Megan Tady's breezy, insightful sophomore novel, Bluebird Day, combines the cozy charm of a snowed-in Alpine ski town with the complexities of a fraught mother-daughter relationship.
Retired champion skier Claudine Potts and her daughter, Wylie, haven't spoken much since Wylie declined to follow in her mother's footsteps, abruptly pulling out of competitive skiing to enroll at art school. But when Wylie's partner winds up injured right before the fitness competition they're scheduled to attend in Berlin, Wylie grits her teeth and calls her mom for help. Surprising them both, Claudine agrees to be Wylie's teammate. But for reasons of her own, she insists they stop first in Zermatt, Switzerland. Squeezed into bunk beds in a bare-bones hostel within view of the Matterhorn (a reminder of the life both women have left behind), Claudine and Wylie are forced to face difficult truths about themselves and each other. When an avalanche leaves them stranded for days, they must decide whether to risk life and limb to get to Berlin--or take the much greater emotional risk of mending their relationship.
Tady (Super Bloom) alternates between the Potts women's perspectives, vividly portraying Claudine's glittering career and the relentless coaching she received from her elite skier father. Along with the accolades, Tady shows the costs of Claudine's achievements, including her estrangement from her former best friend and the secrets she's carried for years, like the identity of Wylie's father. Tady also portrays Wylie's drive to please her mother, the relentless anxiety that eventually drove her off the slopes, and her difficulty in directing her own life post-skiing. When Wylie meets Calvin, a charming singer touring Europe with his a cappella group, she wonders what life might look like if it included fun occasionally. While Wylie's love life isn't the focus of the novel, Tady gives her (and readers) a few postcard-worthy scenes: sampling Swiss pastries, ice skating with new friends, and strolling the streets of Zermatt with stars in her eyes. Both women also befriend--or are befriended by--a pair of lesbians: fellow hostel guests who provide a little tough love, sharp insight, and bright pink hair dye when it's needed most.
Though the snow-globe vibes are delightful, Tady's narrative shines in its nuanced portrayal of mother-daughter dynamics. As the snow swirls down in Zermatt, Claudine and Wylie must navigate terrain trickier than any black diamond slope: the tension between deep love and raw ambition, and the treacherous patches of past mistakes. Though the Matterhorn holds no magical solutions, the Potts women may just emerge from this avalanche stronger--and closer--than they were before. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams
Shelf Talker: Megan Tady's breezy, insightful sophomore novel explores the complex relationship of a mother-daughter pair of elite skiers who get snowed into a Swiss alpine town.