's Faina. She's this feral child who hunts and kills with ease. She only visits Jack and Mabel during the winter and goes away in the summer. She's frightened in front of people. She's very much like an animal. She is unknown to Jack and Mabel's eventual friend's George and Esther. Esther is this rough and tumble tomboy mom. There is no wonder why she only had boys. She becomes good friends with Mabel but she thinks Mabel's a little strange... when she finds out about the snow child tale. One of their sons, Garrett, ends up also becoming very close with the family. He's a hunter and trapper.

A couple of people thought the ending was disappointing in the book club. I thought it was sad. There was a part I didn't realize happened and it was pretty big so pay attention in the end. I feel sorry and kind of happy about how the last about 10 to15 chapters went. There were parts that I was like yes! I knew this was going to happen and I'm happy for it. But I'm sad for one particular person. It just felt really messed up. I overall really enjoyed this book. You wouldn't think it was a really great book by starting to read it because about these two people and this quiet life but I really couldn't stop once I started. It was well deserving of the best seller list. I would read this book if I were you.