[Subdue] Moon of the Crusted Snow, by Waubgeshing Rice

[NancyJ]

This book is set on a very remote Anishinabe reserve in northern Canada. I really enjoyed the characters and the description of the culture. The people follow many of their old customs and values, but they also have electricity, cell phones, computers, internet, and cable TV --- Until they don't. Over a short period of time they lose all those modern conveniences. They cannot reach anyone in other locations. When two college students come home they learn that this seems to be happening in other locations too, with no clear explanation.

Someone asks if it's some kind of apocalypse. I loved this reply:

“The world isn’t ending,” she went on. “Our world isn’t ending. It already ended. It ended when the Zhaagnaash came into our original home down south on that bay and took it from us. That was our world. When the Zhaagnaash cut down all the trees and fished all the fish and forced us out of there, that’s when our world ended. They made us come all the way up here. This is not our homeland! But we had to adapt and luckily we already knew how to hunt and live on the land. We learned to live here... But then they followed us up here and started taking our children away from us! That’s when our world ended again. And that wasn’t the last time. We’ve seen what this . . . what’s the word again?” “Apocalpyse.” “Yes, apocalypse. We’ve had that over and over. But we always survived. We’re still here. And we’ll still be here, even if the power and the radios don’t come back on and we never see any white people ever again.”

The book has horror tags, but it's not about gore or scary monster. It's a very slow burn, with a deepening sense of dread. It's very well done. I'm not a horror fan, and tbh the dread gave me a stomach ache. But it's a cool thought-provoking book. I just finished it, and I'm not sure where my rating will land. Maybe 3 or 4. I know I'll keep thinking about it.

[Jen K]

Great review! It is a tricky book to review. I enjoyed as well. He has another one coming out this year and I'm looking forward to it.