An Echo Through the Snow [Hardcover]

Andrea Thalasinos (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 21, 2012

Andrea Thalasinos's debut novel is an inspiring story of how a single act of kindness can transform your life.

 

Rosalie MacKenzie is headed nowhere until she sees Smokey, a Siberian husky suffering from neglect. Rosalie finds the courage to rescue the dog, and—united by the bond of love that forms between them—they save each other. 

Soon Rosalie and Smokey are immersed in the world of competitive dogsled racing. Days are filled with training runs, the stark beauty of rural Wisconsin, and the whoosh of runners on snow. Rosalie discovers that behind the modern sport lies a tragic history: the heartbreaking story of the Chukchi people of Siberia. When Stalin’s Red Army displaced the Chukchi in 1929, many were killed and others lost their homes and their beloved Guardians—the huskies that were the soul and livelihood of their people.

Alternating between past and present, telling of a struggling Chukchi family and a young woman discovering herself, An Echo Through the Snow takes readers on a gripping, profound, and uplifting dogsled ride to the Iditarod and beyond, on a journey of survival and healing.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Andrea Thalasinos has written a sensitive and engaging story which beautifully illustrates the ancient human/canine bond. Her rendering of the little known story of the Chukchi people of Siberia is heart-wrenching and uplifting at the same time. The interwoven stories of Jeaantaa and Rosalie and the dogs that mean so much to them is destined to become a classic.”
—Susan Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of One Good Dog

“The author's love of dogs and the land come shining through in this compelling and evocative novel. Don't pick it up unless you're able to step on the sled, listen to the panting of the dogs and the thump of their paws on the trail while you enjoy the ride—I read it straight through and couldn't put it down.”
—Patricia McConnell, Ph.D. author of The Other End of the Leash

“Powerful debut...stark, gorgeous prose and a timeless story of love realized, lessons learned, and paths taken.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“Beautifully drawn and emotionally resonant.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Delicate and vivid as the beadwork Rosalie works on by night, energetic and fast-paced as the dog teams she handles by day, An Echo Through the Snow is an elaborate weaving of past and present, of two women trapped by their circumstances and determined to set themselves free. I loved this book.”
—Michelle Diener, author of In a Treacherous Court

“If you like dogs, history, and richly drawn characters, An Echo Through the Snow is the book you've been waiting for. Fascinating, and deeply moving.”
—Randi Barrow, author of Saving Zasha

About the Author

ANDREA THALASINOS, Ph.D., is a professor of sociology at Madison College. Her respect for huskies grew while she was running her own sled team of six dogs. She helped found a dog rescue group in the upper Midwest for displaced northern breeds. Andrea lives and writes in Madison, Wisconsin. An Echo Through the Snow is her first novel.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 370 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; Stated First Edition edition (August 21, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765330369
• ISBN-13: 978-0765330369
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.3 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #658,204 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent read August 4, 2012

By reviewer

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Andrea Thalasinos has an uncanny ability to portray the behaviors of dogs and their interaction with humans. She makes a reader feel immediately connected to the characters and the dogs came alive under her vivid descriptions. More than once I was so moved I broke down in tears with the story. This was an excellent book. I just want to go back and read it over again.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Echo Through the Snow August 13, 2012

By Gail Rodgers VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This was an excellent book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I had just read several poorly written books that I needed to review, so this book was a delight to pick up and hard to put down. In this book the lives of two Native women, one from the former USSR and one from the States, intertwine through time based on their love of husky dogs. Rachel a young woman from a reservation in northern Wisconsin goes around with an unseen 'kick me' sign on her. Most people don't like her; much less appreciate her uniqueness, something she can't even see about herself. Then she comes upon a junkyard dog that needs healing and help. Before she knows what is going on, she is helping at a kennel where they train and race dogs. At last, her true intelligence and inborn ability to work with dogs blossoms. Meanwhile 60 years earlier in time, a Native family and their whole village in Siberia are disrupted by the Communist USSR takeover that burns their possessions, kills many of them, and takes their children away to state schools where parents can see them only 2 days a year. Tariem throughout the years of heartache and disruption continues to search for his wife who disappeared and the dogs she took with her during this time. We are given glimpses of their lives over the years as they try to become accustomed to the life they were being forced to live.

We get a hard look at yet another country coming along and trying to over ride the centuries old way of living of their native people. They are no longer allowed to practice their religion, their hunting and gathering tools are taken away and they are forced to live in camps at the whims of the Soviets.... It is only with the overthrow of the Soviet empire that these people, what were left of them, were allowed (actually more like abandoned to the elements) to return to their ancestral homelands to try to rebuild their lives. With most of the old people gone and their memories of how to hunt and fish, only Tariem is left to teach the younger villagers how to fish otherwise they would have all died of starvation the winter they were abandoned. If this story of interrupted lives sounds familiar, it is because it is. The US in many ways treated the Eskimo and Native American population much the same way, with trying to take away their religion, their source of food, sent their children to state schools etc. I'm not sure whose bright idea it was to do this to these people, but it was wrong. While this lovely book didn't say it was wrong, it showed how it was wrong and how the people suffered for decisions made about them by people who had never seen those living thousands of miles away from themselves.

