Asylum Piece , a collection of short stories which explored the inner mindscape of the psychological explorer, was her first book under the name Anna Kavan, heroine of her previous novels Let Me Alone and A Stranger Still All subsequent works would feature a radically altered writing style. From that moment, the brunette Ferguson disappeared and the crystal-blond Kavan set about a career as an avant-garde writer using her legal name in the United States. Her travel itinerary was complicated by the war, which severely restricted many ordinary boat routes.
Returning to England early , she worked briefly with soldiers suffering from war neurosis at the Mill Hill Emergency Hospital and studied for a diploma in Psychological Medicine. She also took a secretarial position at Horizon , an influential literary magazine edited by Cyril Connolly and founded by Peter Watson , one of her friends. She contributed with stories, articles and reviews from to In , Kavan's son from her first marriage was killed and she finalized her divorce from her second husband.
He became Kavan's close friend and sometime creative collaborator until his death in They co-wrote The Horse's Tale and Kavan dedicated several short stories to her doctor published in the posthumous collection Julia and the Bazooka There, Kavan received treatment from Ludwig Binswanger , a psychiatrist, pioneer in the field of existential psychology and lifelong friend of Freud.
Kavan continued to undergo sporadic inpatient treatments for heroin addiction and in her later years in London lived as a virtual recluse. She enjoyed a late triumph in with her novel Ice , inspired by her time in New-Zealand and the country's proximity to the inhospitable frozen landscape of Antarctica. The original manuscript was titled The Cold World. When her publisher Peter Owen sent Kavan his initial response, neither rejecting nor accepting her text, he described it as a cross between Kafka and The Avengers. It is her best-known novel, still puzzling the reader for its strangeness and nowadays rather introduced as a slipstream novel than a Science Fiction one.
The first six of her novels gave little indication of the experimental and disturbing nature of her later work published after her detox treatment. Asylum Piece definitely heralded the new style and content of Kavan's writing. Her development of "nocturnal language". Although popularly supposed to have died of heroin overdose, Kavan died of heart failure at her home in Kensington and was found dead on 5 December Many of her works were published posthumously, some edited by her friend and legatee, the Welsh writer Rhys Davies.
London-based Peter Owen Publishers have been long-serving advocates of Kavan's work and continue to keep her work in print. Doris Lessing , J. In [9] the Anna Kavan Society was founded in London with the aim of encouraging wider readership and increasing academic scholarship of Kavan's work.
The Unconventional Anna Kavan: The characters are fascinating, perfectly developed, and several draw great sympathy even though flawed. I loved that element of the story; the relationships added a necessary quality, a warmth to this otherwise disturbing mystery.
- Ice by Anna Kavan | theranchhands.com: Books.
- Get A Copy?
- For the Love of Murphy.
- See a Problem?;
- Anna Kavan - Wikipedia!
Certain scenes are especially touching and memorable. The ending was perfect, and your thoughts will linger as you read the last page. View all 8 comments. Oct 12, Abby Crime by the Book rated it it was amazing. Scandinavian crime fiction at its best. Vivid atmosphere, rich character development, and whip-smart plotting. I absolutely loved this book and simply could NOT put it down. This story alternates between 3 narrators, and I loved the way Camilla Grebe draws you slowly but surely toward the heart of the story through the unique perspective of the 3 narrators.
This is much more character-driven, less procedural-heavy than other Scandinavian authors, and Grebe has clearly This. This is much more character-driven, less procedural-heavy than other Scandinavian authors, and Grebe has clearly found her voice within the many talented crime authors hailing from Scandinavia. The book starts out with a great Inuit proverb: And it's alternating POV of three different people in the story.
I have to admit when I know this in advance, I often opt out of reading a book. I tend not to read 1st POV and as I just don't care for this format, it takes considerably longer for me to get pulled into the story. Peter a detective trying to solve a murder case, Hanne a consultant to the case who had an affair with Peter 10 years ago and Emma, the unknown quantity. Although the POV is alternating, the voice of all three has the same depressing undertone to it. A little like you were listening to someone who speaks in a monotone voice and details out their boring and depressing existence.
