Scan barcode
bmc1230's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
4.5
Just finished reading Ice by Anna Kavan and it's a tricky book to put a finger on. A hallucinatory slog through an evolving nightmarescape set in the ever-expanding eco-catastrophe and war of a post-apocalypse, Kavan's work is terrifying in it's ability to capture the entanglement of violence and desire, victimizer and victim. From the outset, it's ridiculous even to try and identify what might be "real" and what might be a hallucination or nightmare. Despite it's jetsetting scramble to new non-descript locations where the narrator will often run into the same problems of a border patrol, a mirror image, imprisonment, murder and "the girl" in some room before she is whisked away by an alter ego, Ice is an intensely claustrophobic read. The narrator's sexually charged and violent pursuit of "the girl" is uncomfortable and unsettling and yet you can't blink before she reappears before him, at once real and not. *Ice* is a haunting and unsettling read with many of the overtones of victimhood, addiction, eco-catastrophe, authoritarianism, etc. always moving with that foreboding pace like the encroaching glacier's which lend the novel it's title. It's a unique read I'd recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
kingofspain93's review against another edition
5.0
I wondered why I had waited so long to be kind to her, until it was almost too late.
I had never heard of Kavan before this floated across my feed, which is pure sexism; Ice is stunning. an excellent novel of the unconscious, with original and mesmerizing apocalyptic imagery. the unreal and hypnotic experience of this, and even the subject matter and much of the archetypal treatment of gender, reminded me very strongly of Clarice Lispector (except good, I’ve tried Lispector multiple times and always hated her). I’m looking forward to reading more of Kavan’s stuff.
tregina's review
4.0
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked this up, but it definitely wasn't the story of a stalker on the cusp of an apocalyptic ice age. It was chilling on both those levels, in the tenseness of the environment and in seeing through the eyes of a man with an obsession. Intensely atmospheric and possessing an almost terrifying sense of urgency and imminent violence from both man and nature.
a_o's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
thestoryofaz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Reading this is not enough, I need to get into Anna's mind. This was revolutionary...beyond genius, ahead of all time.
casey2022's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
empoi's review against another edition
4.0
Well written story that goes all over the place. I'm not sure I understand it all and most likely never will. The relationships in this book are forever colored by the impending doom of the ice approaching. The main character is never as nice as we think him to be. Only in the last chapter does he look in the mirror and realizes he is part of the problem. Only then does the girl at the center of everything find respite.