Alaskan Literature

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Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey

A new novel by Eowyn Ivey is like no other anticipated novel for me. I still remember the effect of reading her debut The Snow Child, my One Outstanding Read of 2012 and now with Black Woods, Blue Sky, she has created that magic again.

It is extraordinary.

No Madeleine in Sight

The title is a reference to this quote from Marcel Proust:

Black Woods Blue sky by Eowyn Ivey book cover, the words a reference to Proust, the cover shows black tree trunks and a blue background, behind a tree a standing bear, his shadow is the shape of a man

Now are the woods all black
but still the sky is blue
May you always see a blue sky overhead
my young friend
and then
even when the time comes
which is coming now for me
when the woods are black
when night is falling
you will be able to console yourself
as I am doing
by looking up to the sky.

A Nature vs Nurture Conundrum

On the cover, we see the blue sky and the black woods and an image of a standing bear, whose shadow is a man.

It is the story of troubled Birdie, her six year old daughter Emaleen and a reclusive character Arthur, who Birdie is entranced by. In the opening scene Birdie awakens with a hangover, goes off into the woods with a fishing line, leaving her daughter alone sleeping, forgetting to take her rifle.

The large more fearsome grizzly bears were rarely seen, leaving only paw prints or piles of scat in the woods. But now and then, a bear would surprise you. They were too smart to be entirely predictable.

This entire scene is a foreshadowing of the novel, of the attempt of a young, single mother to do right, who doesn’t have sufficient awareness of certain red lines she should not cross, which have nothing to do with the depth of love she has for her child and the determination to do better than how she was mothered.

Though she doesn’t yet know him that well, and despite his odd way of being and other clues that might make her question going off to be with him, she and her daughter depart for the cabin in the mountains where Arthur dwells, not realising they will be living off the grid.

Arthur has some strange tendencies that Birdie tries to understand. Emaleen understands more than her mother and is both sympathetic to him and afraid of him.

The Alaskan Wilderness, Beauty and Bears

Photo by Francisco C. Castells on Pexels.com

The novel charts their relationship and brings the Akaskan landscape and botanical life alive, in all its beauty and bite.

The novel is told in three parts, each one introduced with a black and white pencil illustration of a native Alaskan plant, one that symbolically has something to say about what will pass.

It is also a study in the nature of the bear, of the similarity of some of their their instincts to humans.

A sow grizzly appeared to care for her cubs with the same tender exasperation as a human mother, and when threatened by a bear twice her size, she wouldn’t hesitate to put herself between the attacker and her offspring. She was the most formidable animal in all of the Alaska wilderness, a sow defending her cub.

In the Wilderness Pay Attention

While the initial period of their stay is encouraging, the signs of discontent are already present and like Icarus who flew too close to the sun, Birdie’s judgement is impaired.

It was impossible, what Birdie wanted. To go alone, to experience the world on her own terms. But also, to share it all with Emaleen.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

In an attempt to try and appease Birdie, he suggests she takes a day to herself, to be free as she desires. All is well until she is lured by shrubs of blueberries that lead her off course, or was it when she stepped into a ring of mushrooms igniting an age-old curse.

Don’t you dare go blundering into it. That’s what Grandma Jo would say. Witches and fairies danced in a circle here on moonlit nights, the mushrooms sprouting up where their feet touched. If you trespassed inside the circle, they would punish you. You might be forced to dance away the rest of your life in the ring, or, if you escaped, the curse would follow you back home and weave mischief and sorrow through your days.

The novel has a strong element of suspense at the same time as it explores the effect of decisions made by adults on children, on the things that might be overcome and others that are unlikely to. Every character carries something that contributes to our understanding of the story and the responses of the little girl Emaleen highlight much that demands our attention.

Autobiographical Elements

Eowyn Ivey describes Black Woods, Blue Sky as her most personal yet and the most important story she has ever told, with Emaleen being the closest to an autobiographical character she has written. It is a story the author had been trying to figure out how to write her entire life, as she wrote into ‘the darkest fears and most magical memories of childhood’, while demonstrating how people’s choices have a ripple effect through time.

