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A review by devinsf
Ice by Anna Kavan
4.0
This book is disturbing and very good. Set in the months before an apocalyptic climate disaster — walls of ice slowly covering the Earth — the book is told from the point of view of an unnamed man, and revolves around his obsession with / search for an unnamed woman ("the girl"). A third character, The Warden, takes significant space in the plot as well.
Kavan employs an unusual narrative device: scenes will, without transition or any kind of writing shift, suddenly slip into an hallucinatory state — it's not always obvious what in the narrative is "real," nor when the line is crossed back into reality. I personally loved this, though I can imagine a few members of my book club absolutely hating it.
The story is extremely unpleasant: it involves violence, abuse, and a narrator whose motivations and mental state are simultaneously transparent (via clear, concise writing), and difficult to understand. The writing, though — oh, the writing! — is worth any confusion. In particular, Kavan's terrifying descriptions of the cold, the unstoppable ice are powerful and fluid.
This book is not for everyone. But if you're looking for an extremely unusual take on what science fiction can be, give it a try.
Kavan employs an unusual narrative device: scenes will, without transition or any kind of writing shift, suddenly slip into an hallucinatory state — it's not always obvious what in the narrative is "real," nor when the line is crossed back into reality. I personally loved this, though I can imagine a few members of my book club absolutely hating it.
The story is extremely unpleasant: it involves violence, abuse, and a narrator whose motivations and mental state are simultaneously transparent (via clear, concise writing), and difficult to understand. The writing, though — oh, the writing! — is worth any confusion. In particular, Kavan's terrifying descriptions of the cold, the unstoppable ice are powerful and fluid.
This book is not for everyone. But if you're looking for an extremely unusual take on what science fiction can be, give it a try.