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If the Ice Had Held
Melanie Henderson's life is a lie. The scandal of her birth and the identity of her true parents is kept from her family's small, conservative Colorado town. Not even she knows the truth: that her birth mother was just 14 and unmarried to her father, a local boy who drowned when he tried to take a shortcut across an icy river. Thirty-five years later, in Denver, Melanie dabbles in affairs with married men while clinging to a corporate job that gives her life order even as her tenuous relationships fall apart. She still hasn't learned that the woman who raised her is actually her aunt—or that her birth mother visits her almost every day. This fiercely-guarded secret bonds the two most important women in her life, who hatched a plan to trade places and give Melanie a life unmarred by shame. Yet, as a forest fire rages through the Rocky Mountains and a car accident shakes the family, Melanie finds herself at the center of an unraveling tangle of tragedy and heartbreak. If the Ice Had Held speaks with a natural lyricism, and presents a cast of characters who quietly struggle through complicated lives.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2019
13 people are currently reading
851 people want to read
About the author
Wendy J. Fox
4 books59 followersWendy J. Fox is the author of four books of fiction, including the novel If the Ice Had Held and the forthcoming collection What If We Were Somewhere Else.
She has written for The Rumpus, Buzzfeed, Self, Business Insider, and Ms., and her work has appeared in literary magazines including Washington Square, Euphony, and Painted Bride Quarterly. More at www.wendyjfox.com.
She has written for The Rumpus, Buzzfeed, Self, Business Insider, and Ms., and her work has appeared in literary magazines including Washington Square, Euphony, and Painted Bride Quarterly. More at www.wendyjfox.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
April 14, 2021
Öncelikle arka kapak yazısıyla okuru konu ile ilgili beklentiye soktuğunu düşünüyorum.
Halbuki öyle değil! Hikaye daha yavaş ilerliyor ve kim kimdir, kimin ailesidir anlamaya çalışıyorsunuz. Her bölümde karakter değişimi ve zaman geçişleri oluyor, o bölümün karakteri erkek dahi olsa hep kadın hikayeleri okuyoruz. Bir buzun kırılmasıyla değişen hayatları anlatıyor bize.
.Melanie 30'lu yaşlarında güven problemi olan, geçmişi ile ilgili gerçeği öğrenmemiş biri. Bu çerçevede geçmişe dönerek bu hikayeyi öğrenmeye çalışıyor, bazı tesadüflerle karşılaşıyoruz.
Anne baba- çocuk ilişkisi ve eşler arasındaki ilişkileri de ön plana koymuş yazar.
Ben beğendim ama sonu farklı olabilir miydi diye düşünüyorum. Belki...
Halbuki öyle değil! Hikaye daha yavaş ilerliyor ve kim kimdir, kimin ailesidir anlamaya çalışıyorsunuz. Her bölümde karakter değişimi ve zaman geçişleri oluyor, o bölümün karakteri erkek dahi olsa hep kadın hikayeleri okuyoruz. Bir buzun kırılmasıyla değişen hayatları anlatıyor bize.
.Melanie 30'lu yaşlarında güven problemi olan, geçmişi ile ilgili gerçeği öğrenmemiş biri. Bu çerçevede geçmişe dönerek bu hikayeyi öğrenmeye çalışıyor, bazı tesadüflerle karşılaşıyoruz.
Anne baba- çocuk ilişkisi ve eşler arasındaki ilişkileri de ön plana koymuş yazar.
Ben beğendim ama sonu farklı olabilir miydi diye düşünüyorum. Belki...
February 27, 2021
Hayatımızda meydana gelen pek çok tesadüf pek çok irili ufaklı olayın yaşanmamış olduğunda neler olabilirdi, mesela otobüsü kaçırmasaydım, o saatte kahve yapmak yerine evden çıksaydım, aklıma geldiğinde gidip bi baksaydım vs vs..
Kitapta da Sammy kız arkadaşının babasından korkup/çekinip kestirme yol olarak buzla kaplı nehrin kenarını kullanmasa, o buz kırılmasaydı acaba hayatta olur muydu ihtimali üzerinden bir okuma yapıyoruz. Ve fakat, biz kitapta Sammy'nin ölmediği bir ihtimali okumuyoruz. Yine ölmüş ve ölümü nerelere vardırmıl hayatındaki tüm insanları,yaşamda ne kadar dağılmış, sürüklenmişler bunu okuyoruz.
Tesadüflerle sürekli bağlana kurgu içinde bana hep zorlama gelir, çok nazik bir konu benim için, dantel gibi işlemek gerekiyor bence. Yazarın bu konudaki mahareti beni inanılmaz mutlu etti. Bağlantılı çıkacağındab emin olduğunuz bir karakter örgüsü içinde amaan bu kadar da olmaz demeden okutuyor kendini.
