Whiter Than Snow

I am so glad that I have had the pleasure of reading Sandra Dallas' books. With each new book of hers that I enjoy, my love of her writing and the stories she creates, grows. Whiter Than Snow is the latest book by Dallas, bringing to life the mining town of Swandyke, Colorado.

Swandyke, Colorado, is hit by an avalanche of snow one day, just as school is dismissing and nine children are already headed down the mountain, going home for the day. Only four children survive, and what Dallas creates is the backstory of these families and the various sorrows and sins that each family has experienced. Each family has several things in common: the love for their children, that each has already experienced some type of pain or sorrow in some way, and that each has committed a wrong of their own that has not been rectified.

I loved every single character Dallas created, hoping for each one that their child was one that would be spared. I grieved with some and rejoiced with others, yet all the while feeling that Dallas chose a resolution that was just right for each character. In my experiences with Dallas' writings I have come to almost expect that there will be a twist at the end, and yet Whiter Than Snow surprised me in that there really was not a surprise ending, but instead a resolution that finished the story, making me wish that I could visit Swandyke again.