Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

This story was beautifully told. I loved the authors characters and descriptions, I felt like I was there but the story line didn't do it for me. I mean, the story is over and I'm still a bit confused. I wasn't sure what to believe, then when I thought I had it straight, I was wrong but how could it be really? Huh?

The story is about a couple, Mabel & Jack, who move to Alaska. Farming the land is very hard on Jack and loneliness is almost paralyzing to Mabel. One day after the first snow, Mabel and Jack build a snowman... then they decide to make it a girl and provide her with red mittens and a red hat while Jack carves a face with his knife. The next morning the snow girl is destroyed, the gloves and hat are gone and there are tracks leading from the snow girl to the woods but none leading from the woods to the snow girl.... then they spot a little girl, Faina, with blonde hair and red mittens and hat in the woods.... things that make you go hmmm.... Did the girl steal the hat and mittens from the snow girl - but what about the tracks?

Basically the story told is the re-telling of a Russian children story that Mabel loved as a child that was told her by her father from an old Russian book.

It's a story like none other. I've never read one like this and I was hoping for so much more... I mean just when I thought I had it figured out, I was proven wrong. So weird for me. My imagination just can't do the math.