Tom Knox's The Ice Twins

Tom Knox, also known as S.K. Tremayne, is a British writer who was born in England in the year of 1963. Tremayne, who has written over twenty novels in his career, is known as a best-selling author in the United Kingdom. His novel The Ice Twins was published in 2015 and is told from the perspective of a married British couple, Angus and Sarah Moorcraft. The couple move to a tiny Scottish island that they have inherited from Angus’ grandmother with their daughter, Kirstie. Kirstie had an identical twin sister, Lydia, who has died in an accident. The parents are concerned that they have mistaken Kirstie’s identity with her deceased sister’s. The novel is well written and meets Joseph Pulitzer’s criteria for effective writing. The Ice Twins meets

In this novel, Tremayne rarely goes off on unnecessary tangents and sticks to the plot. The information given is brief and follows the plotline precisely. In the first chapter, as Tremayne introduces the characters and the plotline, the reader does not know a great deal. However, Tremayne gives the reader some very important information, “I want to give my surviving daughter some good news, for once, some nice news: something happy and hopeful. Her twin, Lydia died fourteen months ago today” (Tremayne, 12). The reader is introduced to exceptionally important information. The reader has been provided with the information that Kirstie’s twin, Lydia, has passed away. This information is exceptionally important to the plot of the novel, which is proven as the novel progresses. This is the first time in the novel that the reader is made aware of Lydia’s death. Tremayne does not avoid the reason why the daughter has not heard any good news recently: he bluntly tells the reader what has happened. Once this is stated, he continues to talk about valuable information instead of going off on unnecessary tangents. As the novel progresses, details

The novel is written beautifully because it is simple and easy to understand. Tremayne gives excellent descriptions and details of the characters in the story. Sarah Moorcroft is described as a woman going through a painful time. The author clearly illustrates this pain when the narrator, Sarah, states, “[I am] not what I used to be. [My] eyes are as blue as ever, yet sadder. [My] face is slightly round, and pale, and thinner than it was. [I am] still blonde and tolerably pretty - but also faded, and dwindled; a thirty-three year old women, with all the girlishness gone”(3). Sarah’s physical appearance is clearly described in order for the reader to obtain a strong insight on her pain. The reader is able to clearly understand that Sarah is not doing well. She is a pretty, middle-aged woman, yet her appearance has dwindled because of what she has been suffering through. Also, throughout the entire novel, the reader is able to clearly understand events that occur within the Moorcraft family. During the novel, Kirstie becomes upset at a formal dinner. Kirstie lashes out, causing destruction. This destruction is clearly portrayed when the narrator states,

Angus realized what was happening. Too late. [Kirstie] screamed: ‘Go away, go away, I hate you!!’ And she ran at the window and she charged into the glass with her little fists raised - and the glazing cracked and shattered with a terrifying crash; and there was