#7 of 52 – 52 Books in 52 Weeks
I’ve read a couple other novels by Alice Hoffman, and typically enjoy them. What I remember of her other books is that they’re beautifully written, but always have some dark element. Relationships are complicated (that’s just realistic, I suppose)–sometimes twisted, in a way.
The Ice Queen is about a woman, a librarian, who is struck by lightning and lives to tell about it. That’s the most basic premise of the story. Interestingly, we never learn her name–she could be anyone, or nobody. She is an expert on the subject of death, and she also has something of a guilt complex. Because of this, she wants to be punished, not redeemed. That’s how the story begins.
I spent the first part of the book not feeling any type of connection to her character. She seemed rather whiny, actually. When she meets another lightning strike survivor called Lazarus Jones, that’s when the story picks up pace.
It didn’t end the way I thought it would, which is something I usually appreciate from writers. I wanted something very specific to happen, but it didn’t, and I think I see why the author took another route. The final chapter brought tears, another unexpected thing. In the end, I was left wondering about the fate of a certain character–that’s the story I’d really like to read. The Ice Queen’s story is ultimately resolved, but I was left wanting to know more about what happens to everyone else.
Sounds very interesting. I just realized this (yeah I’m a bit slow) but gosh, you must be a super fast reader to be able to do at least a book a week. Keep us posted, I’m always on the look out for more books, I just gotta finish up the ones I have now.
I’ve gotten faster over time, but I did start 52 in 52 early–on 12/20–so I had a head start.