when i was about one hundred pages from the end of this book, i tugged on greg's sleeve at work, and said, "is this gonna end sad??"

and he refused to answer.

i think that was a good impulse.

because i almost don't wanna review this. this book was such a beautiful journey, and taking place as it does over a number of years, there are naturally high and low points, emotionally.

but i'm not going to tell you how it ends up.

i will tell you that i VERY NEARLY CRIED early on. like page 42-early.i misted, but nothing tumbled out.that is a big deal for me, and from that point on, i was hooked.

i suppose i can give you some brief descriptions, for those of you who strangely don't see the cover and instantly think "must. read."

jack and mabel are a couple who married late(r) in life than typical for the 1920's, suffered a miscarriage, and move to alaska to try their hand at homesteading, as a way of isolating themselves from the constant reminder of their loss, their friends and families with their healthy children, and the sorrow hanging over them. now in their fifties, the idea was that the solitude would heal them, and together, they would build a new life and cleave together with a love stronger than ever.

this didn't exactly pan out, and each of them descends into their own private griefs and the hardships the brutal carelessness of nature presents, and their own inability to communicate further isolates them from any potential for healing.

until one night, when an unexpected levity descends upon them, and they build a snow child together, dressing her in a hat and mittens that they have, and carving the face of a beautiful girl upon her.

the next morning, the snow child, and the clothing, are gone, and there are faint footprints leading away from where the snow child was built.

soon, they start seeing glimpses of a little girl in the woods in the company of a red fox. fleeting, shy, wild.

is this the snow child come to life? is it all a coincidence?? is there magic afoot? is it simply grief-fueled madness? cabin fever? any other explanation?

with the help of their neighbors; including the amazingly plainspoken and badass character of esther, and their elusive snow child, their solitude will lessen, and these questions will be answered, while a beautiful story unfolds.

this book may be based on a fairy tale, but there is no easy magical deus ex machina at work here.the bulk of the book is about survival - whether it be survival from poverty and lack, or from loneliness and loss. it is about the bonds of family, however "family" is necessarily redefined through circumstances,and the painful sacrifices we make for love.

it is a beautiful and mature debut novel, and although i read the ARC, i am definitely going to buy the book when it comes out, because this one is a keeper.

anything else i could say would ruin it. trust me.