The Pillagers’ Guide to Arctic Pianos
This vividly imagined novel set in the Arctic Territory, roughly based on Alaska, tells the story of generations of homesteaders. Families hopeful of owning their own farms trek north with sleds loaded with possessions to set up homes in the remote permafrost (in this story, not stolen from indigenous people). After months weathering extreme hardship, many stop at the frontier town of Arctic City. This story follows those who continue onward, confronting survival mode in the extreme as they make their homes on land grant parcels. Moose Bloomer came to the Territory at the age of twelve, but the story begins several generations later when his family’s original parcel is underwater due to melting glaciers. Their home sits on stilts, with kayaks and floater planes their only access to dry land. Moose’s descendants make a marginal living on the waters, as inventive, independent, and optimistic as their ancestors. Those first families brought pianos—required to earn a land grant in order to bring civilization to the far north—but few could get them to their final destination. The ivory keys from those lost pianos, sometimes found in fish guts, bring relative wealth, and when an actual piano is discovered, preserved by the frigid water, the pillager has struck gold.
A rare tale of self-reliance and resourcefulness, Kendra Langford Shaw’s novel focuses on family, home, and community in the far north, with 22 hours of sunshine in summer and dark in winter. From Moose’s day to his more contemporary descendants (no dates are given), only the hardy remain, taking tragedies in stride, sustained by their free spirits and loving hearts. A unique adventure story that depicts risk-taking characters who stake all on making their lives in a glacial wilderness, The Pillagers’ Guide to Arctic Pianos is highly recommended.