Sammy'nin bu kaza neticesinde ölümü, sevgilisinin hamile oluşu ve ablasının bebeğini kendi bebeği gibi büyütmesi ve bebeğin katiyen hiçbir şeyden haberdar olmadan 30lu yaşlarına varmasının her karakterin gözünden, zamanından anlatımını okumak enfes. Betimlemeleri hem çok sade hem çok çarpıcı. Kanlı canlı gözünüzün önünde olacak, mekan, zaman ve kişiler. Sürekli bulmaca çözer gibi aile bağları, üzüntüler, evlilik, sevinçler ve yeniden başlamanın gücünü keşfederek okuyoruz kitabı.
Çok yeni çıkan bir kitap olması sebebiyle çok bilinmediğini düşünüyorum. Ben çok severek okudum, çok içten tavsiye ederim.
Keyifli okumalar 🌼
#readingismycardio #aslihanneokudu #okudumbitti #2021okumalarım #okuryorumu #kitaptavsiyesi #konukitap #eğerbuzkırılmasaydı #wendyjfox #oyayalçın #çevirikitaplar #dünyaedebiyatı
Kitapta da Sammy kız arkadaşının babasından korkup/çekinip kestirme yol olarak buzla kaplı nehrin kenarını kullanmasa, o buz kırılmasaydı acaba hayatta olur muydu ihtimali üzerinden bir okuma yapıyoruz. Ve fakat, biz kitapta Sammy'nin ölmediği bir ihtimali okumuyoruz. Yine ölmüş ve ölümü nerelere vardırmıl hayatındaki tüm insanları,yaşamda ne kadar dağılmış, sürüklenmişler bunu okuyoruz.
Tesadüflerle sürekli bağlana kurgu içinde bana hep zorlama gelir, çok nazik bir konu benim için, dantel gibi işlemek gerekiyor bence. Yazarın bu konudaki mahareti beni inanılmaz mutlu etti. Bağlantılı çıkacağındab emin olduğunuz bir karakter örgüsü içinde amaan bu kadar da olmaz demeden okutuyor kendini.
Sammy'nin bu kaza neticesinde ölümü, sevgilisinin hamile oluşu ve ablasının bebeğini kendi bebeği gibi büyütmesi ve bebeğin katiyen hiçbir şeyden haberdar olmadan 30lu yaşlarına varmasının her karakterin gözünden, zamanından anlatımını okumak enfes. Betimlemeleri hem çok sade hem çok çarpıcı. Kanlı canlı gözünüzün önünde olacak, mekan, zaman ve kişiler. Sürekli bulmaca çözer gibi aile bağları, üzüntüler, evlilik, sevinçler ve yeniden başlamanın gücünü keşfederek okuyoruz kitabı.
Çok yeni çıkan bir kitap olması sebebiyle çok bilinmediğini düşünüyorum. Ben çok severek okudum, çok içten tavsiye ederim.
Keyifli okumalar 🌼
#readingismycardio #aslihanneokudu #okudumbitti #2021okumalarım #okuryorumu #kitaptavsiyesi #konukitap #eğerbuzkırılmasaydı #wendyjfox #oyayalçın #çevirikitaplar #dünyaedebiyatı
May 1, 2019
We are deep into the If the Ice Had Held, a brisk novel told from seven points of view across more than three decades, when 14-year-old Irene thinks about her mother, a woman she never really knew.
“Irene was not sure she had any true memories of the woman,” writes Wendy J. Fox, “only scraps and fragments she had pieced together from a handful of ragged photographs.”
As a whole, If the Ice Had Held comes to us in those same brisk, jagged scraps and memories. We are given pieces. Shards. And we have the pleasure of seeing the pieces come together as we understand how they connect, as we see the players react, interact, and impact each other’s lives.
Irene, however, is not alone. This is Melanie’s story. Of the 37 chapters and seven points of view, Melanie’s story gets 16.
When we meet Melanie, she is working in a non-glamorous corner of the dot-com world. She works in Colorado Springs in “the ground-floor wing of a crumbling office park where the air-conditioning was troubling and unreliable.” Melanie is restless. She has a constant “feeling of spinning.” On a road trip, she breaks one of her rules, to never sleep with a co-worker or a customer. She dubs him San Antonio Man. He’s a co-worker. Melanie thinks hard about the quality of her life, her work environment, her home, her relationships. She is a professional adult in a professional world and she is also adrift and searching.
We learn that Melanie is Irene’s daughter and that Melanie’s father was Sammy, Kathleen’s brother. Sammy is the subject of the title—if the ice had held, if Sammy had not fallen in the cold river to his death, Melanie might have been raised by very young teenage parents and then, well, who knows?
Think I’m giving away too much? I doubt it. There is much more to Melanie’s story—what we learn about Kathleen and why she stepped in to supplant Irene’s role as mother, what we learn about the relationship between Kathleen and Irene, what we learn about the stories that were concocted because it was the 1970’s and stories were required. What we learn about the first responders to Sammy’s accident, too.
