The Snow Child

Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child, published in 2012, is a frank retelling of the Russian fairy tale Snegurochka, or The Snow Maiden. Ivey reimagines the story as the tale of a childless couple, a feral child, and the bleak yet beautiful wilderness of Alaska. The narrative, which imbues historical fiction with a touch of magical realism, was shortlisted for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. It is Ivey’s debut novel.

Plot Summary

It is 1920. Mabel and Jack, a middle-aged couple from Pennsylvania, have taken advantage of a government program that offers cheap land in the Alaskan territory for those15,402 willing to farm the land. They both see relocation as a chance to escape memories of the stillborn death of their child more than 10 years earlier.

Farm life is difficult, and the couple struggles in the brutal environment. While Jack works the farm, Mabel is left alone for long hours during which she dwells on her grief. On the night of the first snowfall, the couple fashions a snowman in a rare moment of play. Because the snow is scarce, they end up with a snow child, but they delight in giving their creation snow curls, a snow dress, and even mittens and a scarf.