Angels in the Snow

Susannah D. Ketchum is a teacher-librarian at the Bishop Strachan School
in Toronto. She also serves on the Southern Ontario Library Services
Board.

Nicole’s mother left home when Nicole was seven, and for nearly eight
years Nicole has wanted to ask why. Although she and her mother have
written to each other, they have not seen each other for seven years.
Now her mother, teaching in Japan, has asked if Nicole would like to
come for an extended visit. Nicole is not sure. Japan is so far away.
What if her mother does not like her? What if she does not like her
mother? To complicate matters, Nicole’s father has fallen in love and
plans to marry again. Nicole does go to Japan. She and her mother do
like each other, and Nicole learns to recognize the “angels” in her
life.

Angels in the Snow is Wenda Young’s first novel. Young, who has
published poetry and short fiction in The Antigonish Review and other
literary periodicals, writes well and perceptively. Angels in the Snow
boasts a large cast of well-developed and delightful characters. Several
subplots—such as Nicole’s burgeoning friendship with young Kip next
door, and her relationship with her paternal grandparents—add variety
and depth to the novel. Armchair travelers will enjoy experiencing Japan
through Nicole’s eyes. Young manages to incorporate Japanese culture,
language, and scenery in ways that never seem contrived.

Told in the first person, the novel is often introspective. Many young
readers will sympathize with Nicole when she explains that, as a child,
she “didn’t want anyone making a fuss over me because that made the
hurt worse.” The pace may be a little slow, however, for some readers:
it isn’t until page 107 that Nicole decides she will visit Japan.
Recommended.