“…the little girl’s fear and sense of magic, the feeling she loves about being so far out in the wilderness of Alaska, but also the thing she is afraid of, that is all directly from me”

It is a heart-stopping, captivating read, unpredictable and nerve-wracking in parts and yet we are able to bear witness, knowing we are safe in the hands of an empathetic, nature loving author, whose authenticity and understanding of human nature resonate throughout the text. Just brilliant.

If you enjoyed The Snow Child, you will love this too. If you haven’t read Eowyn Ivey yet, you’re in for a treat.

Outstanding. Best of 2025.

Author, Eowyn Ivey

Eowyn Ivey is the author of The Snow Child, an international bestseller published in thirty countries, a Richard and Judy Bookclub pick, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and winner of a British Book Award.

Her second novel, To the Bright Edge of the World, was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award, shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award, and was a Washington Post Notable Book.

A former bookseller and reporter, she was raised in and lives in Alaska.

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Two Old Women by Velma Wallis

I bought a second-hand copy of Two Old Women, after it was recommended by someone whose reading I follow as one of her favourite books, I remember it being an interesting list of books that I had never heard of and this small book, an Alaskan legend of betrayal, courage and survival intrigued me enough to get it.

Velma Wallis was born in Fort Yukon, a remote village in interior Alaska and grew up in a traditional Athabaskan family. Alaskan Athabaskans are native to Alaska, the original inhabitants of the interior of Alaska, living a culture of inland creek and river fishing, fabricating what they need from the resources that surround them, living by a matrilineal system in which children belong to the mother’s clan.

They are believed to have descended from Asians who crossed from eastern Siberia into Alaska during an early Ice Age.

The People Velma Wallis writes about in this legend, roamed the land and rivers around the area she was born, following trails that ensured they had access to the necessary resources to survive the changing seasons. They depended on the annual salmon runs and large game as well as small animals, using their skins for warmth.

Growing up in a traditional way, the young Velma also lived in different summer and winter cabins and although no longer a child, she enjoyed the nightly stories her mother continue to narrate. One of those stories was about two old women and their journey through hardship and it lead to her mother reflecting on how she had been able to overcome her own obstacles of old age, despite how physically agonising it could be.

The story held such fascination to her that she wrote it down and it evolved into this little book, once a story handed down from generation to generation, now committed to print so that an ever wider audience could learn from its wisdom.

“This story told me that there is no limit to one’s ability – certainly not age – to accomplish in life what one must. Within each individual in this large and complicated world there lives an astounding potential of greatness. Yet it is rare that these hidden gifts are brought to life unless by chance of fate.” Velma Wallis

The story tells of a group of nomads, People of the arctic region of Alaska who are on the move in search of food, but this particular winter they are beset with problems, the game they usually hunt due to the excess cold have become difficult to find and the smaller animals are not enough to sustain the group. Hunters are fed first, meaning there is often not enough for the women and children.

In the group there are two old women whom the People care for, Ch’idzigyaak and Sa’, younger men set up their shelters, younger women pull their possessions, however they are both known for constantly complaining of their aches and pains. One day, the chief makes a sudden announcement, one that the group has heard of from their stories, but never witnessed within their own band.

“The council and I have arrived at a decision.” The chief paused as if to find the strength to voice his next words. “We are going to have to leave the old ones behind.”

The women are shocked, as are the People, the older woman has a daughter and grandson, however no one objects, not even the daughter, though she leaves her mother a parting gift, one that will be intrinsic to their survival.

The group moves away leaving the stunned women sitting by the remains of their temporary camp. Until they awaken to the reality of their situation and find within them the will to move.

“Yes, in their own way they have condemned us to die! They think we are too old and useless. They forget that we, too, have earned the right to love! So I say if we are going to die, my friend, let us die trying, not sitting.”

And so begins a challenging journey, a reawakening and discovery of talents that had lain dormant from lack of use, as the two women set out to prove their People wrong and more, to set an example, though no one is there to witness it.

It’s a fabulous and poignant story about the value of the accumulation of years, and a reminder for those who arrive there not to lapse into laziness and a sense of entitlement, the respect that they deserve should be earned, the wisdom they are able to impart is not just what is spoken, it can be demonstrated by their actions and attitudes. Its’ beautiful illustrations by James Grant bring the story to life and it is equally an ode to the importance of sharing experiences through friendship and community.

Highly Recommended!