Bemusing yet beautiful. This book is more a work of art than narrative, poetry rather than a novel.

Focusing on the tentative, almost blossomed friendship of two young girls in a small, isolated Norwegian town, this is a strange little novella where much is hinted at yet never revealed. Told through the eyes and mind of a child, the young protagonist Siss attempts to evoke a fresh friendship with Unn, a young orphaned girl whose mysterious presence has enthralled all at the local school. However, tragedy strikes as the day after the initial alliance begins to bloom, Unn decides to skip school and explore the Ice Palace, a magnificent structure created by nature, made of frost and water. It calls to her, beckoning her further into its labyrinth where she disappears, leaving a whole in the community and Siss distressed beyond words.

This could easily be seen as a frustrating book but I find it wonderful. Siss, like all children, sees meaning where there is none and allows her imagination to over-write reality. An unspoken 'dangerous' secret from Unn (which is never revealed) becomes something she must guard with her life. It sees her cut herself off from everyone and become blind to a town rallying around her, gently trying to caress her back to the girl she was before the incident.

Simply a great book, I can see why it won so many prizes.