'The Ice Palace'

Review written by Joe Porter

The Ice Palace is the tale of friendship between two eleven year old girls. The girls, Siss and Unn, live in a rural community in Norway. The friendship between the two girls is a classic example of 'opposites attract'. Siss is outgoing, extroverted and a natural leader. Unn, who after the death of her mother moved to the village to stay with her aunt, is shy, retiring and very much an outsider.

Siss visits Unn and the latter explains that she is keeping a dreadful secret. A secret that will prevent her from going to heaven. The next day Unn, due to having made her confession, feels she would be embarrassed to meet Siss at school. Unn decides to play truant to visit the ice palace. An ice palace is a natural structure formed when a waterfall freezes. Unn enters the ice palace and becomes lost.

When it is dicovered Unn is missing, a search party is organised to look for her. As time passes and no trace of Unn is found, the people of the village begin to wonder if Siss knows more about Unn's disappearance that she is letting on. Siss is devastated at the loss of her friend and vows never to forget her. Siss becomes how Unn was: lonely, distant and outside the society of her peers. Like Unn became disorientated and lost in the ice palace; Siss becomes emotionally disorientated and lost. Siss has to come to terms with and escape from her angst before she can progress to adolescence and adulthood.

The Ice Palace is a powerful and moving novel. Doris Lessing said of it "How simple this novel is. How subtle. How strong. How unlike any other. It is unique. It is unforgettable. It is extraordinary".

Click here to search for 'The Ice Palace' on Amazon UK.