While this book could have become a depressing book since it wasn't all wonderful and nothing bad happened to the people, instead when the bad things happened, they try to work through them and carry on. The book ends on a very high positive note, showing how two or more cultures can come together, work and play together as long as they all respect each other and one doesn't try to dominate the others.

I will be looking forward to more books by this author. Read more ›

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For the Love of a Dog June 28, 2012

By Eileen Granfors TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I'm a sucker for dog books, from Edgar Sawtelle to Enzo in "The Art of Racing in the Rain." When I had a chance to read "An Echo in the Snow" by Andrea Thalasinos, I hesitated only because of the blurb referring to an abused dog. Animal cruelty weighs heavily on my heart.

Luckily, Rosalie MacKenzie works through the situation with Smokey quickly, taking him from a chained up guard dog, barely fed and treated with disrespect, to her own, much-loved dog. This happens early in the book.

Rosalie has a habit of getting fired for a bad attitude. She is sullen and nervous. Having lost her mother at a young age, she raised herself when her father, Arlan, went into alcohol-fueled grief. Once she has Smokey to care for, Rosalie's life expands.

She is taken on as a helper to Jan and Dave, who train dog teams. They are as dedicated to their dogs as most people are to their children. The couple takes to Rosalie right away. She has a way with dogs, reading their body language comes naturally to her. Although she feels pressured to keep stepping up her skills and responsibilities at the kennel, the couple does not waiver in their respect for her. She is given a team to train.

Through them she meets the town vet. He too sees something special in Rosalie when she's with animals. He too pushes her to consider a life beyond her little village of dead ends on Lake Superior.

Woven into the story of Rosalie is the story of the native peoples of Chukchi. Their knowledge of the woods and their respect for life go together in a religious symmetry. They are not, however, especially kind to one another, to their wives, to their children. When the Stalinist Russians overtake their villages, the people are ruthlessly killed, taken to work camps, and split up as families.... The story of Jeaantaa, her Guardian dogs, and the brothers Tariem and Uptek, brings in the history of the native people and the use of dogs with dog sleds.

The setting is a character here. From the wild lands around Lake Superior through the pine forests and frozen lake across the Bering Sea to a peninsula of Siberia, Thalasinos uses the setting show the hardships of life in the far reaches of
North America/Asia and the resilience of people who are there permanently. It is not quite the vacationland the summer tourists, oooh and ah over. They come to shoot an animal or take in more fish than they can eat and promptly leave.

Thalasinos examines environmental damage, small-town life, the impact of foreign regimes on native cultures, and the life of dog teams with astute attention to detail all the while telling a story of a young girl saved from a life of low expectations. This is a beautiful book. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great atmosphere and characters July 26, 2012

By J. Ryan

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I loved the cold, wintry settings in this and the way the book took me to totally different places and times. The story moved me and was written with great heart and strong women protagonists, though I was confused at times and had to reread sections to be sure of what was going on. I think this was a very original, enjoyable book that needed a stronger editorial hand to move the story along in a few spots and add greater clarity.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Gothic Mom's Book Review September 2, 2012

By ANNETTE M GUERRIERO

Format:Hardcover

Today's review is on An Echo Through the Snow by Andrea Thalasinos

With all of the hype surrounding the release of this book, I was expecting to be carried away on a fantastic journey. Sadly this was not the case. Though there are parts of the book that I did enjoy, An Echo Through the Snow has some serious flaws.

First off, for a book of this size, I should have a firm understanding of the major players. However, as it's written, I don't get a real "feel" for the Chukchi people, let alone Jeaantaa or Tariem. In fact, I have more questions regarding their relationship than not. Questions that should have been answered by the end of the book.

And speaking of relationships, why even put in another dysfunctional "love" for Rosalie only to kill him off?? That relationship could have not only been developed better, but it could have resolved some issues for Rosalie.

I've never been to Siberia, so I want to see, smell, and feel it through the author's description of it. Unfortunately this didn't happen either.
A friend of mine once said that you have to "visualize what you are writing about. Close your eyes and think about what you smell. What you feel. What is going on around you?" Then open your eyes and write about it." This is something that perhaps the author needs to work on.

These are just but a fraction of reasons why An Echo Through the Snow didn't meet my expectations. I'm sure others may love it, for me it's just average.

3 of 5 stars
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