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The Year of Ice
Brian Malloy's acclaimed debut novel set in Minneapolis in the late 70's, The Year of Ice is the story of a painfully revealing year that threatens to shatter the tenuous bonds between a father and his teenage son It is 1978 in the Twin Cities, and Kevin Doyle, a high school senior, is a marginal student in love with keggers, rock and roll, and--unbeknownst to anyone else--a boy in his class with thick eyelashes and a bad attitude. His mother Eileen died two years earlier when her car plunged into the icy waters of the Mississippi River, and since then Kevin's relationship with his father Patrick has become increasingly distant. As lonely women vie for his father's attention, Kevin discovers Patrick's own closely guarded he had planned to abandon his family for another woman. More disturbingly, his mother's death may well have been a suicide, not an accident. Complicating the family dynamic is the constant meddling of Kevin's outspoken Aunt Nora--who will never forgive Patrick for Eileen's death--along with Patrick's inability to stay single for very long. His loyalties divided between his father and his aunt, between his internal reality and his public persona, Kevin is forced to accept his gay identity and reevaluate his notions of family and love as painful truths emerge about both.
262 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2002
27 people are currently reading
2816 people want to read
About the author
Brian Malloy
5 books139 followersThanks for stopping by! My novels are The Year of Ice (St. Martin's Press), Brendan Wolf (St. Martin's Press), and the young-adult novel Twelve Long Months (Scholastic). I regained the rights to my first two novels from St. Martin's Press, and have re-published them under my own imprint.
My books have been a Book Sense pick, a New York Times "New and Notable" title, and a Booklist editors' choice, and have won the Minnesota Book Award and the American Library Association's Alex Award.
My new novel is After Francesco (John Scognamiglio/Kensington).
My books have been a Book Sense pick, a New York Times "New and Notable" title, and a Booklist editors' choice, and have won the Minnesota Book Award and the American Library Association's Alex Award.
My new novel is After Francesco (John Scognamiglio/Kensington).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
June 28, 2021
4,5 stars!
I think, this book is one of the best coming of age/growing up stories I've ever read. Though I can hardly name it a STORY. There is NOTHING typical here: It doesn't have a typical beginning, you won't find a typical culminating point of the plot, and probably someone would miss a clear ending. We accompany Kevin Doyle, a high school senior through one calendar year, 1978- from January to December. And winter plays a special role here.
I know, all this might sound not very convincing or thrilling considering the fact that The Year if Ice is also NOT a romance!
BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT!!!!
The most amazing and fascinating thing in this book is a honest, intimate, sarcastic, sometimes sorrowful, often hilarious, captivating and always REAL voice of Kevin. I'm a 1st POV junkie - if an author CAN write it, it is the best reading experience a reader can have, and I assure you - Brian Malloy DID it BRILLIANTLY.
I asked myself while reading it: could it have been such a great read if it had been written from the 3d person view? Probably not. And by another author? Hahaha! Hardly!
I'm pretty sure that you can get 3 TOTALLY different books with exactly the same storyline- a boring one, a very depressing one and an amazing one: The Year of Ice.
I laughed laud, a lot. I cried silently, a bit.
AND I enjoyed this book ENORMOUSLY.
The writing is EXCELLENT.
And the characters are as real as reality.
This book goes directly to my favorite-read-2015 shelf.
I can't recommended it highly enough!
Read it! READ IT!!!
I think, this book is one of the best coming of age/growing up stories I've ever read. Though I can hardly name it a STORY. There is NOTHING typical here: It doesn't have a typical beginning, you won't find a typical culminating point of the plot, and probably someone would miss a clear ending. We accompany Kevin Doyle, a high school senior through one calendar year, 1978- from January to December. And winter plays a special role here.
I know, all this might sound not very convincing or thrilling considering the fact that The Year if Ice is also NOT a romance!
BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT!!!!
The most amazing and fascinating thing in this book is a honest, intimate, sarcastic, sometimes sorrowful, often hilarious, captivating and always REAL voice of Kevin. I'm a 1st POV junkie - if an author CAN write it, it is the best reading experience a reader can have, and I assure you - Brian Malloy DID it BRILLIANTLY.
