A review by lilacs_book_bower
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Believe it or not, but this is a compliment: I almost DNF'd this book; the apocalypse felt too real, and I was uncomfortable.  I even had an unsettling dream about this book.  In this tale, we are following Evan, primarily, who lives on a Anishinaabe reservation in Ontario as winter is approaching.  Then they lose power, internet, cell service, food deliveries, and diesel fuel.  The community finds itself cut off, and then a white man/stranger comes and disrupts things.  I actually found the second half a bit disappointing.  It felt like we were getting bullet points of the story and we never see the white man's machinations, other than at one brief party.  I don't know that we need it spelled out, but I would have liked to see more of him being the villain, rather than just being told he is corrupting people.  I also found the characterization to be a bit shallow, but maybe they are meant to be types, more than people?  There are definitely some good points made about survival, the destruction that white supremacy/colonization has caused to the indigenous people, and maintaining close ties with one's community and beliefs.  
Expand filter menu Content Warnings