Instead of a gripping thriller, this felt more like a character analysis of how childhood trauma and circumstances impact your adult life and choices. Through most of this book I kept thinking, these people are depressing.
Navigation menu
We are constantly looking back to their depressing childhood in an effort to explain who they are today but I would rather see some crime investigation. The Peter and Emma MC's meander through their childhood lives and current day life slightly prior to current day in Emma's case jumping without reason between past and present so you have to be careful that you don't miss the transition. I did a number of times and then it takes a couple of sentences before you realize that you're back to the past or back to the present.
One minute you're in one room with certain people and then next paragraph it's a different scene but you've yet to realize and adjust. Although, the transitions are really choppy, I need to state I read an ARC so this issue could be corrected in the final edit. Hanne doesn't really revisit her past so much as consider the fact that she stayed so long in a loveless marriage with a controlling man.
Hanne and Peter have a past where he basically was a douche bag, but of course, that's due to his childhood. He's divorced and has a teenage son but avoids the son and any fatherly responsibility. I have to say I didn't feel any sympathy towards him - he hurt too many people in his I don't take responsibility attitude. They're no more intelligent than men, but they put more energy into figuring us out. And so we men find ourselves at a constant, self-inflicted disadvantage. What did Hanne or his ex-wife see in him?
Most of the book I was wondering where is the thriller aspect of this story? When will it be gripping?
Winter reads: Ice by Anna Kavan | Books | The Guardian
Although I try to keep spoilers more like hints, please don't read the following if you don't want me to put ideas in your head. During the beginning of the book, you know you're supposed to think one thing, but I was guessing from the start that this was misdirection. Authors of "thrillers" these days are so reliant on misdirection. There's a point in the book where your suspicion of a misdirection is more realized, and your mind immediately clicks to a different scenario than you're being directed to in the prose.
If your thoughts were like mine, then there are no twists and turns. I just kept reading to determine if I was right In my head, I keep asking questions, "What about this? How much time has passed and we haven't heard any mention of certain key elements. And although the 3 MCs have an epilogue that tells you where they are, I find I was still asking questions that didn't get answered. The story plot was a very good one, but in the end, the book wasn't an enjoyable read for me because it was about depressing characters and it was written with such a meandering delivery.
So for me this was about a 2. I would like to thank Net Galley, Zaffree and the author for the opportunity to read this book. I wished I had enjoyed it more. View all 12 comments. Cue a lot of shenanigans of the twisted kind and a set of intriguing character studies culminating in a fascinating solution.
I banged through this one, you always want to read just a little bit more — in the resolution stakes I did see the ending arriving about halfway through but in this case I would definitely say that is because the author does not in any way cheat the reader — if you absorb the story as it goes it becomes fairly apparent. Emma is highly intriguing, a girl who is flummoxed by the actions of her lover, another clever play on human nature that is a vibe that runs throughout. Overall really very good. Looking forward to more.
May 20, Petra rated it really liked it Shelves: A young woman is found beheaded in the house of a controversial CEO of a clothing chain. The identity of the woman is unknown. The businessman, Jesper Orre, has simply vanished. The story is told from three first-person perspectives: The investigating DI, Peter Lindgren, a disillusioned and despondent man about to hit the big whose only true commitment has always been his job.
A former profiler, Hanne, who is asked back to assist with the investigation when similarities to a crime from a decade A young woman is found beheaded in the house of a controversial CEO of a clothing chain. A former profiler, Hanne, who is asked back to assist with the investigation when similarities to a crime from a decade ago are found. Hanne has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia and is trapped in a loveless marriage to a controlling man. A relationship they are having to keep secret because he is her employer.
My experience with Scandinavian crime fiction has always been hit-and-miss. This one had the typical cold and bleak atmosphere and the detailed police procedural, but the alternating perspectives and the intricate insight into the past and present lives of these three intriguing and well-developed characters made this one into a definite hit. I particularly enjoyed Emma's and Hanne's perspectives.
Overall, a fascinating character study, which was fast-paced and held my attention throughout. The solution to the crime becomes apparent about halfway through the novel, but it didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story at all. A very well-written debut by Swedish author Camilla Grebe, which I highly recommend if you enjoy dark Nordic character-driven fiction.
