The Snow Child

Explore the novel’s definition of love. We are given strikingly different definitions of it. Compare and contrast each to decide which, if any, the novel endorses.

This novel is a study in handling grief. Mabel and Jack are influenced by the loss of their stillborn child. What do Faina and the wilderness teach them about death?

Faina initially seems like an apparition, either a manifestation of grief or some magical phenomenon. After Faina shows Jack her hut in the woods, we know that she is real. Discuss how the novel juxtaposes fairy-tale fantasy against journalistic realism. What is the appeal of “once upon a time”?

Why does the author not use quotation marks around Faina’s dialogue?

Perhaps the most disturbing scene in the novel is in Chapter 38, when Garrett watches Faina kill and then gut a wild swan. What does that scene reveal about Faina? Why does Garrett find the mysterious woman so mesmerizing? Are we to be appalled or impressed by Faina’s prowess?

In Chapter 42, Faina takes Garrett to a cave where a mother bear hibernates with her cubs. He is careful not to disturb the mother, acknowledging her fierce power. Discuss the novel’s argument about the nature of maternal love.

Discuss the role of the Bensons in the healing of Mabel and Jack. Why do they help Jack and Mabel? How does Jack compare to George; how does Mabel compare to Esther? What do the Benson home and family dynamic show Jack and Mabel?

Faina’s return to the wilderness is not an easy decision for many readers to accept. Is her choice desperate self-preservation, selfless heroism, or a coldhearted flight from responsibility? Compare Faina’s decision to abandon her family with Garrett’s decision to stay. Which is a greater act of love?