Summary | Author | Book Reviews | Discussion Questions
The Ice Princess
Camilla Lackberg, 2003 (U.S. printing, 2011)
Simon & Schuster
416 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781451621747
In Brief
In this electrifying tale of suspense from an international crime-writing sensation, a grisly death exposes the dark heart of a Scandinavian seaside village.
Erica Falck returns to her tiny, remote hometown of Fjällbacka, Sweden, after her parents’ deaths only to encounter another tragedy: the suicide of her childhood best friend, Alex. It’s Erica herself who finds Alex’s body—suspended in a bathtub of frozen water, her wrists slashed. Erica is bewildered: Why would a beautiful woman who had it all take her own life? Teaming up with police detective Patrik Hedström, Erica begins to uncover shocking events from Alex’s childhood.
As one horrifying fact after another comes to light, Erica and Patrik’s curiosity gives way to obsession—and their flirtation grows into uncontrollable attraction. But it’s not long before one thing becomes very clear: a deadly secret is at stake, and there’s someone out there who will do anything—even commit murder—to protect it.
Fans of Scandinavian greats Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell will devour Camilla Lackberg’s penetrating portrait of human nature at its darkest. (From the publisher.)
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About the Author
• Birth—August 30, 1974
• Where—Fjallbacka, Sweden
• Education—Goteberg University
• Awards—Folket Prize (Sweden)
• Currently—lives in Stockholm, Sweden
Camilla Lackberg worked as an economist in Stockholm until a course in creative writing triggered a drastic career change. Her novels have all been # 1 bestsellers in Sweden and she is the most profitable native author in Swedish history. Camilla's books have been published in thirty-five countries. She lives in Stockholm. (From the pubisher.)
More
Camilla was 29 when she published her first novel, The Ice Princess, in 2003. Three years later, her prize-winning books were topping the Swedish bestseller lists. It might seem that everything’s gone smoothly for her. But Camilla actually began her professional life as an economist, the world of the novelist seeming light years away...
Camilla Lackberg was born in 1974, and grew up in Fjällbacka on the west coast of Sweden, just by the Norwegian bite. As a girl, she was always telling stories and drawing little tales that she’d put together into books. The first such book, called Tomten (The Goblin), which she wrote when she was only four or five years old, was a gory, hair-raising four-pager. Her fascination for murder mysteries has always been there – perhaps as a contrast to the idyllic tracts of her childhood home.
But writing remained merely a dream for Camilla, who went on to study economics at the School of Economics and Commercial Law at Göteborg University. After graduating, she moved to Stockholm, where she spent a couple of years working as an economist. Unhappy years, that is, with her dream of being a novelist still holding her in its thrall. She was finally given a course for Christmas by her husband, mother and brother. It was a crime-writing course organised by writers’ association Ordfront, and as she studied, she began the story that came to be her debut novel: The Ice Princess. Her tutor advised her to set the plot in a place she knew well, and where better than her childhood home?
The Ice Princess was accepted in the same week as Camilla gave birth to her son, Wille, and was published in 2003. Her second book, The Preacher, was released in 2004, followed by The Stonecutter in 2005 and The Jynx in 2006. In April 2007 it was time for her fifth novel The German Child. May 2008 saw two new books reach the shelves, one of which was a complete departure from the crime genre. The first of these was The Mermaid, the sixth book in the series about Fjällbacka residents Patrik and Erika; the second was a cookery book, which she put together with celebrity chef and childhood friend Christian Hellberg. Smakerfran Fjallbacka (The taste of Fjällbacka) is a culinary celebration of Fjällbacka and the food that Camilla and Christian associate with life on the west coast. The latest book to be published in Sweden is the seventh book about Patrik and Erika: The Lighthouse Keeper.
Camilla’s novels have enjoyed critical acclaim and her popularity has grown steadily. She is Sweden’s top-selling author, and to date she has sold over 5 million books. She won the Folket literary prize in 2006, and in the autumn of the following year found another of her dreams fulfilled when her first two books were dramatised and shown on national television. (From the author's website.)
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Critics Say . . .
A top-class Scandinavian writer.
