Echo Through the Snow

A Wisconsin woman embarks on a transformative journey when she rescues a neglected Siberian husky in this inspiring debut novel.

Rosalie MacKenzie is headed nowhere until she sees Smokey, a Siberian husky suffering from neglect. Rosalie finds the courage to rescue the dog, and—united by the bond of love that forms between them—they save each other.

Soon Rosalie and Smokey are immersed in the world of competitive dogsled racing. Days are filled with training runs, the stark beauty of rural Wisconsin, and the whoosh of runners on snow. Rosalie discovers that behind the modern sport lies a tragic history: the heartbreaking story of the Chukchi people of Siberia. When Stalin’s Red Army displaced the Chukchi in 1929, many were killed and others lost their homes and their beloved Guardians—the huskies that were the soul and livelihood of their people.

Alternating between past and present, telling of a struggling Chukchi family and a young woman discovering herself, An Echo Through the Snow takes readers on a gripping, profound, and uplifting dogsled ride to the Iditarod and beyond, on a journey of survival and healing.

“A sensitive and engaging story which beautifully illustrates the ancient human/canine bond. [Thalsinos’s] rendering of the little-known story of the Chukchi people of Siberia is heart-wrenching and uplifting at the same time. The interwoven stories of Jeaantaa and Rosalie and the dogs that mean so much to them is destined to become a classic.” —Susan Wilson, New York Times–bestselling author of One Good Dog