Natasha Hastings

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

I reviewed this book as part of GeekDis 2022 an event discussing disability representation in pop culture from the perspective of the disabled and neurodivergent community.

Content warnings:
This book contains the death of a child from an asthma attack at the start of the book. Their death and grief of their family is discussed throughout the book. There is a sub-plot about the institutionalisation of women. There are also scenes of bullying, ableism, mental health stigma, and misogyny.

The Frost Fair by Natasha Hastings came to my attention on Twitter when I saw Hastings talking about her debut novel and writing a book with asthma representation. I was finally diagnosed with asthma when I was ten after years of struggling with respiratory issues. Since then the only representation I’ve seen in pop culture is people having asthma attacks with them desperately grabbing for their inhaler (usually during a dramatic moment). The day-to-day moments of living with asthma are rarely ever shown and until reading The Frost Fair I had not come across a protagonist with asthma.

Using her own lived in experience Hastings has created a story about a young girl, Thomasina, who lost her twin brother, Arthur, to an asthma attack one cold winter when they are out playing. She urges him on, telling him to keep running, not realising that the wheezing in his chest has become dangerous. The wheeze is something they were both born with, and at nine years old she had no idea they both needed to be careful.

Arthur’s death affects Thomasina and her parents in different ways. She blames herself, her father becomes cold and distant and her mother has a mental breakdown. When Thomasina is approached by a mysterious man who claims he can do magic and bringing Arthur back from the dead within his talents, she’s not sure what to believe even when he proves he can do magic by summoning monsters from beneath the frozen waters of the Thames. Gradually she becomes swayed by her grief and the desire to see her parents back to how they were before his death.

All she has to do is go with the mysterious gentleman, Inigo, to visit a secret fair that is being hosted every night and give away some of her memories of Arthur, memories that she will get back when Arthur is returned to her. A small cost for what she will get in return, she decides. The Thames has frozen over and during the day a faire is being held on it, but at night The Other Frost Fair is open only for special guests. At first Thomasina is amazed by the grandeur and the magic, but she becomes wary of a strange figure called Father Winter who seems to be changing every time she sees him.

As Thomasina continues to visit the Other Frost Fair she helps her father sell their sweets and biscuits on at the Thames Frost Fair, befriending Anne Hawke a young woman who has just moved to London with her uncle to open an apothecary. Anne dreams of opening her own shop and as their friendship grows the girls develop a business plan which combines both their talents; Anne’s apothecary skills and knowledge of herbs and Thomasina’s sweet making and baking. Together they make a range of medicinal sweets which they are given permission by Thomasina’s father and Anne’s uncle to sell at the Frost Faire once their normal duties are done. Their sweets sell incredibly well, and they start to develop more products.

Eventually Thomasina confides in Anne about Inigo, the Other Frost Fair, and her worries that something isn’t quite right about Father Winter. Their partnership becomes a trio when a mysterious young man appears out of nowhere and explains that he knows what is going on. Drawn into a mystery that goes back hundreds of years, the three youngsters fight ice monsters and terrifying odds to save all of London from a danger no one else sees coming.

It’s the 1680s and health information is limited at best and asthma is not the only disability representation present in The Frost Fair. No one understands what is happening with Thomasina’s mother and neighbours band together to have her institutionalised. I applaud Hastings for such a well written storyline about mental health and including it in a children’s book.

The Frost Fair is a lovely tale that tackles some difficult subjects and shows that while the loss of a loved one is difficult and grief is all encompassing, there are people in our life who will be there for us and support us. Even when things seem bleak and impossible, there is light and joy and new beginnings. That is the message of The Frost Fair, and it’s wrapped up in a beautiful story of magic and fantasy in the wintery London of the 17th Century. This is a perfect story for all the family and will make a great gift this holiday season.

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