Raven Wakes the World : A Winter Tale (Hardcover)

This is a little gem of a book, full of metaphor and poetic imagery that lingers long after putting it down. The storytelling maintains that delicate balance between being a small story about a couple of people in a particular place, and being about everyone everywhere. Flirting with magical realism, it draws on ancient Inuit lore about the Raven, who brings light and warmth to the frozen world in spring, and who yet can be forgetful, and easily distracted by shiny things. It is also the story of Katie Mason, heartbroken, wounded to the soul, and hiding in the frozen North. Raven Wakes the World calls itself A Winter Tale, but it is just as much about spring, about healing, about hope, rebirth, and how and why spring comes, or doesn't come, to the human world. Its a beautifully told timeless tale of losing and finding oneself, about creation and creativity, enriched by Bales beautiful and deceptively simple drawings. This is a book that merits rereading every winter or spring.