Ice Letters book club notes

Susan Errington’s second novel is a story of love, peace, violence and Antarctica. When lovers Dora and Daniel part, they agree to write to one another despite knowing the letters would never be sent. Thousands of miles apart, their passion grows as the decisions they have made imperil them both.

Ice Letters covers themes of love and duty, war and peace, courage and cowardice. The intertwined stories of Dora and Daniel reveal conflicts – emotional and physical – and explore the sometimes devastating consequences of the choices people make.

Reading group questions

• Ice Letters is set during the First World War. In what ways is it a war story or a novel of pacifism? And, perhaps, a love story?
• Taking place in Australia and Antarctica between 1916 and 1918, how authentic was the novel’s sense of place and time?
• Dora and Daniel find themselves in positions where they are confronted by difficult choices. How influenced do you think they were by their unusual familial circumstances?
• What would you have done in their positions?
• What interests you most about Dora?
• What do you think is the nature of the relationship between Dora and Malachy Mara?
• What does the novel say about courage and cowardice?