Aug 04, Niki Stone rated it really liked it. Sep 06, Amy rated it really liked it Shelves: Full review on www. This book is told from three different perspectives; Peter a police officer, Hanne who consults with the police occasionally, and Emma a young woman who is wrapped up in the murder investigatio Full review on www. This book is told from three different perspectives; Peter a police officer, Hanne who consults with the police occasionally, and Emma a young woman who is wrapped up in the murder investigation. All of them are wounded and struggling with the hardships of life and the crosses they bear.
One of these riveting narrators is unreliable, but who? Who is the murdered woman and how does she fit in with these three? Set in Sweden, the atmosphere was cold, and chilling which lent to the already bleak storyline. This one is gory,gruesome and violent but it is all about a horrific murder. The characters are all very well developed and easy to connect with. Peter is wry and emotionally stunted and has his own demons from his past that never seem to leave him.
However, it was still a very enjoyable read for fans of dark and deadly crime fiction. This gripping psychological thriller immediately grabs the reader's attention, the decapitated body of a young woman is discovered, and more curiously it was discovered in the home of an infamous business tycoon.
With narration from the perspective of three characters makes this story very interesting, and helps to make this a fast paced read, but also gives a real insight into the characters.
- The Lady of the Ice.
- Ice (Kavan novel) - Wikipedia.
- Winter reads: Ice by Anna Kavan!
- Out Here On My Own.
The subsequent development of each character makes this a fascinating read and found I was thoroughly enjoying their individual tales. Hanne, formerly a criminal profiler, diagnosed with early onset dementia and in a controlling and loveless marriage, is a fantastic character and one I was cheering on whilst I read. Peter, the detective with commitment issues unless it's work he has to commit to , is good at his job, but his personal life Together Peter and Hanne work well, its clear there is a shared history and it makes reading the story much more enjoyable.
Emma's story was probably the most interesting one, a young woman that meets and falls in love with the CEO of the company she works for but their love affair has to be kept secret because of who he is. There is some very clever plotting in this book, it's very dark and disturbing, Grebe weaves together twists and turns that have the reader guessing at what might happen next.
I feel that I should praise the translation of this book. All too often when a book is translated into English, something can be "lost" but I am so pleased that is not the case with this one. It has the hallmarks of a Scandi thriller, cold, dark and direct which really work well here, making this one of the best books I've read this year.
Many thanks to the publisher for a copy of this in return for an honest review. Sep 18, Lee rated it really liked it. There have been so many reviews for this book so I will keep this short. This is an excellent psychological thriller, highly addictive and one that you will not want to put down until you are finished. The story is clever and fast paced told from three different perspectives, Emma engaged to a missing entrepreneur, Hanna a retired police profiler and Peter a police officer.
It seems that none of these characters are particularly happy but together they make for great reading, riveting, compellin There have been so many reviews for this book so I will keep this short. It seems that none of these characters are particularly happy but together they make for great reading, riveting, compelling and highly enjoyable. View all 18 comments. Jul 22, Sandy rated it liked it Shelves: As DI Peter Lindgren approaches the big , he struggles with that age old question: But when a young woman is found beheaded, it recalls a case 3.
Did he get it wrong? Emma is a young woman working for minimum wage in a clothing store. When they ask for her help with a recent murder, can she deal with a ghost from her past? View all 4 comments. Fast-paced with a surprise ending this was a great read. Told from the prospective of the murdered woman, Peter and Hanne, it moves back and forth between their views from past to present. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this book.
- Anna Kavan?
- Die Entwicklung der Langzeitausdauerfähigkeit am Beispiel der Vorbereitung auf einen Mountainbike-Marathon (German Edition).
- Damon?
Nov 04, Mary rated it it was amazing Shelves: Dear reader, Browsing in my local bookstore recently,I picked up this book,read the hauntingly beautiful prose on the first page and knew that it was going to be a fab read! Thankfully this book didn't let me down and in reality,surpassed all my expectations. I'm a crime buff,and arrogantly thought that this book would be based on the usual hunt for 'who dun it',a race against time, peppered with a little suspense and If you're looking for a fast paced,heavy han Dear reader, Browsing in my local bookstore recently,I picked up this book,read the hauntingly beautiful prose on the first page and knew that it was going to be a fab read!
