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A review by lit_laugh_luv
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
4.0
3.5 stars, rounded up. I quite enjoyed this for both its slow burn and portrayal of domestic life in a remote Northern Ontario reserve. The Anishinaabe community we follow is incredibly vibrant and interconnected, and I enjoyed seeing how their traditions and cultural norms informed a lot of their response to the blackout. The author also uses several Ojibwe phrases (with their corresponding English translations) which was really informative and nicely integrated.
Despite the apocalyptic and dystopian storyline we follow, there's a lot of deep insight about how Indigenous communities have already experienced their own apocalypse through the loss of language, the outlawing of traditions and practices, residential schools and colonialism as a whole. It speaks to the resilience of the members of this community and helps underpin their story with a lot of hope; I can't speak too much to the events of the plot without giving much away, but the references to colonialism, desperation and groupthink are all well done here as well.
My only critique is this felt quite cliché at times - the interspersed dream sequences and ominous dialogue just felt a little too on-the-nose for me. I certainly understand the intended foreshadowing, but they felt forced at times and gave away a lot of the direction the book was headed. I will definitely be picking up the sequel and thought this was a creative perspective on a traditional dystopian novel.
Despite the apocalyptic and dystopian storyline we follow, there's a lot of deep insight about how Indigenous communities have already experienced their own apocalypse through the loss of language, the outlawing of traditions and practices, residential schools and colonialism as a whole. It speaks to the resilience of the members of this community and helps underpin their story with a lot of hope; I can't speak too much to the events of the plot without giving much away, but the references to colonialism, desperation and groupthink are all well done here as well.
My only critique is this felt quite cliché at times - the interspersed dream sequences and ominous dialogue just felt a little too on-the-nose for me. I certainly understand the intended foreshadowing, but they felt forced at times and gave away a lot of the direction the book was headed. I will definitely be picking up the sequel and thought this was a creative perspective on a traditional dystopian novel.