The Snow Child

OK, so I don’t do many reviews these days but this is one that I couldn’t resist. It’s a beautiful book and there’s been a huge amount of hype surrounding it which, as it turns out, is all for good reason – I’d heard whispers about it for months and when it was named one of the Waterstones 11 for 2012 (their pick of the best debut fiction of the year) I knew it was something I had to get my hands on, and I’m pleased to say that I did.

The Snow Child can best be described as a fairytale for adults. In fact, it takes its inspiration from the traditional Russian fairytale The Snow Maiden, and that magical and slightly otherworldly feel continues throughout the book.

A middle-aged couple, living on an Alaskan homestead, long for a child but after a devastating stillbirth 10 years previously are unable to fulfil their wishes. They’re lonely, isolated and are growing further and further apart, yet one evening they impulsively decide to build a snow girl when the first flakes begin to fall. The next morning their creation has disappeared, but footsteps are leading away from the pile of snow…

What follows is a truly enchanting story, full of hope and wonder, and the descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness only add to the magical feel of the book. The prose is beautiful and you can really feel the isolation and savage beauty of the situation the characters are in, and I found myself quite emotional by the end of it. When Jack and Mabel are joined by their snow child there are some really beautiful moments, and the small cast of characters that join them are all wonderful (particularly straight-talking but lovable Esther) and they really help bring the story to life.

It’s a short and sweet review, but trust me when I say that the book itself is even sweeter. I absolutely adored this book. It’s Eowyn Ivey’s first novel and I really hope it does as well as it’s tipped to, and if you’re intrigued by modern takes on traditional fairytales then you can’t go wrong. I really didn’t want it to end and am sure it’ll be on my shelves for a long time to come, and it’s even better for this time of year—it’s the perfect book to curl up with whilst you’re watching the snow fall outside, and I truly can’t recommend it enough.

(Thanks to Waterstones for my read and review copy)

Getting the balance right

So, I have a confession to make—I don’t think I’ve written anything remotely fiction-related since my failed attempt at NaNoWriMo. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve thought about fiction, and at times have even started planning things, but as far as putting fingers to keyboard? Nope. Nada.

My problem is that I have a really tough time trying to get the balance right between fiction and non-fiction writing. Non-fiction is of course my day job and so the bulk of my time is spent writing content, articles, blog posts and other pieces of copy, and I personally find it really tough to switch that off at the end of the day and focus on fiction instead. Actually, I find it almost impossible, particularly if I’ve written a few thousand words already—after all that writing my brain is fried and I can’t even string a sentence together, so come the evening I simply want to curl up in a ball and read someone else’s work instead.

But what about the weekend, I hear you cry? Valid point, and it’s this area I need to focus on the most. Again, because I write so much during the week the last thing I want to do is go anywhere near a laptop at the weekend, and instead prefer to have writing-free time with the only words I’m concerned with being those other people have written. This needs to change, and my action plan, therefore, is this:

• Carve out time to focus on fiction rather than spending all my time writing for other people, ideally spending an hour or two at the weekend on my own stuff.
• I need to put myself in a different mindset, one that says writing can be enjoyable when it isn’t for other people, whilst also giving me a kick up the backside saying HOW CAN YOU EVER WRITE A BOOK IF YOU CAN’T MAKE TIME FOR FICTION YOU BLITHERING IDIOT!! This is the voice I clearly need to listen to.
• Try to be more efficient with my day so that I get all my work-related writing finished as soon as possible, thereby freeing up more time to clear my head and potentially think about fiction.
• Read more books in the genre I want to write in, as well as those that could help me with the craft of fiction writing.
• Ideally I’d like to do more of the work I enjoy doing and less of the stuff I don’t, and being able to write fewer words a day so I can write in the evening without being brain dead would be perfect.

Of course, this isn’t all going to happen overnight, but even if I can manage to write a few words at the weekend it’ll be a good place to start. Let’s see how it goes…