In fact, It was when Fox switched to the one chapter told from the point of view of Simon, the father of a character named Brian, that the novel really clicked into place and I marveled at the kaleidoscopic effect that Fox gives readers of the connections across time, across families, across life.
This is Melanie’s story—maybe? If the Ice Had Held starts and ends with Kathleen. It’s her gesture (much too small a term) that gives the story its spark and its heart. Well, at least, one of them. In a novel riddled with accidents and tragedies, there more than a few lump-in-your-throat moments when Fox reveals connections and encounters you won’t see coming.
The story starts with Sammy plunging into an icy river and water seems to ooze its way, in one form another into every scene. The cascading effects from this one accident ripple across time, the proverbial pebble in the pond but the pebble is a human being and the pond is life. its Fox’s writing is cool, serene and stripped clean of sentimentality. She is a dry-eyed documentarian with a keen eye and a terrific ear. The construction of this novel carries a quality like the way David Hockney played with photographs—the farther you step back, the more you see.
But it was a singer I heard as the novel layered in connections and details, David Byrne. If the Ice Had Held asks us to wonder, well, how did I get here? “Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground…”
“Irene was not sure she had any true memories of the woman,” writes Wendy J. Fox, “only scraps and fragments she had pieced together from a handful of ragged photographs.”
As a whole, If the Ice Had Held comes to us in those same brisk, jagged scraps and memories. We are given pieces. Shards. And we have the pleasure of seeing the pieces come together as we understand how they connect, as we see the players react, interact, and impact each other’s lives.
Irene, however, is not alone. This is Melanie’s story. Of the 37 chapters and seven points of view, Melanie’s story gets 16.
When we meet Melanie, she is working in a non-glamorous corner of the dot-com world. She works in Colorado Springs in “the ground-floor wing of a crumbling office park where the air-conditioning was troubling and unreliable.” Melanie is restless. She has a constant “feeling of spinning.” On a road trip, she breaks one of her rules, to never sleep with a co-worker or a customer. She dubs him San Antonio Man. He’s a co-worker. Melanie thinks hard about the quality of her life, her work environment, her home, her relationships. She is a professional adult in a professional world and she is also adrift and searching.
We learn that Melanie is Irene’s daughter and that Melanie’s father was Sammy, Kathleen’s brother. Sammy is the subject of the title—if the ice had held, if Sammy had not fallen in the cold river to his death, Melanie might have been raised by very young teenage parents and then, well, who knows?
Think I’m giving away too much? I doubt it. There is much more to Melanie’s story—what we learn about Kathleen and why she stepped in to supplant Irene’s role as mother, what we learn about the relationship between Kathleen and Irene, what we learn about the stories that were concocted because it was the 1970’s and stories were required. What we learn about the first responders to Sammy’s accident, too.
In fact, It was when Fox switched to the one chapter told from the point of view of Simon, the father of a character named Brian, that the novel really clicked into place and I marveled at the kaleidoscopic effect that Fox gives readers of the connections across time, across families, across life.
This is Melanie’s story—maybe? If the Ice Had Held starts and ends with Kathleen. It’s her gesture (much too small a term) that gives the story its spark and its heart. Well, at least, one of them. In a novel riddled with accidents and tragedies, there more than a few lump-in-your-throat moments when Fox reveals connections and encounters you won’t see coming.
The story starts with Sammy plunging into an icy river and water seems to ooze its way, in one form another into every scene. The cascading effects from this one accident ripple across time, the proverbial pebble in the pond but the pebble is a human being and the pond is life. its Fox’s writing is cool, serene and stripped clean of sentimentality. She is a dry-eyed documentarian with a keen eye and a terrific ear. The construction of this novel carries a quality like the way David Hockney played with photographs—the farther you step back, the more you see.
But it was a singer I heard as the novel layered in connections and details, David Byrne. If the Ice Had Held asks us to wonder, well, how did I get here? “Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground…”
May 7, 2019
Full Review
If the Ice Had Held is a solid work of realist fiction. Fox tells a compelling story of people who grew up in unusual and dysfunctional families and how it affects them. Her prose is poetic without being overbearing and her characters are so real, they feel like people I’ve known. This is a novel well-worth your time.
If the Ice Had Held is a solid work of realist fiction. Fox tells a compelling story of people who grew up in unusual and dysfunctional families and how it affects them. Her prose is poetic without being overbearing and her characters are so real, they feel like people I’ve known. This is a novel well-worth your time.
November 30, 2018
This layered and compassionate novel explores the ways in which a tragic, unexpected loss upends the plans and dreams of the people it affects, leaving them to try to reassemble their broken lives. By weaving together the stories of multiple characters who are affected by such a loss, Fox portrays this process with insight and empathy, and shows how it can deliver unanticipated gifts.
