I just finished this book today and I loved it! It's set in the Alaskan territory of 1920. It's the story of a middle aged couple that went to Alaska to try and escape the sadness of having a stillborn child years before. The woman in this story is so depressed and had thought that by going to Alaska it would give them a new lease on life. However, the harshness of trying to survive on the Alaskan frontier proved to be more than she bargained for. She and her husband were drifting far apart and everything was desolate. Then one day, in a rare show of playfulness, she and her husband played in the snow and made a snowman, then decided to turn it into a snow child, a girl, putting mittens and a coat on her, straw for hair, and sculpting the face in a beautiful little girl. However, the next day, the snow child was gone, along with the coat and mittens, and nothing to show but foot prints walking away into the woods.
I'll stop at that, but if that's not enough to make you want to read more, than I don't know what, lol! It is beautifully written by a woman that was born and raised and still lives in Alaska. It's her first novel. You will feel the cold of Alaska and experience the land and everything in it in wonderful detail.
I loved this book. However it has sadness and desolateness in it, but is also filled with many wonderful things including hope.
Wear your coat!
