On Fractured Ice - Paperback

On Fractured Ice

At the edge of the world, where the summer sun never sets and the sea ice speaks in sharp, gunshot cracks, survival is a delicate dance between ancient wisdom and a changing horizon.

In the tiny Inughuit village of Siorapaluk, fourteen-year-old twins Nanook and Anusha live on a razor-thin margin. Nanook is desperate to prove he is a hunter, but learns that the tundra has no room for tantrums. He must master Qinuituq-the deep, soul-stretching patience required to endure shifting floes and the "poisonous green" visions of his own fear. While Nanook tracks seals and avoids the great polar bear, his sister Anusha weaves stories that travel faster than a dogsled. But in a community of only forty people, a "not-quite-true" tale can become a secret with teeth.

As the Arctic summer warms and the ice begins to fracture weeks too early, old traditions collide with the modern world. When Anusha's reckless rumors about the local trader spread like a poison, the village's lifeline is severed just as a black cloud of hunger settles over their home.

Nanook and Anusha must learn that survival requires more than one kind of strength:

For Nanook, it is realizing that true hunting is about honoring the land's signs-and the life of a trapped wolf-rather than just the big kill.

For Anusha, it is discovering that while stories are the heartbeat of the people, only the truth can mend a broken community.

Can the twins find validation in their own unique gifts before the floes split and trust shatters completely?

On Fractured Ice is a thrilling adventure that proves the hunter's skill and the storyteller's truth are equally vital for a culture fighting to stay whole.