THE ICE CHILD

This novel has an interesting premise--the reader is taken on Arctic explorations past and present, and on an occasional side trip with polar bears in between. The modern-day explorers are driven to find out more about a 150-year old tragedy at sea, and the reader gets a look into the lives of both sets of adventurers. With a crisp, efficient storytelling style, Davina Porter does a fine job of bringing the novel to life, but there are places, especially in the dialogue between the characters, where there isn’t much for her to go on. What could be an astonishing story at times gets lost itself in a sea of empty description and unlikely relationships. When the novel is moving forward, it is a pleasure to hear, but long dry spells can make it a challenge to get from one chapter to the next. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 02]