This is a book I had already heard a good deal about, a novel that riffs on the Russian fairytale in which a barren couple make a little girl in the snow who then comes to life.
The story is transposed to 1920's Alaska, and one thing that the author achieves quite beautifully is to evoke the landscape of the frozen north. Throughout the whole book she maintains a sense of ambivalence as to whether the central couple are dealing with a magical character of their own devising, or with a feral child.
Either way, the unpredictable appearances of the child fill the void of grief sadness left behind by the loss of their only child to stillbirth. My only reservation is that this ambiguity can only be sustained by peopling the book with a cast of characters who seem to have a frustrating inability to communicate openly with one another. Nonetheless, a very touching and beautiful book that well deserves the acclaim it has received.
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