The Ice Palace

'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.

'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.

An intense friendship between 2 young girls turns tragic when one gets lost in a frozen waterfall's ice chambers in this dreamlike Norwegian masterpiece Features a new introduction by Karl Ove Knausgaard In rural Norway, 11-year-old Siss, socially at ease and popular among her peers, finds herself drawn to the new girl in class, Unn. Unn is shy and strange, but holds a magnetic power for her more gregarious classmate. Their friendship is cemented after a dreamy afternoon spent gazing into each other's eyes in the mirror, exchanging hinted secrets and perhaps pieces of their souls. But the next day, Unn, embarrassed by her new intimacy with Siss, skips school and goes to explore a series of ice caves around a nearby waterfall. Lost in the labyrinthine chambers, she eventually freezes to death, thinking of Siss as she loses feeling and drifts into the dark. When Siss learns Unn is missing and likely dead, she is determined to keep alive the memory of the friend she so briefly knew - sometimes it feels as though she too is locked in the glistening chambers of the ice palace. It is only when spring comes and the ice palace melts that Siss finds herself able to let go of Unn, and reconnect to those around her. A profound exploration of grief, and an intensely lyrical coming-of-age story, this novel is the masterpiece of one of Norway's greatest writers.