The Snow Angel is, for me, about the world’s forgotten children. It’s also about the power of love and nature to heal the broken-hearted, and about the ties that bind us all.
Some books have a definite beginning. For instance, the idea for The White Giraffe came to me when I was walking down a London street one December, on my way to do some Christmas shopping. Out of nowhere, an image of a girl riding a giraffe popped into my head. Growing up on a farm and game reserve in Zimbabwe, I actually had a pet giraffe called Jenny and I thought: Wouldn’t it be the coolest thing in the world if you could ride a giraffe?
In some ways, the story behind The Snow Angel has been unfolding all my life. The landscape, culture and magic in the novel are based on my experiences, both beautiful and harrowing, as a child in Zimbabwe, and on decades of adult journeys through South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Malawi and Mozambique.
The journeys of Makena and Snow mostly had their genesis in the events of the last few years. As the antics of celebrities and random cruelties of politicians dominated the headlines, I became increasingly frustrated that the struggles of the most vulnerable people and wild animals on our earth often went unmentioned.
When the 2014 Ebola crisis began in Guinea and Sierra Leone, there was a great deal of panic in countries such as the UK about what might happen if the virus reached our shores. Then when a trial vaccine proved effective in late 2016, there was an international sigh of relief. When a fresh Ebola outbreak was reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May 2017, little attention was paid to it.
What hasn’t, and won’t go away, are the Ebola orphans, whose pain is compounded if they’re later rejected by their communities on superstitious grounds. In one heartbreaking case, a girl who’d lost sixteen family members was unable to return to her home village because some believed she was a witch.
The plight of children with albinism is also devastating. In some countries – Tanzania and Malawi are just two of them – the only safe place for them is in guarded institutions, so valuable are they to those who believe their body parts can bring power, wealth or good fortune. One would imagine that every good and decent leader across the world would be united in wanting to save these children, change local hearts and minds and bring those responsible to justice, but this, too, rarely makes the news.
In Zimbabwe alone, there are over a million orphans. Within a 10km radius of Harare, the capital city, there are said to be 60,000 child-headed households. Think about that. In a country where more than 85 per cent of people are unemployed and where there is a cash crisis, 60,000 children are trying to raise other children.
But it was not only these lost and forgotten children who moved me to write The Snow Angel. It was also a road trip through the Scottish Highlands with Jules Owen and a midnight encounter with a fox. And, over the years, it was witnessing time after time, how kind hearts change lives.
One story that particularly impacted me was that of Michaela DePrince. A war-child from Sierra Leone, Michaela was adopted by an extraordinary American family. Through their love and her own immense drive, talent and courage, Michaela realised her dream of becoming a dancer, first for the Dance Theatre of Harlem in the US and in recent years for the Dutch National Ballet. Daily, she inspires children across the world.
A large cast of people advised, corrected, rescued or influenced me when I was researching the Kenyan section of the book. Chief among them was CNN correspondent Robyn Kriel, who reported on then US President Barack Obama’s 2015 visit to Kenya, and who was at the time of writing based in Nairobi.
Robyn’s compassionate reporting on Mathare Valley and passionate reporting on Kenyan success stories was beyond helpful, but it was much more than that. She gave so generously of her time and experience that thanks seems entirely inadequate.
It was Robyn’s report on Tambuzi that led me to contact Maggie Hobbs, who warmly and good-humouredly gave me a Skype tour of her famous rose farm.
It’s a dream of mine to climb Point Lenana on Mount Kenya. That day might be some way off so until then I relied heavily on the guides and mountaineers who know it best. I am particularly indebted to Simon Gitau, Guardian of Mount Kenya, whose vivid, powerful account of the mountain he loves brought it to life for me. Makena and Baba take the route Simon recommended to Lakes Rutundu and Alice and beyond.
For the mountaineering sections of the book, I’m also thankful to Mount Kenya Climbing Tours and to my amazing, humble friend, Rebecca Stephens MBE, who has not only climbed the Ice Window Route on Mount Kenya but, in 1993, became the first British woman to climb Mount Everest.
I’m deeply grateful to James Macharia and Anne Kinyota as well as to CNN producer Idris Muktar, who grew up in Mathare, for taking the time to read my novel and set me straight on crucial details regarding Kenyan culture, language and geography. Special thanks also to my friend Emelia Sithole-Matarise for being endlessly supportive, patient and encouraging over many coffees and far too many cakes. Any errors in the book are mine and mine alone.
I’ve heard tales of Tokoloshe encounters all my life in Zimbabwe, but the essence of Lucas’s story was drawn from conversations with local guides in Zimbabwe’s Honde Valley while on a road trip with my sister, Lisa, and in the Matobo Hills while on a road trip with my dad. A coffee (another one!) with lovely Georgina Godwin in London and a newspaper article on apprentice sangomas in South Africa also resonated with me.
I feel it’s important to stress that while the slums of Nairobi exist, they are only one aspect of the vibrant, successful and stunningly beautiful country that is Kenya. The same is true of Africa in general. I’m thankful every day to have grown up on a continent so rich in intelligent, creative, generous and big-hearted people.
For keeping the faith for over thirteen years, and for believing in Makena and Snow from the first day they met them, there are no words to express how grateful I am to Fiona Kennedy, my editor and publisher at Zephyr, and to my literary agent, Catherine Clarke. Not only are they both brilliant in every way, they’re also two of the best, most wonderful people I’ve ever known.
Huge thanks also to Catherine Hyde, whose stunning artwork has so perfectly captured what I hope is the spirit of my novel.
Thanks to the dedicated and super-talented team at Head of Zeus, especially Amanda Ridout, Jessie Price, Dan Groenewald, Jon Small, Claire Kennedy, Chrissy Ryan, Jennifer Edgecombe, Kaz Harrison, Suzanne Sangster, Lauren Atherton, Ian Macbeth and Victoria Reed. Copyeditor, Jenny Glencross, and Sue Michniewicz, who designed the glorious interior of the novel, were also invaluable.
Lastly, a big thanks to my mom, an ace research assistant and my biggest supporter.
When I do school visits and speak at festivals, children often ask how they can make a difference in the world. With all that’s going on, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. But if each and every one of us did one kind thing every week or, better still, every day, imagine the difference we could make. So here are some suggestions:
Open your heart to refugees and migrants. Few choose to leave their homes. Like Makena, they’ve had the lives they’ve built stolen from them by disease, drought, war, unemployment or other circumstances beyond their control. Most bring knowledge, experience or gifts that enrich our own communities. In The Snow Angel, Makena repays Helen for helping to rescue her by healing and bringing joy to Helen and Ray. It’s an exchange.
Say no to the plastic bags, ear buds and straws that pollute our oceans.
Adopt animals from shelters. Don’t give money to pet shops and puppy farms. I adopted my Bengal, Max, from the RSPCA and he has repaid me with unconditional love a thousand times over.
Consider becoming a vegetarian or vegan.
If you love books, support or fight to save your local library. You might be lucky enough to have books at home or school. Millions don’t.
Speak out against cruelty. Stand up against injustice.
Plant a tree or flowers that help save bees.
Sponsor a child or animal. As an Ambassador for the Born Free Foundation (www.bornfree.org.uk), I can whole-heartedly say that their work with wildlife and local communities in Kenya and beyond is worth your time and/or donation. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (www.lewa.org) also does incredible work with children and animals in the Mount Kenya region. In the UK, Goodheart helps suffering farm animals (www.goodheartanimalsanctuaries.com).
The truth matters. So does respect. Hold fast to both.
Be kind. It costs nothing and it might just save a life.
Lauren St John
London
2017