"Moon of the Crusted Snow" by Waubgeshig Rice is a post-apocalyptic novel set in a remote Anishinaabe community in northern Ontario. The story follows Evan Whitesky and his family as they navigate the sudden loss of electricity, cell phone service, and contact with the outside world. As the community faces a harsh winter and the arrival of white strangers, tensions rise, survival becomes uncertain, and the characters must confront the challenges of the new world they find themselves in. The writing style is described as spare yet effective, with a focus on building tension and creating a sense of foreboding that keeps readers engaged.
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Content warnings include themes of colonial violence, death, and allusions to rape.
From The Publisher:
National Bestseller Winner of the 2019 OLA Forest of Reading Evergreen Award Shortlisted for the 2019 John W. Campbell Memorial Award Shortlisted for the 2019/20 First Nation Communities READ Indigenous Literature Award 2020 Burlington Library Selection; 2020 Hamilton Reads One Book One Community Selection; 2020 Region of Waterloo One Book One Community Selection; 2019 Ontario Library Association Ontario Together We Read Program Selection; 2019 Women's National Book Association's Great Group Reads; 2019 Amnesty International Book Club Pick January 2020 Reddit r/bookclub pick of the month "This slow-burning thriller is also a powerful story of survival and will leave readers breathless." - Publishers Weekly "Rice seamlessly injects Anishinaabe language into the dialogue and creates a beautiful rendering of the natural world ... This title will appeal to fans of literary science-fiction akin to Cormac McCarthy as well as to readers looking for a fresh voice in indigenous fiction." - Booklist A daring post-apocalyptic novel from a powerful rising literary voice With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south. Soon after, others follow. The community leadership loses its grip on power as the visitors manipulate the tired and hungry to take control of the reserve. Tensions rise and, as the months pass, so does the death toll due to sickness and despair. Frustrated by the building chaos, a group of young friends and their families turn to the land and Anishinaabe tradition in hopes of helping their community thrive again. Guided through the chaos by an unlikely leader named Evan Whitesky, they endeavor to restore order while grappling with a grave decision. Blending action and allegory, Moon of the Crusted Snow upends our expectations. Out of catastrophe comes resilience. And as one society collapses, another is reborn.
Ratings (10)
Loved It (5) | |
Liked It (2) | |
It Was OK (3) |
Reader Stats (49):
Read It (10) | |
Want To Read (35) | |
Not Interested (4) |
1 comment(s)
3.5 stars? Found it to be a little struggle to rate as it's had an different version on the post apocalyptic story and I liked the characters. But it didn't quite felt like a post apocalyptic thriller as it's seems to lack in some parts to give fill effect. But still an enjoyable story
What can you read after
Moon of the Crusted Snow?
About the Author:
Waubgeshig Rice is an author and journalist originally from Wasauksing First Nation. His first short story collection, Midnight Sweatlodge, was inspired by his experiences growing up in an Anishinaabe community and won an Independent Publishers Book Award in 2012. His debut novel, Legacy, followed in 2014. In 2014, he received the Anishinabek Nation's Debwewin Citation for excellence in First Nation Storytelling. He now splits his time between Sudbury and Wasauksing.
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