Sophie Anderson: The Snow Girl (Usborne 2023)
Tascha moves with her parents up north to live with her grandfather to help him with the chores around the house. For Tascha, it is a relief to move away from the beach, where she was burdened by bad memories and to be near to her beloved grandfather, who always tells interesting stories. Tascha’s favorite tale is about an old couple who build themselves a little girl out of snow, and because they have no children, the snow girl comes to life at their wish. Tascha is also lonely, she has no friends, so she also builds a snow girl who, like in the fairy tale, comes to life. However, all variations of the story end with the girl melting away when spring comes. Will Tascha find a way to get her friend to stay with her after the first snowdrops appear?
In this book, Sophie Anderson, known for her love of Slavic mythology, elaborates the story of the Snow Maiden or Snegurochka. The folk tale was first written down by Alexsandr Afanas’ev in the middle of the 19th century, but there is also a German equivalent. It is interesting that the names of the old couple in the story are Ivan and Marya, just like Tascha’s grandparents. The fairy tale has inspired many works of art, films, plays, music and ballets, and in modern Russia, the Snow Maiden is Father Frost’s (Ded Moroz) helper during the New Year’s Celebrations, helping to deliver the presents to the children. In this work, she represents that, although everything is fleeting, we should try to live fully in the time available for us and not be afraid to let others getting close to us.
The Snow Girl is another fantastic story by the author, whose books you may read about on BogiWrites. I hope to be able to pick up another of her novels soon.
