Do yourself a favor....set aside a few hours and curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and Alexis M. Smith's wonderful novella, Glaciers. 

Although I was immediately drawn to Glacier's with Smith's beautifully written passages, I wasn't so sure about the plot. Don't stress the plot. This is a book about themes, rather than large actions. It's very slice of life. Just go along for the ride and take heart that the story will piece itself together by the end. 

Glaciers follows Isabel, a twenty-something library worker, with a fondness for thrift stores and antiques. In particular, Isabel loves objects that have been abandoned and that have a previous history. Isabel's story jumps around with chapters on her childhood in Alaska and chapters in  the present, set in Portland, where she has a crush on a coworker, who is returned soldier with physical and emotional scars. 

Glaciers is a story about stories and of all of the little details that make up our lives. In some respects it's an extended character study of Isabel, yet what I felt made it a story was the grander over-riding themes. Like its title, the core of the unfolds as the layers melt away.  It's poignant and affecting.

I read Glaciers in a single ninety-minute stretch last night and I've been thinking about it every since. The story may be short, but the ideas and tone lingered long after I put the book down. I was blown away by Smith's talent and the impact-fulnessof her writing. 

This beautiful story is a must read.