This is not your typical YA dystopian story. First, it takes place in the United Kingdom, a huge move away from the typical setting somewhere in North America. Second, the first-person narrator speaks in a particular dialect that at first can seem confusing, but then becomes a type of free verse that places you right in the mindset of the main character, 15-year-old Willo. Third, it’s cold. Very very cold. Willo lives in a world of winter, where it snows practically the entire year and major European cities have dwindled to overcrowded settlements without enough food or electricity.
Against this bleak backdrop, Willo’s story begins when he returns home from trapping in the woods to find that his entire family has disappeared from their house in the mountains. His search to find them leads him away from the only home he’s ever known in the woods on a journey where he learns dangerous secrets about his past and makes difficult choices that will affect his future. This is a coming of age story told in a unique style in an imagined future. There are environmental and political themes in the background, but the main focus is on the story of a boy coming into his own and taking charge of his life. The book ends on a positive note and has much to offer for teen and adult readers alike.