Your thoughts on Ice are very similar to mine; it's a very disturbing book, yet beautifully written, and I haven't been able to forget about it ever since I read it. I'm glad you liked(?) it! To answer your question regarding the narrative perspective, here's what I think (though it's been a little while since I read it so I may have some details wrong): I believe Kavan wanted to explore how misogyny shapes the way men see themselves, through the (quite unreliable) narrator. The narrator, for the most part, sees himself as the woman's "saviour", her white knight, who must rescue her from her captor, the Warden. And if you asked the narrator, he'd probably say that that's what happened - in the end, he got the girl and thus defeated the Warden. It's a type of story that has been told many times throughout history (often by men). But we very often see that, in reality, the narrator and the Warden are more or less the same; possessive, violent, and abusive. In my opinion, what the narrator actually wants is to become the Warden, by taking away that which belongs to him. I think it would have been difficult to convey this through the perspective of the woman. Additionally, as you alluded to, seeing such a twisted man in the role of the "white knight" character helps to challenge the reader. (I could probably write a whole essay on what Ice has to say about men and gender, but I think that's enough, haha)
That's a great observation, that the narrator is ultimately successful so it's a type of "happy ending" from his perspective. I was watching another review on TH-cam where the reviewer compared the narrator to a Nice Guy and the Warden to a Chad. XD There is some truth in that...
Thanks for the review! I liked your calm and very analogue style, will definitely add this book to my TBR, skipped the spoiler section :)
Seems like this would be my jam. Added it to my list. Thank you for such a thoughtful review!
Your thoughts on Ice are very similar to mine; it's a very disturbing book, yet beautifully written, and I haven't been able to forget about it ever since I read it. I'm glad you liked(?) it!
To answer your question regarding the narrative perspective, here's what I think (though it's been a little while since I read it so I may have some details wrong): I believe Kavan wanted to explore how misogyny shapes the way men see themselves, through the (quite unreliable) narrator. The narrator, for the most part, sees himself as the woman's "saviour", her white knight, who must rescue her from her captor, the Warden. And if you asked the narrator, he'd probably say that that's what happened - in the end, he got the girl and thus defeated the Warden. It's a type of story that has been told many times throughout history (often by men). But we very often see that, in reality, the narrator and the Warden are more or less the same; possessive, violent, and abusive. In my opinion, what the narrator actually wants is to become the Warden, by taking away that which belongs to him. I think it would have been difficult to convey this through the perspective of the woman. Additionally, as you alluded to, seeing such a twisted man in the role of the "white knight" character helps to challenge the reader.
(I could probably write a whole essay on what Ice has to say about men and gender, but I think that's enough, haha)
That's a great observation, that the narrator is ultimately successful so it's a type of "happy ending" from his perspective. I was watching another review on TH-cam where the reviewer compared the narrator to a Nice Guy and the Warden to a Chad. XD There is some truth in that...
tonite i went to see her house. Anna is my mother.
Pumpkin bread!!!