#CBR11 Review #14: The Melting Queen by Bruce Cinnamon

Honestly, I’m probably a little biased with this one, and writing a review feels a little strange because not only was it written by an old pal of mine from high school but it is also quite a love-hate letter to the city I live (albeit a somewhat fictional one), Edmonton, which doesn’t always get much of a feature in a lot of the things I read or watch (though one of my previous reads this year, Birdie, did include the city as a part of the protagonists’ larger journey). There’s a familiarity to the locations and settings and feelings about living here, but this is indeed a work of fiction with some befuddling logistics, as well as some fantasy thrown in there too. Honestly, this is a bit of a strange book, but definitely hits on some important subjects and is enjoyable, if a little heavy-handed at times.

The Melting Queen, follows a young individual who we are introduced to as Adam, who soon comes to reveal to the reader that they are coming to terms with a truer identity, less restricted by gender. This, of course, all occurs right smack in the middle of something bigger, however, which is the Melting Day festival of Edmonton (this is not a real thing, but is a fun idea): the day that the ice on the North Saskatchewan river breaks every year marks a big and inclusive festival for all, as the day signifies the true beginning of spring. Every year on this day, a “Melting Queen” is also named: a woman whom then becomes a symbol of hope and resilience for the year for the city. So what happens when someone who doesn’t quite fit the mold gets chosen? And is this bright, beautiful face of femininity just a farce of a tradition with other truths hidden behind the seemingly perfect veneer?

Being that the story of The Melting Queen comes in just a little under 200 pages, there is a lot packed in there thematically: albeit a simple story that doesn’t per say span much time, we deal with the idea of tradition, gender, identity, performative femininity, and the pain and hurt that women will have inflicted upon them only to be later disposed of and forgotten (or expected to forgive the wrong that was done, all with a smile ever-present on the face). As I mentioned before, some of this can come across in a pretty heavy-handed and explanatory way, which doesn’t seem entirely authentic at times, but there is enough intrinsic exploration to temper this out a bit. It is also a little heavy on the “I hate my city” front, and I mean, I get why a lot of people don’t like it here, but I also get why a lot of people do: same thing with all the different areas of the city mentioned and festivals, etc, I wonder if someone who isn’t as familiar with Edmonton will really understand a lot of things here (the locations, the events, the history, the feelings, the general attitudes) intrinsically the same way that someone who lives here will. But who knows, I might be romanticizing.

In any case, The Melting Queen is an intriguing book, and very different: a little shaky at times, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It isn’t overly long for the story it is telling, and I think that works in it’s favor despite having so much included, as it may have gone even more into the explanatory dialogue in order to fill in the blanks. I also enjoyed how at the end, there is a list of all the Melting Queens from this fictional story, though a number of real women who made an impact on Edmonton’s history are included and honored; it is a nice little nod to those who we may not remember, despite making a mark on the city that we still feel the effects of today.

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