For my full review of the book, see https://smallpresspicks.com/if-the-ic....
For my full review of the book, see https://smallpresspicks.com/if-the-ic....
February 6, 2020
Spellbinding look at the fabric of a life and how we are changed both by our own decisions and events beyond our control. Superb, taut craft. Haunting and unforgettable.
June 29, 2019
Sharp and intelligent. This book captured me from the beginning and held me to the end. The characters were so well developed I felt as if I had know them forever. This book is filled with small nuggets of wisdom that play over and over in my brain.
Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys intelligent thought provoking reads.
Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys intelligent thought provoking reads.
September 8, 2019
I enjoyed this novel as a rich collection of character studies, albeit one filled with lonely, searching people who never quite get what they want or need. I recommend that you read it over the course of two to three days as there are so many characters and connections unstated among them that you need the previous chapters fresh in your memory to truly appreciate the interconnectedness of these stories.
July 13, 2021
Zamanın işleyişi, olasılıkların mucizesi ve insan hayatındaki bazı basit anların yaratabileceği kusursuz değişimlere dair keyifle okunan bir kitaptı. 7 karakter ve her birinin sürekli birbirini bölen etkileşimli hikayeleri keyifli olmakla beraber yer yer metni zora soktuğu için 3⭐️ vermeyi uygun buldum.
March 28, 2020
I liked the storyline but felt like all of the characters and dates were put in a blender and out popped this novel. Since each of the many characters had his/her own series of short chapters scattered throughout and not necessarily chronologically, I never bonded with any character and spent most of my reading time wondering who did what when. And yet the basics of the story (family secrets, betrayal, loyalty, loss) were strong.
December 31, 2019
Well-woven tapestry of less-than-perfect people.
July 5, 2019
As you can read from the other reviews, this novel is somewhat of a paradox: It is both accessible and complex; it is both a page-turner and filled with layers upon layers of deep symbolism; it is both fiction and reality.
What truly sets this novel apart from anything I have read recently is Fox's ability to find each and every character's story noteworthy -- much like life, there are really no minor or background characters here. Fox is painstakingly detailed in making sure each character has a backstory, and this allows the reader to understand -- but not necessarily defend; there is a difference, after all -- the actions of those whom we encounter in "If the Ice Had Held."
Legendary World War II journalist Ernie Pyle famously said, "If you want to tell the story of war, tell the story of one soldier," and Fox's book ambitiously tells the story of the modern-day American family, where blood and the past -- and of course in this tale, water -- plays an ever-present protagonist in our now. Instead of one soldier, Fox tells the story of seven individuals. But make no mistake -- this is one story.
Pyle is almost famous for saying every soldier is worth a story, and after reading "If the Ice Had Held," it's hard not to walk into your local supermarket and wonder about the blood-and-water backstory of the produce guy, the bakery manager, or the retiree in line in front of you; for this newfound curiosity, we have to thank Fox and "If the Ice Had Held."
What truly sets this novel apart from anything I have read recently is Fox's ability to find each and every character's story noteworthy -- much like life, there are really no minor or background characters here. Fox is painstakingly detailed in making sure each character has a backstory, and this allows the reader to understand -- but not necessarily defend; there is a difference, after all -- the actions of those whom we encounter in "If the Ice Had Held."
Legendary World War II journalist Ernie Pyle famously said, "If you want to tell the story of war, tell the story of one soldier," and Fox's book ambitiously tells the story of the modern-day American family, where blood and the past -- and of course in this tale, water -- plays an ever-present protagonist in our now. Instead of one soldier, Fox tells the story of seven individuals. But make no mistake -- this is one story.
Pyle is almost famous for saying every soldier is worth a story, and after reading "If the Ice Had Held," it's hard not to walk into your local supermarket and wonder about the blood-and-water backstory of the produce guy, the bakery manager, or the retiree in line in front of you; for this newfound curiosity, we have to thank Fox and "If the Ice Had Held."
August 14, 2019
I read _If the Ice Had Held_ by Wendy Fox while sitting by a lake, and it was my solitary pleasure. Every character is nuanced and compelling. There's a pattern for the women in this novel, all of whom have been left by fathers in one way or another and the fractures in the ice outward from that central disappearance are multiple, but I loved it that not one of them is cause for pity because of it—Melanie's deepest relationship is with her mother and aunt and she is proud to be "self-sustaining." The way Jenny raises her kids reverberated for me—her expectations of her husband are low because she only knows fathers in absentia— yet as the child of a single mother she understands "how lucky she was that her mother was not bitter."
I also loved it that the book did not involve a big reveal: "The longer she kept her own secrets, the more she realized how others had to keep theirs." I think that is true of how we live. There is a tensile strength in these women apart from the men in their lives, that I appreciated. It wasn't a big feminist statement; it's a reflection of how women live. I enjoyed and admired the writing of this novel so much.
