Review: Moon of the Crusted Snow

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I frankly love this novel-the idea, the characters and the story. So, just putting that out there.

Moon of the Crusted Snow is a post-apocalyptic novel, set in a reserve in Northern Ontario which weathers a mysterious, but total loss of electrical power which, almost instantaneously, removes all the modern conveniences of life- cellphones, freezers, communication with the outside world, a steady food supply. Except, in this community, people also continue to hunt and to gather food, even as these modern conveniences are stripped away.

The novel explores the crucial first winter in which the community struggles to survive in a hostile and lonely environment, and cut off from the rest of the world (which, as the novel indicates, has descended into chaos). I don't want to give away the plot, but it also has to face outsiders, who think they know better how to survive and whose presence destabilizes the community. It is a testament to the resilience of the community and of the individuals who honour the old ways of doing things.

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