Off the Shelf: A familiar folktale

“The Snow Child” tells a whimsical, yet supremely real tale of heartache on the Last Frontier

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ive. (Photo via Amazon.com)

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ive. (Photo via Amazon.com)

It drew my eye at one of the book kiosks at Ted Stevens International Airport. A simple cover: an illustration of a small blond girl wearing a blue coat and red mittens peeking out from behind snowy birch trees. A black and white “Pulitzer Prize Finalist,” badge shining brightly in the upper right corner.

A familiar sight on Alaska bookshelves, “The Snow Child” tells a whimsical, yet supremely real tale of heartache on the Last Frontier. Author Eowyn Ivey, who hails from the Matanuska-Susitna area, sets the story against the landscape of Southcentral Alaska. She more than once alludes to landmarks that will undoubtedly ring familiar to peninsula readers.

“It was a beauty that ripped you open and scoured you clean so that you were left helpless and exposed, if you lived at all,” Ivery writes in one chapter.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The story is based on a Russian folktale in which a childless couple build a snow child who comes to life. Ivey’s story follows a couple homesteading in Alpine in the 1920s. I interpreted Alpine to be near Sutton, as that is where Ivey is from, and indeed the characters are described to have arrived at their homestead via railroad after landing in Seward.

It’s a haunting tale of both Alaskan ruggedness and majesty; Ivey articulates the splendor of Southcentral in the way only someone who lives in Alaska can. It endears you to the story, but also to Ivey as a writer. Incorporated into the work are passages from various iterations of the same story: they hint at plot developments and connect “The Snow Child” to a rich literary canon.

The titular character reminds me of Elsa, from Disney’s “Frozen,” and indeed she is just as compelling a character. The couple at the center of the story feel familiar; like people I would run into at Three Bears or Kaladi’s. They are supremely real and portrayed in a way that has you rooting for their happiness.

The rich atmosphere of the “The Snow Child” makes it a perfect companion for a cold snowy day. I definitely plan to revisit it come winter.

Eowyn Ivey spent nine years working as a reporter and editor for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman newspaper. The Snow Child was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction and was published in 2012 by Reagan Arthur/Back Bay Books.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.

Off the Shelf is a bimonthly literature column written by the staff of The Peninsula Clarion that features reviews and recommendations of books and other texts through a contemporary lens.

More in Life

"Octopus" is an acrylic painting by new co-op member Heather Mann on display at Ptarmigan Arts in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Ptarmigan Arts
July First Friday in Homer

Homer’s galleries and public art spaces celebrate with new and ongoing exhibits.

Frank Rowley and his youngest child, Raymond, stand in knee-deep snow in front of the protective fence around the main substation for Mountain View Light & Power in Anchorage in 1948 or ’49. This photo was taken a year or two before Rowley moved to Kenai to begin supplying electrical power to the central peninsula. (Photo courtesy of the Rowley Family)
Let there be light: The electrifying Frank Rowley — Part 2

In July 1946, the soft-spoken Rowley was involved in an incident that for several consecutive days made the front page of the Anchorage Daily Times.

This nostalgic sauce is so shockingly simple, you’ll never buy a bottle again. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
America’s favorite culinary representative

The original recipe for ranch dressing was invented and perfected in Alaska, out in the bush in 1949.

Graphics show the nine finalists in three age groups for the Soldotna “I Voted” sticker design contest. (Provided by City of Soldotna)
Soldotna announces finalists for ‘I Voted’ sticker contest

Public voting will be open until July 20 to determine the winners.

Homer’s Cosmic Creature Club performs at the 2024 Concert on the Lawn at Karen Hornaday Park. (Emilie Springer/Homer News file)
July events to provide entertainment and fun on lower Kenai Peninsula

Events include the Highland Games, Concert on the Lawn, local art camps and the Ninilchik Rodeo.

Nick Varney
Unhinged Alaska: Flashback dreams and the cold sweats

When summer arrives, every personage in the known cosmos suddenly seems to remember that they have kindred living in Alaska.

File
Minister’s Message: Freedom is not what you think

If freedom isn’t what we first think it is, what is it?

This is the Kenai Power complex. The long side of the plant faces the Frank Rowley home, seen here at the right side of the photograph. (Photo courtesy of the Rowley Family)
Let there be light: The electrifying Frank Rowley — Part 1

Frank Rowley made one of the most important steps toward modernization in the history of Kenai.

Most Read