I also loved it that the book did not involve a big reveal: "The longer she kept her own secrets, the more she realized how others had to keep theirs." I think that is true of how we live. There is a tensile strength in these women apart from the men in their lives, that I appreciated. It wasn't a big feminist statement; it's a reflection of how women live. I enjoyed and admired the writing of this novel so much.
July 23, 2020
Not really a bad book, per say, but very unsatisfying. The ending wasn't much of an ending at all and I feel like most of the storylines didn't get the closure I would have liked. I was surprised when I turned the page of the ebook and it was already the acknowledgements. I feel like there needed to be so much more!
June 21, 2019
The story starts out about Melanie but quickly becomes about a small community of people, from different walks of life, linked by a series of catastrophic events. One of which is the death of Melanie's biological father, Sammy.
Sammy breaks through thin ice on his way to see his sister. As the book begins, we arrive at his funeral where, unbeknownst to his family, his pregnant girlfriend (Irene) is in attendance. Irene is 14, and plans to keep the baby, but knows her father won't approve.
Sammy's favorite sister, Kathleen, feels an inexplicable connection to Irene and befriends her. Eventually, Irene admits to the pregnancy and the two girls devise a plan involving Kathleen accepting the role of mother--making life easier for Irene and more difficult for Kathleen; but Kathleen and Irene both want a part of Sammy to remain in the world, no matter the consequences to their lives.
As we move through the story, it goes back and forth--spanning several decades and multiple perspectives--allowing us to meet not only parents but grandparents as well. All of whom are connected, in various ways, to Melanie.
While Melanie knows nothing of the arrangement made between her "mother" and her mother's most trusted friend, Irene. She loves both women fiercely. That said, the lack of a consistent father figure--the man she recognized as her father left when Melanie was young--has made it difficult for Melanie to sustain a relationship with any man.
One-night stands are her preference and she isn't picky about the man being married.
Alex and Brian are two of the men with whom Melanie has affairs but we discover Brian's family tree is intertwined with Melanie's in ways neither could possibly imagine; it was tough not to mentally tip your cap at how effortlessly Fox connected the seemingly unconnected.
If the Ice Had Held is about the little coincidences that both bind and separated each of these people to each other; while it was sometimes confusing to keep up with the threads that connected them to another, it was clear why she chose to take the time to introduce each of them into the story of Melanie.
This isn't a quick read. It's at times underwhelming and frustratingly mundane so, if you're looking for a page-turner,I suggest you look elsewhere because you won't find that here. This is more case study than anything.
That said, what you will find is a story about the brokenness of people and how even the smallest bit of hope--in themselves and in the unknown--keeps them trudging forward.
The "ice" which changed the trajectory of Melanie's life acts as a metaphor for the risks we take--in the name of love and hope--and shows us how easily one misstep can change everything.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ for the Advanced eGalley of this work. Opinion is my own.
Sammy breaks through thin ice on his way to see his sister. As the book begins, we arrive at his funeral where, unbeknownst to his family, his pregnant girlfriend (Irene) is in attendance. Irene is 14, and plans to keep the baby, but knows her father won't approve.
Sammy's favorite sister, Kathleen, feels an inexplicable connection to Irene and befriends her. Eventually, Irene admits to the pregnancy and the two girls devise a plan involving Kathleen accepting the role of mother--making life easier for Irene and more difficult for Kathleen; but Kathleen and Irene both want a part of Sammy to remain in the world, no matter the consequences to their lives.
As we move through the story, it goes back and forth--spanning several decades and multiple perspectives--allowing us to meet not only parents but grandparents as well. All of whom are connected, in various ways, to Melanie.
While Melanie knows nothing of the arrangement made between her "mother" and her mother's most trusted friend, Irene. She loves both women fiercely. That said, the lack of a consistent father figure--the man she recognized as her father left when Melanie was young--has made it difficult for Melanie to sustain a relationship with any man.
One-night stands are her preference and she isn't picky about the man being married.
Alex and Brian are two of the men with whom Melanie has affairs but we discover Brian's family tree is intertwined with Melanie's in ways neither could possibly imagine; it was tough not to mentally tip your cap at how effortlessly Fox connected the seemingly unconnected.
If the Ice Had Held is about the little coincidences that both bind and separated each of these people to each other; while it was sometimes confusing to keep up with the threads that connected them to another, it was clear why she chose to take the time to introduce each of them into the story of Melanie.
This isn't a quick read. It's at times underwhelming and frustratingly mundane so, if you're looking for a page-turner,I suggest you look elsewhere because you won't find that here. This is more case study than anything.
That said, what you will find is a story about the brokenness of people and how even the smallest bit of hope--in themselves and in the unknown--keeps them trudging forward.
