Reviews

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

Only show reviews with written explanations

j_h_'s review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Beautifully written, my only complaint was that it was over a bit quick. I loved the pacing in the beginning where no one was quite sure of what they were experiencing. Set against the notion that it was already a hard scrabble life in an area that was harsh and unforgiving, life was only survivable because of generations of knowledge from the elders. I loved that the tough life did not destroy these people, indeed some flourished and enjoyed the challenges, keeping their connections to family despite hardships. Like any community, some take the easy road, and are content - or discontented but unable or unwilling to change - and to expect others to take the lead in any drama. While this dynamic works as long as everything goes ok, when things start to break down, the cracks begin to show. Those without deep connection to leadership are easily swayed to follow less savoury characters who promise rewards as long as they are on their side. In this story a struggling community, striving to feed and shelter their people have an intruder move in on their remote reservation. Though they do not trust him, the stranger forces his way into their lives, playing on their cultural niceties to ensure he is not turned away. He quickly infiltrates the group and takes up a leadership/bully position in the community's more disenfranchised sector. People begin to die, some by accident, some by suicide, some by illness but throughout the reader gets the sense that some of these deaths are not what they might appear. But there is no time or way to assess what is truly happening. This is where I wish the author spent a bit more time fleshing out what was going on. There were a lot of players in the story, some were barely remarked upon yet they obviously played a big part in what was going on and how the story played out. I hoped that the elders would appear more in the story than what they did. I enjoyed the storyline of where Evan built an escape house, but this didn't have any real place in what happened in the book. The end felt a bit rushed, I'm so glad there is a sequel, I hope there will be more clarity when the author reflects back to the first book. I really enjoyed this book, I listened to the audible version and thought that the narrator did a great job. As a New Zealander I felt there were parallels between the colonisation of the first people of Canada and that of Maori, with the loss of lands, customs, and mana/respect as the white ones took more and more of their lives. Not necessarily a physical death, yet a death regardless. Maori, in my opinion, had a less traumatic experience of colonialisation. They were not forced from their lands in the same way first nations people were, to try and eek out an existence in the poorest, most harsh areas of their country. But everything is relative, and while living through the experience of losing their way of life, and the land, and ceremonial links to their forebears, a loss like theirs must have been harrowing. A death, another death, and still more death. But still they rise.

taylorlanxon's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

gabbrielle's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed the story. It was a chance to experience a different perspective.

lay_kone's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

Content Warnings

laratboulos's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jfrie65's review against another edition

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4.0

Having travelled to First Nations territory on James Bay this story, and the words in Anishinaabe in particular, took me back. The quiet words of the elder, “Our world has already ended…over and over” will stay with me.