Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas

Synopsis from the author's website:

Whiter Than Snow, Sandra’s ninth novel,opens in 1920 on a spring afternoon in Swandyke,a small town near Colorado’s Tenmile Range. Just moments after four o’clock, a large split of snow separates from Jubilee Mountain high above the tiny hamlet and hurtles down the rocky slope, sweeping up everything in its path including nine young children who are walking home from school. But only four children survive. Whiter Than Snow takes you into the lives of each of these families. Ultimately, each story serves as an allegory to the greater theme of the novel by echoing that fate, chance, and perhaps even divine providence, are all woven into the fabric of everyday life. And it’s through each character’s defining moment in his or her past that the reader understands how each child has become its parent’s purpose for living. In the end, it’s a novel of forgiveness, redemption, survival, faith, and family.

My thoughts:
I didn't read any summaries or reviews of this novel before reading it. It was written by one of my favorite authors so I knew I would want to read it. The approach to this story was different in that a huge chunk of the story was revealed at the very beginning, or so I thought. This story opens with the avalanche, but there is so much more to it. Once the avalanche is revealed Dallas takes you back in time to get to know each of the characters affected by the tragedy. In telling the individual stories, Dallas is able to weave it all back together and tie up the loose ends.

At first I didn't like this approach. It left me with a very disconnected feeling while I was reading. I found myself having a hard time connecting with some of the characters. As I've gotten further away from it and had time to reflect on the story, I've come to appreciate the approach and the characters.

My favorite work by Dallas is still Tallgrass, but I still enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to others.

Disclosure: I received my copy of Whiter Than Snow from the publicist in exchange for my honest review.