Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice begins on a small fictional northern Anishinaabe reserve with the loss of satellite, water, and power. The community’s Council is well prepared for an extended emergency but tensions rise as it continues to last, and the intrusion of white visitors from the south brings new conflict and shifting loyalties. This is a beautiful and mesmerizing novel, and an impactful take on the post-apocalyptic genre, which is so often a genre that centers white stories. ⁣
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Rice has crafted precise dramatic tension, and I couldn’t look away from this novel, stomach twisted with anxiety that would not abate, heart deeply in love with the central characters, mind whirling unpacking the throughlines, themes of colonization and a return to a culture that was forcibly removed. Brilliant novel, highly recommend.