I think I understood as much as I needed to, enough to be knocked out and staring up at the Northern Lights, frozen to the tundra. This is about the stories people tell themselves to survive the horrific truth, but then also . . . who's to say that the story isn't the truth? It's about a remote culture being taken over and stamped out, little bits of it trying to survive. And Nature scoffing at anyone trying to take it over and stamp it out. And it's a lot lot lot about the casual cruel constant violence against women and teenagers and little little girls. 

I didn't have access to the audiobook, but I was still floored by this. Hoping to reread by audio one day to get an even deeper appreciation.