Description

‘I’m surprised it isn’t the most famous book in the world’ Max Porter

‘How simple this novel is. How subtle. How strong. How unlike any other. It is unique. It is unforgettable. It is extraordinary’ Doris Lessing

‘She was close to the edge now: the ice laid its hand upon her’

The schoolchildren call it the Ice Palace: a frozen waterfall in the Norwegian fjords transformed into a fantastic structure of translucent walls, sparkling towers and secret chambers. It fascinates two young girls, lonely Unn and lively Siss, who strike up an intense friendship. When Unn decides to explore the Ice Palace alone and doesn’t return, Siss must try to cope with the loss of her friend without succumbing to a frozen world of her own making.

Publisher Review

If I had to choose a book I'm surprised isn't the most famous book in the world it might be The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas. -- Max Porter * Times Literary Supplement * A haunting story, full of ice and wind and poetry. -- Dea Brovig * The Guardian * But if I had to choose a book I'm surprised isn't the most famous book in the world it might be The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas. -- Max Porter * Times Literary Supplement * The atmosphere created is magical: rather than explaining something, he will just plant a poetic statement and let it grow within you. * The Telegraph * Vesaas's laconic sentences are as cold and simple as ice - and as fantastic. * The Telegraph * It is hard to do justice to The Ice Palace . . . The narrative is urgent, the descriptions relentlessly beautiful, the meaning as powerful as the ice piling up on the lake. * The Times * How simple this novel is. How subtle. How strong. How unlike any other. It is unique. It is unforgettable. It is extraordinary. -- Doris Lessing * Independent *