London Times
At the start of Lackberg's haunting U.S. debut, the first of her seven novels set in the Swedish coastal town of Fjallbacka, biographer Erica Falck returns home to sort through her deceased parents' belongings and work on her next book. But this is not the same hometown she grew up in. Summer tourists are turning the former fishing village into a thriving resort, and Erica's controlling brother-in-law is pressuring her to cash in by selling the family home. The apparent suicide of childhood friend Alexandra Wijkner contributes to Erica's grief. Once inseparable, they drifted apart before Alex's family abruptly moved away, and Erica feels compelled to write a novel about why the beautiful Alex would kill herself. Läckberg skillfully details how horrific secrets are never completely buried and how silence can kill the soul. A parallel between the town's downward spiral and the fate of one of Fjällbacka's wealthiest families adds texture.
Publishers Weekly
Erica Falck returns to her hometown of Fjallbacka, Sweden, now a budding resort town, to wrap up her late parents' estate and is devastated to learn of the suspicious death of her childhood friend, Alex. Writing a thinly disguised novel based on Alex's life, she becomes romantically involved with the detective on the case. Through the lives of the suspects, Läckberg reveals the sordidness of the town's wealthy families and the resounding effects of child abuse. Though this first entry in a new seven-book series, the author's U.S. debut, has been highly acclaimed on the European continent, North American audiences wanting to immerse themselves in the Swedish setting may find that narrator David Thorn's British pronunciations and dialect make for a disjointed listening experience. Recommended only where Scandinavian crime fiction does well. —Sandy Glover, Camas P.L., WA
Library Journal
This excellent thriller is a must-read for fans of Scandinavian crime literature and will especially appeal to those who enjoy Asa Larsson’s Rebecka Martinsson novels.
Booklist
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Book Club Discussion Questions
1. Erica's initial involvement in the mystery of Alex's death is purely coincidental, but as time goes on she becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about her childhood friend's past. What do you think motivates Erica to pursue this case so relentlessly?
2. Both a gifted painter and Fjallbacka's neighborhood drunk, Anders Nilsson lives a contradictory existence. As LAckberg writes, "he was born with an insatiable need for beauty at the same time that he was condemned to a life of filth and squalor" (page 142). What is your impression of Anders and how did it change as the novel progressed?
3. Alex and Anders form a close bond based on the shared trauma of their pasts, a relationship that is truly loving but also profoundly marked by sorrow. Reread Anders' description of Alex on page 191. What do you make of their relationship?
4. Erica continues to write her book about Alex's life despite having many reservations. Lackberg writes, "For the first time an idea for a book had really filled her with enthusiasm. There were so many other ideas that hadn't panned out and that she'd rejected over the years; she couldn't afford to lose this one." (page 261). Do you think the project is exploitative, or even selfish, or will Erica offer a respectful, balanced account that humanizes her subject? Do you think Erica has the right to publish this book?
5. Anna and Erica's strained relationship improves markedly after Anna leaves her abusive husband. How do both women begin to view each other differently once Lucas is out of the picture? What do you think they will resolve to do with their parents' house?
6. How do Anders's italicized passages contribute to the narrative as a whole? When did you discover the identity of the man in these scenes and what was it that tipped you off?
7. Karl-Erik and Birgit's decision to raise Julia leaves Alex with a constant reminder of the trauma of her childhood. But as Lackberg writes, "The sad thing was that—even if it was true that they had looked at Julia many times and were reminded of the horror of the past—she would never realize how much they loved her" (page 335). Do you think that Karl-Erik and Birgit were well-intentioned in their decision or were they simply trying to sweep the tragedy under the rug?
8. The Ice Princess is rife with examples of dysfunctional and adulterous relationships—from Alex and Henrik, to Dan and Pernilla, to Anna and Lucas. Do you think Lackberg intentionally paints a bleak portrait of marriage in general? Will Erica and Patrik fare any better as a couple?
9. Despite the quaint and scenic backdrop that Fjallbacka provides, the town has a dark and disturbing past. Discuss how the setting of this book influences the story. How does the uncovering of Fjallbacka's secrets parallel the demise of some of its most prominent residents?
10. The difficulty of parent/child relationships is a recurring theme in The Ice Princess, from Erica's frustration with her cold and distant mother, to Vera's fierce protectiveness of Anders, to Julia's deep-seated bitterness toward Karl-Erik and Birgit. How are the characters in this book influenced by their relationships with their parents?
11. Vera Nilsson's motive for murder stems from a desperate need to salvage her son's reputation: "'Everyone would have pointed at him and talked to him,'" she says. "'I did what I thought was right'" (page 372). Do you think Vera is at all sympathetic? Why or why not?
(Questions issued by publisher.)