The "ice" which changed the trajectory of Melanie's life acts as a metaphor for the risks we take--in the name of love and hope--and shows us how easily one misstep can change everything.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ for the Advanced eGalley of this work. Opinion is my own.
March 9, 2020
A web of intersecting lives--often dysfunctional and unusual--told in a hauntingly intimate prose with insight and empathy.
When this book came to my attention, I knew I had to read it. IF THE ICE HAD HELD (April 2019, winner of the Santa Fe Literary Press Award), is a gorgeously told web of intersecting lives told in a taut, lyrical prose about disillusionments, deceptions, relationships, motherhood, and so much more.
Melanie Henderson is a 35-year old professional living and working in Denver. She dabbles in affairs with married men, but still hasn't learned that the woman who raised her is actually her aunt. But that's only the tip of the ice berg.
Told from seven different POVs over three decades, and thirty-seven chapters, Melanie only receives sixteen of them. So who are these other people and how do they fit into Melanie's narrative? I really enjoyed this structure, but can see how others might find it frustrating and confusing--there are a good deal of threads to maintain and lots of loose connections, at least, at first. But as time progresses, there's a great sense of engagement, tension, and forward-momentum tying each POV together.
IF THE ICE HAD HELD *is* about teenage pregnancy, but that's not the entirety. Irene is not quite fifteen when she learns she is 'with child,' and then her boyfriend, Sammy, dies crossing the ice. She keeps her pregnancy a secret, attends his funeral, and then...his sister steps in. Kathleen 'knows' Irene's secret. A plan is hatched. We don't get all of the details of that plan until later in the book, but one can assume. As in life, and with complex stories, we're drifting, searching, pulling scraps and fragments from backstory and frontstory; we're searching and seeking connections. For me, this was the 'fun' of reading; I enjoyed puzzling out the details, the motivations of characters.
IF THE ICE HAD HELD is an interconnected novel in stories about time, family, life, secrets and discovery. It does not read linearly, and I find that absolutely astonishing, a true mosaic of storytelling not easily accomplished. Frankly, I am in awe of the empathy, the perceptiveness, the overall insight and careful piecing together of this narrative, an artistic feat.
The writing is lush but sparse, reminding me a bit of Caroline Leavitt's prose, but also Carrianne Leung (THAT TIME I LOVED YOU), meets Lee Matalone (HOME MAKING), with a touch of Thomas Christopher Greene and Anita Shreve.
For all my reviews, including author interviews, please see: www.leslielindsay.com|Always with a Book
Special thanks to the author and SFWP for this review copy. All thoughts are my own.
When this book came to my attention, I knew I had to read it. IF THE ICE HAD HELD (April 2019, winner of the Santa Fe Literary Press Award), is a gorgeously told web of intersecting lives told in a taut, lyrical prose about disillusionments, deceptions, relationships, motherhood, and so much more.
Melanie Henderson is a 35-year old professional living and working in Denver. She dabbles in affairs with married men, but still hasn't learned that the woman who raised her is actually her aunt. But that's only the tip of the ice berg.
Told from seven different POVs over three decades, and thirty-seven chapters, Melanie only receives sixteen of them. So who are these other people and how do they fit into Melanie's narrative? I really enjoyed this structure, but can see how others might find it frustrating and confusing--there are a good deal of threads to maintain and lots of loose connections, at least, at first. But as time progresses, there's a great sense of engagement, tension, and forward-momentum tying each POV together.
IF THE ICE HAD HELD *is* about teenage pregnancy, but that's not the entirety. Irene is not quite fifteen when she learns she is 'with child,' and then her boyfriend, Sammy, dies crossing the ice. She keeps her pregnancy a secret, attends his funeral, and then...his sister steps in. Kathleen 'knows' Irene's secret. A plan is hatched. We don't get all of the details of that plan until later in the book, but one can assume. As in life, and with complex stories, we're drifting, searching, pulling scraps and fragments from backstory and frontstory; we're searching and seeking connections. For me, this was the 'fun' of reading; I enjoyed puzzling out the details, the motivations of characters.
IF THE ICE HAD HELD is an interconnected novel in stories about time, family, life, secrets and discovery. It does not read linearly, and I find that absolutely astonishing, a true mosaic of storytelling not easily accomplished. Frankly, I am in awe of the empathy, the perceptiveness, the overall insight and careful piecing together of this narrative, an artistic feat.
The writing is lush but sparse, reminding me a bit of Caroline Leavitt's prose, but also Carrianne Leung (THAT TIME I LOVED YOU), meets Lee Matalone (HOME MAKING), with a touch of Thomas Christopher Greene and Anita Shreve.
For all my reviews, including author interviews, please see: www.leslielindsay.com|Always with a Book
Special thanks to the author and SFWP for this review copy. All thoughts are my own.
