book review: snow dust and boneshine
Image: Snow Dust and Boneshine
Once upon a winter’s night, a lost cowboy finds himself in Purgatory Bend. Patrick Doolin is plagued by a wound that won’t heal, but winter is the season of miracles. As Patrick wanders through Wyoming, he meets Fawna, the mysterious granny witch, who channels the folk magic of her ancestors.
With nowhere to go and a secret Patrick doesn’t yet understand, he seeks shelter with Fawna in the snowswept prairie. Forbidden to fall in love, they form an eternal bond in the dreamscape, but when the bluebirds sing of summer and threaten their empire of dreams, they are faced with an impossible decision. Will Patrick stay in the land of the living, or will he cross over the prairie?
Summer is the season of surprises, and Fawna’s childhood sweetheart, Dezi Ketchum, longs to win her heart too. When winter melts across the gold-slick prairie, Fawna searches for answers under the rose moon. Caught between fire and water and flesh and fantasy, she follows her heart and ventures into uncharted territory.
Ever read a book that’s entirely unlike anything you’ve read before?
Snow Dust and Boneshine is a gentle, dreamy, warm tale of star-crossed lovers, of resilience, of history, and of community. I'm not entirely sure how to categorise it (Western? Magical realism? Fantasy? Visionary fiction?) but it doesn't matter - the cosy, character-focused narrative makes this book like one long hug.
There is no 'big bad' in this; the challenges are internal, overcoming grief and change and learning from the past. Soleil's prose is beautiful, evocative and tranquil and tender, almost as if she's reading us a bedtime story. The folk-magic system is fascinating, and I loved that each chapter was delineated by a type of moon. I also loved Soleil's weaving of her characters' Irish ancestry into their new lives in America, and how she let the echoes of that past ripple into their future.
I did find parts of this quite steady; if you’re a reader who prefers fast-paced action, then you might find yourself frustrated by the way the story meanders. I felt that the slower pace suited the story and Soleil’s dreamy style, and I liked the contrast to the current popular novels, which seem all plot with little substance behind it. This had more of a ‘literary’ feel to it, like it could be a companion to a classic novel. I look forward to reading more from Soleil in the future.
Strengths:
Beautiful, dreamy, tranquil prose;
A magical, evocative setting featuring fascinating folk-magic;
Warm, relatable characters;
A ‘low stress’, cosy read.
One sentence summary:
A beautifully-written, dream-like, and tranquil novel featuring warm characters within an evocative, magical setting.