If you're looking for a fast paced,heavy handed police procedural story,then dear reader,you need to look elsewhere. Introduced to Peter,a man pondering life and its inherent quirkiness,we see a forty nine year old man who is tired of what he has become. Faced with the relentless cycle that crime represents for him,he has somehow lost both his professional thirst for apprehending the 'conveyor belt' of murderers and felons, and his private thirst for a happy and fulfilling life with a wife and child.
Allowed to see snapshots into his past life, we learn of his non relationship with Janet, the mother of his fifteen year old son Albin,a child he inadvertently fathered and while admitting to being this boy's biological father,wants no daily contact with his son, has no wish to be called 'dad'.
The Ice Beneath Her
We also learn of his one true romantic relationship,with Hanne,a psychological profiler,who assisted the police in a case ten years previously and how his pathological fear of commitment destroyed their joint hopes and wishes for a happy and fulfilled life together. Hanne,we learn is 'drowning,not waving' in a loveless marriage,being coerced,bullied and controlled by Owe,a man who seemingly chose her deliberately for such a role. Now fighting her own tormenting and soul destroying cognitive battle against herself and the disease that is ravishing her mind, she suddenly acknowledges that she can no longer waste her remaining coherent days existing under the same roof as this man,one who is ashamed of her,the person she has and will become,but somehow exalts in the hold he has over her,in her vulnerability and in her neediness.
Requested to,once again,aid the police in the apprehension of a murderer,how will Hanne react to Peter,what will befall these two brave yet scared,courageous yet foolhardy people who were intimately connected,and now only have the remembrance of times past between them? We are also introduced to Emma,a recently bereaved single lady,in a relationship with Jesper. We learn of her tragic family background,her father's early demise and her concerted efforts to maintain a happy, loving union with Jesper,a man her superior in both work and social strata.
Who struck the blade that rendered a torso devoid of its head,where is Jepser,why did he fail to turn up for his own engagement party,and what,if any,is the connection to a cold case that saw a young Chilean man, similarly beheaded a decade ago? Dear reader,this was truly one of the best books that I've ever had the pleasure of reading! Deeply compelling,the suspense was racked up to the top level as we were treated to titbits of information from the varying and ever so personal perspectives of Peter, Hanne and Emma.
The highly descriptive and carefully chosen words painted a harsh,cold,white and bitter environment as the case unfolded in its own slow,meandering and inimitable way. The story unfolded as if by magic,its web of loneliness,anger,futility,love,madness and second chances,having been slowly woven with care and ease from the very first page. The twist,when it graced us with its presence,was,to me,totally unexpected,and having been delivered at the end,served to make this a most compelling story.
Highly imaginative,wonderfully worded,and carefully crafted,I recommend this book to all crime fans who seek a welcome change from the ordinary,who are interested in reading characters' life stories wrapped in a deeply satisfying and hauntingly warped blanket! Jan 29, debra rated it really liked it. As Petra said in her review-solution to the crime becomes apparent about halfway through the novel, but doesn't detract much from enjoyment.
See Petra's or Diane S's review. View all 6 comments. Generally regarded as genre-defying, it has been labelled as a work of science fiction , Nouveau roman , [1] and literary slipstream. Kavan completed an early draft of Ice in March It was then accepted by Peter Owen , though he expressed doubts about the manuscript, citing a deficiency of character and narrative.
Kavan defended the work, writing that "it is not meant to be realistic writing. It's a sort of present day fable This dreamlike atmosphere is the essence of the [novel]. Over the next six months, the manuscript went through extensive revisions. Owen accepted the manuscript again, and convinced Kavan to change the title from The Ice World to simply Ice. Like most of Kavan's novels, Ice contains autobiographical elements: Kavan's extensive travelling, her marriage to artist Stuart Edmonds, and her unhappy childhood are important inspirations for elements of the novel.
The Madagascan Indris , an element which reoccurs throughout the story, came to Kavan after watching a David Attenborough nature documentary.