March 13, 2020
Wendy J. Fox writes beautiful prose, and creates strong characters, especially women. "If the Ice Had Held" is centered around a pregnancy by a man who tragically dies after he cracks through ice that didn't hold him. He took a short cut to go home from the woman he loved.
His sister figures out she is his girlfriend and pregnant. They collude to turn the child over to her, and it becomes a novel about these three women who stay connected through a lifetime raising a child, Melanie, who is an adult at the beginning of the book.
I kept waiting to find out if she would learn the secret, there is tension around this when her adopted parents divorce. This mother who adopted her isn't quite sure if he will keep the secret. And once he does tell her how little she knows about her history. But she doesn't ask him what he means.
My only quibble with the book is there seems to be a lot of additional characters, they are interesting, but I read the book around a conference and when I came back to it I had to remember the interconnectedness, and some seemed to be loosed ended.
There is a wife of a husband Melanie had an affair with, and the wife's mother, who is somehow connected to Melanie, but it lost me. I think the deep meaning of this book is about how much we really don't know about the connections to the people who populate our lives. I felt myself straining to pull the connections together for the mother of the wife, and although both and strong characters I had to finish the book and move on, much like Melanie did with her restless life. We don't always know what causes our anxiety.
His sister figures out she is his girlfriend and pregnant. They collude to turn the child over to her, and it becomes a novel about these three women who stay connected through a lifetime raising a child, Melanie, who is an adult at the beginning of the book.
I kept waiting to find out if she would learn the secret, there is tension around this when her adopted parents divorce. This mother who adopted her isn't quite sure if he will keep the secret. And once he does tell her how little she knows about her history. But she doesn't ask him what he means.
My only quibble with the book is there seems to be a lot of additional characters, they are interesting, but I read the book around a conference and when I came back to it I had to remember the interconnectedness, and some seemed to be loosed ended.
There is a wife of a husband Melanie had an affair with, and the wife's mother, who is somehow connected to Melanie, but it lost me. I think the deep meaning of this book is about how much we really don't know about the connections to the people who populate our lives. I felt myself straining to pull the connections together for the mother of the wife, and although both and strong characters I had to finish the book and move on, much like Melanie did with her restless life. We don't always know what causes our anxiety.
December 2, 2019
A joy to read
The story of people held together by friendship, love and support. Also by a secret of many years that, for the best intentions, one of them can never know. Beautifully written, there are only a few main characters, and each person’s story is told with depth, empathy and warmth.
The various characters’ stories are told in chapters that vary between different people and different times, not in chronological order, but all holding together. I became so involved in each chapter, that when the story moved to another time or person I found it a little confusing at to who the person was – even though there are not very many characters. I loved the writing, I loved the story and I loved (most of) the characters.
3*s from me, because I read for short periods, irregularly and therefore lost touch with who was who. I would buy this as a gift for anyone I know who sits down and devours a book over a relatively short period of time. I felt it was comfort reading, a joy to pick up and disappear into the lives of the true to life characters. So though I got confused as to who was who, I did enjoy the book! I shall definitely read more by this author.
The story of people held together by friendship, love and support. Also by a secret of many years that, for the best intentions, one of them can never know. Beautifully written, there are only a few main characters, and each person’s story is told with depth, empathy and warmth.
The various characters’ stories are told in chapters that vary between different people and different times, not in chronological order, but all holding together. I became so involved in each chapter, that when the story moved to another time or person I found it a little confusing at to who the person was – even though there are not very many characters. I loved the writing, I loved the story and I loved (most of) the characters.
3*s from me, because I read for short periods, irregularly and therefore lost touch with who was who. I would buy this as a gift for anyone I know who sits down and devours a book over a relatively short period of time. I felt it was comfort reading, a joy to pick up and disappear into the lives of the true to life characters. So though I got confused as to who was who, I did enjoy the book! I shall definitely read more by this author.
March 12, 2020
If fiction writing followed a fad, right now it would be stories that jump back and forth in time. To me, this book is an example of why that can be problematic.
When done right, jumping around helps unveil reasons why something is happening in the present in an unpredictable way that gives depth to the characters and importance to the events. When not done right, it just becomes a confusing jumble.
You have to work hard to figure out what is going on because you jump to multiple times and places, each with their own distinct characters, often in a way that is not a continuance of where the previous jump had led. Why?
To top it off (or bottom it out), the principle character is just not interesting. She works in an office and sleeps with various married men, and her thoughts are about these men and work. Very basic. And then the story ends rehashing things that had already been covered. It was difficult not to let my attention drift.
When done right, jumping around helps unveil reasons why something is happening in the present in an unpredictable way that gives depth to the characters and importance to the events. When not done right, it just becomes a confusing jumble.
You have to work hard to figure out what is going on because you jump to multiple times and places, each with their own distinct characters, often in a way that is not a continuance of where the previous jump had led. Why?
