Review: After the Snow by S.D. Crockett

Dystopian tales are HOT, HOT, HOT right now in YA Lit thanks to the Hunger Games series. After the Snow by S.D. Crockett is a dystopian story in the manner of Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking series. The protagonist, Willo, narrates the story in pidgin English, presumably because he isn't a strong reader so he invents his own spelling and words. This technique can be a bit off-putting, especially in the beginning until the reader gets used to the literary devise. It does, however, help make the character more authentic.  It would seem inauthentic to have an illiterate character narrate a story with impeccable prose, wouldn't it?

Willo lives in a world that is dominated by snow and ice. A hard world ruled by a company that controls all the power resources. He and his family eek out a life in the mountains by trapping animals and farming their own food. Then one day his father, stepmother, and siblings are snatched by the company. Willo is left behind. He decides that he will try to find his family and bring them home but he has no idea what adventures and misadventures await him once he moves out into the harsh world. Along the way he discovers information about his family that puts him in extreme danger.

As I closed the final pages I thought this book deserved a spot on my Mock Printz list for 2013. It is a unique, well-plotted book that will resonate with teens who like to read the dystopian genre. Now that a few days have passed I still think it is a strong contender but the story has faded a bit in my mind. Unlike Hunger Games its prototype YA novel, After the Snow ends on a less hopeful note. I am not sure how teen readers will respond. Hopefully it is not a commentary on what we should expect in the future concerning out climate and access to resources.  I prefer to think of a more hopeful future.