Library Lines
When I picked up “Snow in Summer,” the new young adult novel by Jane Yolen, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a retelling of the Snow White story set in Webster Springs. Apparently Yolen’s late husband was born and raised there, and she spent many summer vacations in Webster Springs and at her in-laws cabin at Camp Caesar. Yolen loves the area and felt that it would be a perfect setting for her version of Snow White.
The story, set in the late 1940s, has all the elements of the familiar tale: a beautiful young girl with black hair, red lips and lily white skin; an evil stepmother who seems to have put a spell on young Snow in Summer’s father; a mysterious talking mirror which will answer questions; a young man named Hunter with evil intentions; and six small men who mine for a living (the seventh brother is away at college) and who give Snow in Summer shelter in their home up on Elk Mountain.
The story reads like any good fairytale, and Yolen cleverly uses familiar places and things to bring a West Virginia flavor to this old story of good, evil and true love.
I had to chuckle when Snow makes ramps for the brothers, and felt a shiver of sorrow for her lonely father who sits on her mother’s grave and plays the old banjo tunes she loved best, like “Tom Dula” and “Shady Grove.”
The story alternates viewpoints, from Snow’s to her stepmother’s to Cousin Nancy’s – Cousin Nancy who cared for her after her mother’s death and who helplessly watches Snow’s life unravel as her father slips away, first from grief and then – from bewitchment. – after meeting his new wife.
Yolen also does a wonderful job of creating a menacing Stepmama. She has one blue eye and one green eye, and requires Snow’s permission to enter the house for the first time. She brings with her bottles of potions (“These could make you very sick, Snow”) and a mirror covered in black velvet that is not to be touched. But Snow can’t help but be curious and is startled when the mirror does not show her own reflection, but a swirling, misty mass that speaks to Snow and answers questions.
“Will I ever see Mama again?”
“Yes,” the mirror replies, “You will see your mother twice, tears and laughter, but you will not know her until long, long after.”
And then later, Snow asks, “Who should I fear the most?” and receives this reply, “Fear the Hunter, fear the knife, fear the edge that takes a life.”
Fairytales are truly timeless, and this is a wonderful rendition. I would recommend it for readers 12 and older, especially girls who either love fairytales or who are reluctant readers.
“Snow in Summer” would draw just about anyone into the story, and keep them there until the final page.