I asked myself while reading it: could it have been such a great read if it had been written from the 3d person view? Probably not. And by another author? Hahaha! Hardly!
I'm pretty sure that you can get 3 TOTALLY different books with exactly the same storyline- a boring one, a very depressing one and an amazing one: The Year of Ice.
I laughed laud, a lot. I cried silently, a bit.
AND I enjoyed this book ENORMOUSLY.
The writing is EXCELLENT.
And the characters are as real as reality.
This book goes directly to my favorite-read-2015 shelf.
I can't recommended it highly enough!
Read it! READ IT!!!
March 16, 2024
✰ 3.5 stars ✰
“I wanna say hello. I wanna say My name is Kevin and I am so fucking lonely.”
It is 1978, high school senior Kevin Doyle's life has finally hit rock bottom. His mother, Eileen, died two years ago, when her car lost control on the snowy streets and nose-dived into the icy depths of the Mississippi River, and now his relationship with his father, Patrick is at it its most detrimental clashing over everything - from the insignificant to the most tantamount, to his reluctance to engage with the many interested women vying for his father's attention. It only worsens when Patrick's secret comes out that he had been planning to leave his mother for another woman. A revelation that shatters Kevin's heart and soul, forces him to really see his father for the man he is and consider the possibility that his mother's death may, in fact, have been a suicide. It is a time of complicated family dynamics and the challenges he faces for finding love as a gay man, is what will make Brian Malloy's debut novel, the Year of Ice, a life-changing and unforgettable one for eighteen-year-old Kevin.
“Why would you stop to watch the woods fill up with snow, Mr. Doyle?”
Without thinking I say, “To remember my mom. She always said the snow was like a million fairy lights when the streetlamps caught the flakes just right.”
The story was divided two-fold - one was how his father's romantic inclinations served as the catalyst of his rebellious streak, and the second being how he wished more than anything to have the object of his attraction return his affections, or at the very least have someone - a man, who would reciprocate his feelings for him. That he would not have to find love in the arms of a woman, because he felt it in his gut at how much of a betrayal it was. 'Remember, Kevin, smile and the world smiles with you, cry and you cry alone.' 😣 It is captured in a very engaging and poignant manner with Kevin's narration truly being the champion.
At times, he is very crass, so much that as much as I cringed at the crude language he spouted. A hefty amount of slurs are used - which I understand may be offensive - but it was such a raw portrayal of how his personality rang so very true; not only in how he addressed himself as a queer or fag, but how he viewed others with a very honest and firmly stanced opinionated mind that left no room for argument.
“Not the way I used to cry when I was little, really loud and gulping for air; this time I just let all the energy leak out of me and the tears crawl down my face without a sound, like they’re dying.”
It made Kevin such a realistic and at times a tragic protagonist. He is not yet over the grief of losing his mother and now, to have his own father behave in the way that he is - expect of him things that he refuses to partake in, or even accept, for how much it hurts him and desecrates the memory of his mother - you can't help but feel for him. What can you say to the woman who may very well be responsible for his mother's death? 🥺 How can you hurt the one who hopes that she may have a future with his father - who, in my opinion, is a no-good rotten scumbag who doesn't deserve any of the good things that came his way.
Their father-son relationship was so jarring and heart-wrenching, I just have no words for the callous way in which he behaved and treated his son - it really struck a nerve with me. 😕Yet Kevin's frank and candid personality never wavered that brought a sense of levity and humor to even the most serious and tense of scenes. 👌🏻 And I really liked that; I liked that as much as I wanted to pound the face of any person that offended him, his coping demeanor let readers feel with him; that his brusque attitude was his way of trying his best not to let it get to his heart too much, even if he was hurting inside. 🥺
“It must be nice. You get to be dead, and I have to live, wondering if I did something wrong. Wondering if you loved me or him. Wondering if not having his love was all it took for you to put your foot on the gas and fly into the ice.”
