Reviews

Bemusing yet beautiful. This book is more a work of art than narrative, poetry rather than a novel.

Focusing on the tentative, almost blossomed friendship of two young girls in a small, isolated Norwegian town, this is a strange little novella where much is hinted at yet never revealed. Told through the eyes and mind of a child, the young protagonist Siss attempts to evoke a fresh friendship with Unn, a young orphaned girl whose mysterious presence has enthralled all at the local school. However, tragedy strikes as the day after the initial alliance begins to bloom, Unn decides to skip school and explore the Ice Palace, a magnificent structure created by nature, made of frost and water. It calls to her, beckoning her further into its labyrinth where she disappears, leaving a whole in the community and Siss distressed beyond words.

This could easily be seen as a frustrating book but I find it wonderful. Siss, like all children, sees meaning where there is none and allows her imagination to over-write reality. An unspoken 'dangerous' secret from Unn (which is never revealed) becomes something she must guard with her life. It sees her cut herself off from everyone and become blind to a town rallying around her, gently trying to caress her back to the girl she was before the incident.

Simply a great book, I can see why it won so many prizes.

brookfieldbee's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

tregina's review against another edition

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5.0

This is another book that I'm not sure how to talk about, as though I'm missing the vocabulary to express what it made me think and how it made me feel. There's a fascinating intensity throughout the whole thing, whether it was coming from the young girls or from the ice palace itself or the tension in the community after what happened. (I also have an intense fear of iceburgs which, while not directly relevant, almost certainly feed into the tension I was feeling). Ultimately, it made me think about how relationships and other people are hard to understand when we're young, but that's also when we're at our most fearless. Honestly, I just can't stop thinking about it.

packrat00's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.75

cranberry__sauce's review against another edition

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5.0

"No one can witness the fall of the ice palace. It takes place at night, after all the children are in bed. … Now the palace, with all its secrets, goes into the waterfall. There is a violent struggle, and then it has gone."

jschonbachler's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

franklin56709's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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