Review Transparency

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are entirely my own.

Oh, sweet Jesus, I loved Michelle Swallow’s debut novel. I’ll admit that I requested the book from the publisher partly because of the cover, but also because the idea of reading a book that takes place in the Northwest Territories (in peak winter!) seemed like a delicious idea. I hadn’t actually read anything like this before and–while the isolation and small town sense of being so far north might be new and almost exotic to many readers–the story told here will have echoes of familiarity to anyone north of the Ohio River.

It took me approximately a week to get through the first 60 pages or so; they had pulled me in, but I was also switching between multiple other books and various other obligations. Then, I read the entire remainder of the story in one sitting.

The premise of the novel is that a few friends in their mid-30s go out for a wild night and, at the end of the night, a moose head has gone missing. The next morning, in true Hangover fashion, nobody knows what happens to it, but there are various attempts to recoup it. Numerous side shenanigans take place at the same time, and the entire story takes place in slightly over 24 hours.

There are moments here that are absolutely, stunningly ridiculous. Nearly being shot at! Actually getting shot! Stealing a snowmobile for a race! Getting evicted! Forgetting your dress at home and going out topless, in only a parka! Exploding a minivan with sticks of dynamite!

At times, I asked myself, “What am I even reading?” All of the characters here have, simply, lived the worst day of their entire lives, and yet they find joy and excitement in doing so. Yet, it’s so much fun. It might not be Faulkner or Nabokov or Eliot, but the writing is crisp, the dialogue is witty and funny. After all, how many metaphors can we use to send sparks flying? (He “smothered her chimney fire,” he “thawed her water pipe”).

There is one specific moment in the last act of the novel, it takes place between Jacques and Maggie at a major event, and I could not keep the smile off my face. Swallow was able to depict their chemistry admirably without falling into clichés or boring tropes. It’s cheesy–of course it is–but it’s heartwarming, loving, and goofy! I want more of that, please!

I really came to love Jacques and Maggie, while Craig, Randy, and Vic were absolutely insufferable through their entire trajectories. Had they been drawn more empathetically, maybe we readers could have come to like them, but there likely wasn’t the space in the novel to give them enough dimension to make this stick. We do get some understanding of why Craig is the way he is, but he is absolutely horrid to the very end.

Thematically, the book is not particularly deep, but it is interesting. We see the men in the novel constantly shirking responsibility. “Oh, we did X because you did Y.” “Yeah, I know that’s my problem, but I’m going to make it your problem.” There is little accountability at play, and Swallow points to the characters’ alcoholism as one reason for this. That may very well be the case, but there’s also something important to say here about maturation. The author does gesture in that direction at times, but there’s an important message that could have been pulled out a bit more–it got lost in the pandemonium.

The book, in the end, is a love letter to small town life in Canada’s Northwest Territories, and especially in Yellowknife. It’s coming out at the perfect moment, this coming January, and I hope that both Canadian and American audiences will be able to pick this up and read right through it. This is one novel that deserves to be read and shared with friends, and I seriously hope that it experiences wide distribution (distributors and booksellers, please take notice!).

In conclusion: it’s a must-read for winter 2026!