The Ice Child - Softcover

McGregor, Elizabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451410610 ISBN 13: 9780451410610

Publisher: Onyx Books, 2002

Synopsis

When Jo Harper falls in love with maverick archaeologist Doug Marshall, she also falls into Doug's obsession: the disappearance of the Franklin Expedition in 1845. But to truly follow her heart, Jo must retrace the uncharted trail that has claimed so many lives-not for glory or fame, but for love.

About this title

Review

There are writers who meticulously research their subject, then reveal only the tip of the iceberg to their readers. Then there's Elizabeth McGregor. It's not that she skimps on research--on the contrary, she has a very large iceberg of information at her disposal. But she doesn't hide a bit of it below the surface, and the result is a truly epic novel that glories in the details of two worlds: Victorian Arctic exploration and modern medicine.

Jo Harper is a contemporary London journalist saddled by her editor with a story she doesn't want. Namely: Douglas Marshall, an eminent archaeologist, has set out on a trek to research the (real-life) Franklin expedition, which disappeared more than a century ago during a hopeless search for the Northwest Passage. Now Marshall, too, has gone missing. In the course of her preliminary spadework, Jo finds an archived BBC program wherein Marshall describes the folly of Franklin's endeavour:

Just a few short miles of ice. What was that to the greediest colonising nation in the world? What were the months of darkness, and the strongest sea currents on the planet? The finest nautical minds of the age talked about it as if it were an afternoon jaunt, brushing aside a few natives, bears and bits of tundra.

McGregor alternates Jo's story with a running account of the Franklin expedition, narrated by a 16-year-old sailor named Gus. Meanwhile, Marshall is found, and he and Jo pursue a clearly doomed romance. When their child is born with a rare blood disease, the distraught mother commissions a modern-day Arctic expedition to save the baby. Whether her characters are in the tundra or a hospital ward, McGregor's narrative has the momentum of a ship under full sail. Instead of bogging the book down, the carefully accumulated details propel it forward. Here is a large, complicated, lovingly-made adventure that reads as easily, and as irresistibly, as a romance. --Claire Dederer, Amazon.com

Review

Young journalist Jo Harper - successful and single - is sent to investigate the disappearance of arctic explorer Doug Marshall. At first disinterested, she becomes keener on learning about his adventures and passion for the 1847 Franklin expedition; even more so when he is found alive and she becomes attracted to him. The story of Jo's life is interspersed with chilling accounts from the 1847 expedition, which makes for a beautifully written epic women's read. Despite the age gap, Jo and Doug form a relationship, which is cut short when Doug is involved in a tragic accident. The Ice Child is their son Sam, who was born after the accident and then falls seriously ill. Jo has to battle alone against time to save him. Parallels unfold between the last days facing the Franklin crew and the crisis facing baby Sam. McGregor, an award-winning short story writer and author of six psychological thrillers, has changed direction and written an incredibly dramatic story of hope, courage and love.

Edition details

• Publisher: Onyx Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0451410610
• ISBN 13: 9780451410610
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 448