The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Mabel and Jack are homesteaders in 1920’s Alaska. Childless, they are drifting apart from the strain of their harsh, lonely existence.  In a rare cheerful mood, they build a child out of snow.  The snow child is gone in the morning, but they glimpse a flesh and blood young girl running through the trees.  This fairy tale-like novel, which deftly combines naturalism with fantasy, has been widely praised for its haunting beauty.