TO THE BRIGHT EDGE OF THE WORLD has served as my introduction to Eowyn Ivey, and now I understand why everyone raved over her first book, THE SNOW CHILD. Her stories are captivating, and her characters are so phenomenally drawn that you feel them come alive with each turn of the page.

Her latest book begins with a letter to a curator at the Alpine Historical Museum in Alpine, Alaska regarding a diary. The diary in question is that of Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester, which captured every detail of his 1885 expedition across Alaska and chronicled his team’s harrowing journey and personal messages to his wife, Sophie. Interspersed throughout the passages of life-threatening river crossings and encounters with native Alaskans are letters and diary entries from Sophie herself. While Allen is trekking through an unknown and unexplored land, Sophie is spending her quiet and lonely days at the Vancouver Barracks awaiting his return. They essentially are on their own personal journeys, recording the mundane and amazing details of their days apart. While they may be separated by thousands of miles, they are in many ways closer than ever, something they won’t come to understand until they are back in each other’s company later.

"I’m a sucker for a story told epistolary style. I love the way each entry feels like a small key unlocking a new discovery, insight or revelation."

Apart, Allen and Sophie experience great loss and exhilaration, discover their personal strengths and weaknesses, and an even deeper love for each other. Nature becomes a passion for both during this time. Sophie, an avid bird watcher, takes up photography to occupy her days and ease her loneliness and anxiety. She studies, talks to other photographers and experiments, all while endlessly searching for the perfect light to illuminate her photos. Allen, setting foot on an unexplored land, marvels at the ruggedness and wildness of Alaska and its people, looking for that perfect description of the land to bring home to his wife. For him, it’s not just the act of exploration; more than anything, he wants to bring back his observations to the woman he loves and admires, knowing she will appreciate his efforts.

The letters and diary entries move back and forth between Allen and Sophie --- each searching for an end to their personal journey so they can return to each other. Both are curious about the natural world, and what they want most is to share their experiences and discoveries with each other.

The letters between Walter Forrester, Allen’s great-nephew, and Joshua Sloan at the Alpine Historical Museum bookend those of Allen and Sophie. These simple letters regarding the Forrester diary may not seem to be of any importance --- at first --- but what you’re witnessing is another journey about to begin while another ends.

I’m a sucker for a story told epistolary style. I love the way each entry feels like a small key unlocking a new discovery, insight or revelation. It’s beautifully done, and for a story covering such a vast time frame and physical distance, it feels very small and contained. Alongside the letters and personal trials, you’ll get lost in the details and become engrossed in the love story playing out. TO THE BRIGHT EDGE OF THE WORLD is simply wonderful, and I cannot recommend it enough.