A captivating and vividly evoked historical drama and family mystery combined.
A Woman Made of Snow is a captivating and vividly evoked historical drama set across two interconnected timelines and centred around a century-long family mystery within the Gillan clan. Beautifully written, unexpectedly gripping and decidedly astute on relations with the in-laws, it is a very readable story of one woman struggling to find her way amidst domestic upheaval and an overbearing mother-in-law. The freedom that she enjoyed during the war has led independent Cambridge history graduate, Caroline “Caro” Winters, to imagine a rather different life for herself and husband-to-be Alasdair Gillan post-war, namely mixing in the academic circles of London. That was until Alasdair’s only offer of a post came from St Andrews and Caro discovered she was expecting a baby. Living in a simple cottage within the grounds of Kelly Castle, Alasdair’s isolated family estate in Fife, Caro finds herself part of a family very different to her own and struggles to rub along with her mother-in-law, Martha.
In an effort to keep hold of the crumbling family estate, Martha employs Caro to resume the work of her late husband and complete the family history. A long-standing family mystery surrounds the identity of Alasdair’s great-grandmother, with the woman in question legitimately married to his grandfather, expunged from all records. To historian Caro the mystery is manna from heaven that not only immerses her in her husband’s family history but, more importantly, sparks her back into life. When bones are discovered within the grounds of the estate, Caro’s quest goes from curiosity to something far more significant and decidedly darker. Narrated largely from the perspective of Caro with contributions from Martha, mother, son and daughter-in-law soon find themselves becoming co-conspirators in a bid to bring the past to light. A second timeline from the 1800’s follows the life of Alasdair’s great-grandfather, Oliver Gillan, as he progresses from boy to man and leaves Kelly Castle for medical studies in Edinburgh and in a twist of fate serves as surgeon on the whaling ship undertaking a risky voyage to Baffin Island and the Arctic. Revealing just what did happen to Alasdair’s great-grandmother, and what she did to deserve being removed from all records, along with the identity of the bones proves a fascinating story that shines a light on Scotland’s Arctic whaling history and the Inuit culture, both hitherto completely unknown to me.
An undercurrent of tension in the relationship between Caro and Martha runs throughout the 1949 timeline and is brilliantly observed. Desperate not to repeat the frosty welcome that she received from Alasdair’s exacting grandmother and hopeful of making a friend out of her daughter-in-law, the mystery provides Martha with the key to making sense of her past and ultimately embracing the future in Caro. What stands out in this novel, be it in Kelly Castle, the jute mills and whaling ships in Dundee or the Arctic, is the exquisite sense of place that Elisabeth Gifford conjures up. Moving back and forth between timelines, the book is a sweeping, well-researched and truly evocative affair with a terrifically satisfying mystery element.
In an effort to keep hold of the crumbling family estate, Martha employs Caro to resume the work of her late husband and complete the family history. A long-standing family mystery surrounds the identity of Alasdair’s great-grandmother, with the woman in question legitimately married to his grandfather, expunged from all records. To historian Caro the mystery is manna from heaven that not only immerses her in her husband’s family history but, more importantly, sparks her back into life. When bones are discovered within the grounds of the estate, Caro’s quest goes from curiosity to something far more significant and decidedly darker. Narrated largely from the perspective of Caro with contributions from Martha, mother, son and daughter-in-law soon find themselves becoming co-conspirators in a bid to bring the past to light. A second timeline from the 1800’s follows the life of Alasdair’s great-grandfather, Oliver Gillan, as he progresses from boy to man and leaves Kelly Castle for medical studies in Edinburgh and in a twist of fate serves as surgeon on the whaling ship undertaking a risky voyage to Baffin Island and the Arctic. Revealing just what did happen to Alasdair’s great-grandmother, and what she did to deserve being removed from all records, along with the identity of the bones proves a fascinating story that shines a light on Scotland’s Arctic whaling history and the Inuit culture, both hitherto completely unknown to me.
An undercurrent of tension in the relationship between Caro and Martha runs throughout the 1949 timeline and is brilliantly observed. Desperate not to repeat the frosty welcome that she received from Alasdair’s exacting grandmother and hopeful of making a friend out of her daughter-in-law, the mystery provides Martha with the key to making sense of her past and ultimately embracing the future in Caro. What stands out in this novel, be it in Kelly Castle, the jute mills and whaling ships in Dundee or the Arctic, is the exquisite sense of place that Elisabeth Gifford conjures up. Moving back and forth between timelines, the book is a sweeping, well-researched and truly evocative affair with a terrifically satisfying mystery element.