My Five Word TL:DR Review: Beautiful Writing packed with atmosphere

A few years ago I read The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey and was really captivated by her beautiful writing, the atmosphere that she manages to create and the magical realism and folklore that seem to be part and parcel of her storytelling.  I’m not sure that I loved Black Woods, Blue Sky as much as the Snow Child but it was a compelling read nonetheless.  Similarly to SC the ending is bitter sweet and the story is fraught with ups and downs, sometimes feeling really quite sad and on occasion even managing to exasperate me slightly.  But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

This story centres around a young woman called Birdie and her six year old daughter Emaleen.  Birdie is a single mother struggling to cope.  She works in a bar at a roadside lodge in Alaska and frequently indulges in more than she should which leads people to side-eye her more often than not.  She doesn’t have a great deal of money, little support and frequently leaves her daughter in their cabin while she works (at nights) or takes her with her (if she’s working days).  There are lots of questionable actions here yet I wouldn’t say Birdie has bad intentions.  She clearly loves her daughter and this is reciprocated but without doubt their life is a hard one and in some ways Birdie is not only ill prepared to look after another human being but she’s also still hankering after more of a life for herself.  Little surprise that when love comes in the form of a gentle giant of a man who seems to be short on words and shy of relationships she jumps at the chance.  The chance to run away with her daughter into the wilds and live a life of freedom.  Unfortunately, there isn’t always a happily ever after.

I don’t really want to elaborate too much on the plot but rather discuss my thoughts and feelings, which might be a bit messy with this book as it certainly felt like it put me through the emotional wrangler.  

Ivey definitely has a winning way with words and the ability to conjure a scene.  Similarly her characters were well drawn and I found myself wanting something better for Birdie and Em – I really wanted things to work out.

Birdie.  Well, she’s perhaps not the type of character that you will immediately warm to.  I felt exasperated with her at times as she made reckless decisions that for me were just unimaginably dangerous for her daughter – I mean, she decides to go and live up in the mountains, with a man she barely knows, in a place where there is no electricity, no running water, no basic amenities, no way to buy provisions, and yet, in spite of all my concerns – at times the life seemed almost idyllic.  Chasing butterflies, swimming in the nearby stream, picking berries and eating them with pancakes and honey.  The problem with it all – I had a bad feeling about the whole packing up and going to live in the forest endeavour – and this is compounded by the way the story is written.  You never really have a chance to relax, like the author doesn’t really try to lull you into a sense of false security – you are constantly aware that things could, and probably will, turn ugly.  

This brings me to Birdie’s love interest, Arthur.  I’m not going to give you his back story.  He lives a strange and unaccountable life and yet he suddenly finds himself becoming attached to Birdie and her daughter.  He’s an unusual man in that he simply doesn’t mix with others.  His ability even to converse is limited and yet I found myself particularly enjoying the exchanges that he and Em had and perhaps this is because Arthur is almost like a child himself in some respects.

Now, I don’t want to give away spoilers but Arthur can be dangerous.  Which isn’t to say that he is violent or aggressive or that he treats Birdie or Em badly.  More he has a side to his character that is untamed and the more that he and Birdie become attached – the more they become undone.  Arthur isn’t used to restrictions.  He comes and goes at will and yet he now wants to please Birdie, which ultimately starts to have a negative impact on him in unforeseen ways.  On the other hand, Birdie also finds herself falling in love with Arthur which makes her act rashly and without thought about what could be dangerous.  So, here they are, just bumbling along and yet the tension is rising and you can feel the anticipation of something going to hell in a handcart – like the air is positively crackling with the possibility of doom.

Then there are all the thoughts that were churning through my brain.  It just didn’t seem right for Birdie to drag Em up to the middle of the mountains practically on a whim.  Partly if felt like she was running away – on the one hand from all the judgemental looks and interference but on the other – also from responsibility.  It felt like a delicate thing, a bubble, that could burst at any time. 

In terms of reservations.  I thought the last, maybe 20/30% felt almost rushed, particularly given the way the earlier parts of the book meandered and, yes, I would mention, this is not a particularly fast read – or not one that you should try to race through.  It is thought provoking, the writing begs to be lingered over, the backstories are intriguing and well thought out.  The scenery springs to life off the page.  But, like I mentioned above, it feels inevitably sad.  Then there’s this bitter sweet ending which just left me feeling almost unaccountably aggravated, I’m not even expressing myself very well here because even now I have moments of annoyance at some of the events and almost, still, like a longing, a ‘what if’ maybe things could have been different and then I have to give my head a wobble.  It is what it is.  I also had another slight niggle which is difficult to discuss here as it could be a spoiler.  It centres around Arthur and his final actions – I don’t think I really understood how in one respect he is a slave to his own nature and yet later on in the story he seems to feel sadness and guilt – I’m still pondering that one.  I know this is infuriatingly vague but I just don’t want to be that person who spills the beans.

Overall, I enjoyed this.  I think I’d describe it as a little heavier on the black woods than the blue sky but I am a sucker for this author’s way with words.  I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

My rating –  4 of 5 stars