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A review by manureads
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
5.0
Moon of the Crusted Snow is a post-apocalyptic/dystopic novel set on an Anishinaabe reserve. Right at the cusp of a harsh winter, the community gets cut off when power mysteriously goes out, taking away cell service and internet. With leadership divided and food supplies dwindling, tensions grow quickly, and just as they discover that the rest of the country was also affected, a stranger barges into their lives threatening to break the fragile balance that was established.
I read this book in one sitting and it chilled me to my bone. For a short novel, it makes you reflect on a lot of issues from colonialism and intergenerational trauma to resilience, surviving through it all and coming together as a community. We feel for the characters and the stranger made me angry every time he was on the page. It’s a slow burn and the ending is no surprise, but it’s not meant to be: tension is built masterfully throughout.
Reading this during a pandemic highlighted some interesting parallels: Rice managed to predict the rush to the stores and the initial denials. For this reason, It was also a comforting read at a time like this, because the whole story is filled with hope. There is apparently a sequel coming out and I am excited for it! This story will stick with me for a long time.
CW: death, mentions of suicide, and (implied) cannibalism.
I read this book in one sitting and it chilled me to my bone. For a short novel, it makes you reflect on a lot of issues from colonialism and intergenerational trauma to resilience, surviving through it all and coming together as a community. We feel for the characters and the stranger made me angry every time he was on the page. It’s a slow burn and the ending is no surprise, but it’s not meant to be: tension is built masterfully throughout.
Reading this during a pandemic highlighted some interesting parallels: Rice managed to predict the rush to the stores and the initial denials. For this reason, It was also a comforting read at a time like this, because the whole story is filled with hope. There is apparently a sequel coming out and I am excited for it! This story will stick with me for a long time.
CW: death, mentions of suicide, and (implied) cannibalism.