The Snow Child: A Novel

In this magical debut, a couple's lives are changed forever by the arrival of a little girl, wild and secretive, on their snowy doorstep.

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart -- he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone -- but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

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Published Nov 6, 2012

389 pages

Average rating: 7.43

365 RATINGS

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boyleschris

Aug 17, 2025

Mei-Ling's recommendation

Emma Thompson

Dec 10, 2020

7/10 stars

A big thank you to Heavin for lighting up her house and welcoming us inside to enjoy a delicious roast, homemade pumpkin soup (from homegrown pumpkins!), and the largest indoor Christmas tree known to man, which we all loved. It was a beautiful evening of delicious food, old friends and new, new books, and leg wrestling. Because, what book group doesn’t have a leg wrestling showdown every December!!??? Welcome to Cara and AnneMarie, we were so happy to have you join us. With the exception of Barbara, everyone enjoyed Snow Child. A few felt that it was slow to get into, but that the writing and heart at the center of the story compelled you along. This is one, for me, that I am thinking I will re-read. I brought some expectations to it that made me feel like it was more melancholy than I expected it to be. I wonder if, going in without that expectation, I would be more able to accept the greyer parts of the book without waiting for the sunshine. We talked about the different relationships in the book and how hope and faith and love enabled all of them to open themselves up to each other and build beautiful connections. We also talked about how the author played with the idea of fantasy and magic/fairy tale vs. real life and left the issue confusing for the reader so that there was room for some magic in the imagination. It was a lovely little story!

Amy L B

Sep 16, 2025

10/10 stars

An absolute MUST read I could not put this book down. The best fictional book I have read in quite a long while. There’s magic, grief, hope, loss, happiness and a touch of whimsy throughout this story and I became so emotionally attached to the characters. I could 100% read this book again and again.

Ava Robbins

Sep 14, 2025

6/10 stars

DNF 50%

Listened to this on audiobook. I loved the depressing and whimsical prose. The story hooked me at first. Then, the plot got dry for me and my urge to google the summary became overwhelming. Knowing where the story went, I don't think I would have enjoyed it. 2.5 stars

toothdoctork

Mar 04, 2025

Erin LOVED this one and the Alaskan Native lore