The Snow Goose - Paul Gallico

First published in 1940 as a short story in The Saturday Evening Post, The Snow Goose is set in the years preceding and immediately following the Dunkirk evacuation during World War II. The premise of the tale is exceedingly straightforward, borrowing many elements from folklore and ancient verbal roots. In an old lighthouse on the bleak Essex marshes lives a deformed and reclusive painter named Rhayader, who provides food and santuary to the local wildfowl. One day he is visited by Fritha, a young girl clutching an injured snow goose to her breast. Together they heal the bird, and a close bond develops between them. Every winter the snow goose and Fritha return to Rhayader's lighthouse, and then disappear for the rest of the year.

The myth of Persephone is clearly present, along with strains of Beauty and the Beast. Gallico is sometimes a little too heavy-handed in his sentimentality, and some of the symbolism is overly didactic. It's a story we've all heard before, about discovering inner beauty and courage in unexpected places. There's no denying the charms of Gallico's heartwarming parable, brought to life by Angela Barrett's haunting illustrations. Often described as an ideal winter read, it is also considered a modern classic, having inspired films, plays, and even a musical album. The story is rather too brief to prompt a more in-depth review, but I would recommended it to all age groups for its timeless attraction, simplistic elegance, and melancholic overtures.

Rating: 3/5