To top it off (or bottom it out), the principle character is just not interesting. She works in an office and sleeps with various married men, and her thoughts are about these men and work. Very basic. And then the story ends rehashing things that had already been covered. It was difficult not to let my attention drift.
August 16, 2020
This is a tricky one to review. I flew through it but not necessarily because i was engrossed, it was quite an easy read. I normally love a book with multiple narrators, but I definitely struggled to keep up with the changing narrators AND the way the story went between decades it was a lot to take in at first.
That said, the links made between the characters, and how their stories were woven together and interconnected by a handful of life changing events was beautiful. I was left almost breathless at a couple of moments. I loved how we got only a snippet of most of their lives and were left wondering what happened and how they were. I wanted more Kathleen, she opened and closed the novel and I really loved those moments the most.
That said, the links made between the characters, and how their stories were woven together and interconnected by a handful of life changing events was beautiful. I was left almost breathless at a couple of moments. I loved how we got only a snippet of most of their lives and were left wondering what happened and how they were. I wanted more Kathleen, she opened and closed the novel and I really loved those moments the most.
October 12, 2020
A wonderful book--filled with complex relationships among unforgettable characters. I had to read it slowly, and sometimes checked back to earlier chapters to understand the web of time and family relations. The story well rewards a reader's effort. And it all starts to make perfect sense as you get deeper into it. The mood seems icy at first, yet warmth creeps in around the edges. Independent writers from outside of the fast paced world of urban life have so much to give us; difficult truths about flat lives of economic struggle, and the miracle of human resilience. This Denver story keeps the mountains and their spruce forests and burbling streams at arms length; instead of easy inspiration via travelogue, we learn about what's best, inside of good people, in spite of bad events.
September 23, 2025
Wendy J Fox weaves characters into a tapestry of life’s emotions – fear, heartache, confusion, depression, joy. Her talent seems effortless in her novel 'If the Ice Had Held'. When the death of Sammy becomes the main thread holding together the reactions and the consequences of choices made by those who loved him – his sister, his pregnant girlfriend, his mother etc. a rich texture, soft with emotion blankets the reader. You will want to know what happens. It’s hard to put down.
Mary Barrow: Author and Midwest Book Award winner for 'Small Moments: A Child's Memories of the Civil Rights Movement.'
Mary Barrow: Author and Midwest Book Award winner for 'Small Moments: A Child's Memories of the Civil Rights Movement.'
April 28, 2020
This book was for the book discussion. We are going to have it virtually on a zoom meeting because of the temporary closure of the libraries due to the corona virus pandemic.
Since I couldn’t get a physical book, I listened to the audio book on the library’s Hoopla app. This was my first experience using the app I it has opened up a whole new way of “reading “ more!
The story itself goes back and forth between characters and different time periods. I didn’t care for the reader but the story was well told and kept me interested.
Since I couldn’t get a physical book, I listened to the audio book on the library’s Hoopla app. This was my first experience using the app I it has opened up a whole new way of “reading “ more!
The story itself goes back and forth between characters and different time periods. I didn’t care for the reader but the story was well told and kept me interested.
April 17, 2020
I listened to the audiobook version of this novel. I may have enjoyed it more had I been able to read it. The story is told from seven different points of view over a period of three decades, so the difficulty I had following, connecting with characters, and keeping these characters straight may have been a product of the prose itself.
December 9, 2020
Am I correct in reading that Melanie’s “mom”’s car accident was caused by Irene’s estranged cousin who is the mother-in-law of Brian, who Melanie was sleeping with? And despite this car accident, they DON’T REUNITE?
The book flowed beautifully but the intricate story lines were hard to follow and I’m not sure why there was no closure and if I even understood everything correctly. 😂
The book flowed beautifully but the intricate story lines were hard to follow and I’m not sure why there was no closure and if I even understood everything correctly. 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2023
Melanie was raised by her aunt, but doesn't know it. Her father died before she was born and her mother was very young. She's now successful but has a thing for married men. While she's kind of the main character, it's a story that's also told from several other perspectives and isn't linear, so I was confused constantly.
August 3, 2019
I really enjoyed the story line and was fascinated with how all the lives came together in the end. I may have missed it somewhere, but I was wondering if Katherine and/or Irene ever told Arthur the truth about Melanie and if that was why he left.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2019
I really loved the way this book wove together the characters and the story. That being said the end was unsatisfactory, which would usually ruin the whole book for me but somehow I’m still drawn to this story. Maybe I just have a soft spot for books taking place in CO.
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April 12, 2020Loved the back and forth between story lines. I know some might disagree, but the purposeful vagueness of how the characters were connected really forced me to focus. The web was as complicated as ones found in the real world. Great book.
July 6, 2022
This book jumped around WAAAAY too much with WAAAAY too many characters. I had to work too hard to figure out who was who and what year it was. And like, nothing happens. There's really no plot, no resolution, nothing.
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