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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
In Frozen Girl of Spirit Lake by Meg Lelvis, the small-town community of Eklund is struck when Barbara Gruen, a college student, is found frozen to death on the shores of Spirit Lake. The assumption is that she succumbed to a snowstorm while walking home from a party. However, Nancy Borg, a senior at the college and friend of Barbara's brother, becomes unexpectedly involved in the aftermath, seeking to escape her narrow-minded father. Roland Nightbird, a college employee from Thunder Lake Chippewa Reservation, finds himself unwittingly tied to Barbara's death investigation, facing the town's biases. Meanwhile, Loreen Sandberg, connected to Barbara by family ties, reveals her deep-seated bigotry, which threatens those around her. Tragedy, social dynamics, and personal aspirations converge against the backdrop of a harsh winter in Minnesota in the mid-20th century.
Frozen Girl of Spirit Lake is a mystery with all the golden hallmarks of literary fiction. Meg Lelvis has done an exceptional job of balancing human interest with a story exciting enough to keep the pages turning. The atmospheric settings are fantastic with a scene described as: "Outside, another gray-ceiling winter day awaited them, a white shroud covering the outdoors, silent and secret." I really liked the character of Roland the best, probably because I connected with him the most as an insider who is treated like an outsider. I loved that the entire tribal council got behind him publicly and vocally when he became an unwitting suspect. Talk about a perfect example of communal solidarity and the pursuit of justice. Peggy also experiences horrible injustices but doesn't have anyone she can tell, let alone rally around her. Barbara might be the catalyst of the story, but it's the living characters and Eklund itself that make this story. Very highly recommended.
