PositiveThe Montreal Review (CAN)At times, it’s a pretty unrelenting tour of the infinite petty humiliations of being one of the few women in a cold, barren, remote, and homosocial place. In spite of the damage they sometimes cause, though, these men aren’t really the targets of Beaton’s ire. She’s showing us how their non-stop casual sexism has been honed by loneliness, sharpened and made dangerous by months isolated from their family, friends, and other tethers to the outside world ... She draws out these themes with a light touch, sure that her readers will see the connections themselves ... Beaton’s commanding black and white graphics effectively convey the dishwater-grey dullness of survival with little by way of warmth ... Even in Ducks’ darkest moments, Beaton’s wry humour gives her story some levity ... while a quiet bleakness pervades the work, she also spotlights how the kindness of near-strangers, driven by the still-strong bonds of a faraway home, can offer some sense of belonging anywhere.
