Waubgeshig Rice’s novel Moon of the Crusted Snow opens in the crisp autumn chill of a northern Ontario reserve. Evan Whitesky, a young husband and father, prepares his home for impending winter. Even in these times of modern conveniences, Evan uses his knowledge of hunting to feed his family and provide a reliable source of healthy food. Many on the reserve have let their traditional knowledge wane, preferring to rely only on the grocery store.
When cell service disappears, Evan is not surprised – these things happen when you live far north from most of civilization. When the power goes out and landline service is cut, it’s a little disconcerting but certainly not beyond imagining. The Band Chief and council simply start up the generators which run on diesel – they’ve been doing this for decades anyway.
But as the days pass with no word from Hydro or anyone else in the south, everyone starts to wonder what’s happening. Chief Terry, Evan and a few other key players must keep everyone on the reserve calm.
The return of two young men who were attending university in the south throws everything into disarray. Kevin and Nick put their survival skills to the test, travelling hundreds of kilometres on snowmobiles to flee mounting chaos in the city. The power outages and service disruptions are everywhere.
Enter Justin Scott, a mysterious snowmobiler who appears suddenly at the edge of town. Towing a sled full of supplies, Scott has followed Kevin and Nick’s snowmobile tracks all the way to the reserve. He presents himself as a survivalist who just wants a community to live in away from the city. But Evan has a bad feeling about Scott.
The presence of an outsider in a small community is just a part of the slowly unfolding crisis that takes place when the sources of heat, energy, food and water that we count on suddenly disappear.
Moon of the Crusted Snow will fill you with a sense of foreboding as the story builds to a terrifying climax. Curl up in a blanket and hunker down with this wintry tale of suspense and survival.
For other reading suggestions visit Richmond Public Library’s website at www.yourlibrary.ca/goodbooks.