His grief was so tangible - he doesn't have anyone that he can unload these feelings that are eating him up from inside. Who will ever deem it acceptable that a grown boy can feel so alone - so lonely without his mother - aching to ask her all the unanswered questions he never had the chance to ask. I didn't quite understand where the author was going with the story, but as all the events unfolded, I started to care. 😥 'Because you can make up this whole life based on what you didn’t do. And it’s always a wonderful life, better than the one you have.' You can't imagine how horrid his life was becoming - how achingly frustrating it was that he had to reel in his anger and his patience, simply to avoid a further conflict, when all he wanted was just to graduate in one sane piece of mind.
His family drama may have been wild, but it was also tinged with a sadness to it, and the helplessness he felt and how others were unwittingly caught with a man who didn't deserve their respect. It never felt unnecessary or unbelievable, there was this intimate realism to the characters' behaviors that I never felt like an intruder, more like a witness to one family's determination to have things make sense - for each other. ❤️🩹❤️🩹 Kevin's father dealt a heavy blow for everyone he was involved in and the coming-of-age for Kevin was his tolerance and the kindness that he was able to dredge up in his heart and realize that it was time for him to be a man.
“Instead of a woman, there’s a man, and you promise to love him, to honor him, to cherish him, in sickness and in health, till death do you part. I mean, it’s been done a million times, right? So what would be so weird about a man saying all the same stuff to another man?
Everything. Everything would be weird. And that’s just the way it is.”
A major part of the story also centers around Kevin's desperate desire to have someone to love - knowing that it's going to be difficult, for how he is attracted to men. There is no enlightening moment to it - he always knew it, he just has no one to share that intimate bond with - someone he can hold and just be happy and secure with. 😢 His mindset affects his relationship with his friends and his peers - has his motives questioned with a girl he tries to cover up his own guilt of being attracted to men, but it just, somehow, worked. He seeks out that comfort through various means - some more questionable than others, which definitely earns a raised eye from me.
For the questions he poses to himself over the validity of his feelings, the pang of knowing that he'll never get to feel the intimate bond with another man was hard to see. 'I wonder what it would be like if I ever found the man of my dreams.' For it's like he says - what does it matter if it is a man or a woman, when all we are searching for is the chance to have someone to love; realization that it will be a hard-fought journey till he finds someone that he can truly share a meaningful connection with is the one thing that keeps him going through the angst and the pain. 💔 💔
“I want to say: Because she left me with him. Because the more I get to know him, the less I like him. I wish I had a real father. I wish Mom was still alive. I wish I liked girls. I wish I liked you the way you like me.
I’m bumming all the time anymore and I don’t know how to make it stop.”
If you set the rough dialogue aside, there is a beautiful story that lies beneath - a heartwarming coming-of-age of a young man who balances the breakdown of the only family he's ever known, while finally coming to terms with the person he is and not shying away from being true to himself. It was well-written and I experienced a wide array of emotions while reading. Kevin made me laugh at his boldness, he made me tear up at his sadness, he brought me joy at his happiness. It wasn't perfect, but it was a touching and at times deeply heartfelt story that I certainly don't regret reading. 🙏🏻
“I wanna say hello. I wanna say My name is Kevin and I am so fucking lonely.”
It is 1978, high school senior Kevin Doyle's life has finally hit rock bottom. His mother, Eileen, died two years ago, when her car lost control on the snowy streets and nose-dived into the icy depths of the Mississippi River, and now his relationship with his father, Patrick is at it its most detrimental clashing over everything - from the insignificant to the most tantamount, to his reluctance to engage with the many interested women vying for his father's attention. It only worsens when Patrick's secret comes out that he had been planning to leave his mother for another woman. A revelation that shatters Kevin's heart and soul, forces him to really see his father for the man he is and consider the possibility that his mother's death may, in fact, have been a suicide. It is a time of complicated family dynamics and the challenges he faces for finding love as a gay man, is what will make Brian Malloy's debut novel, the Year of Ice, a life-changing and unforgettable one for eighteen-year-old Kevin.
“Why would you stop to watch the woods fill up with snow, Mr. Doyle?”
Without thinking I say, “To remember my mom. She always said the snow was like a million fairy lights when the streetlamps caught the flakes just right.”
The story was divided two-fold - one was how his father's romantic inclinations served as the catalyst of his rebellious streak, and the second being how he wished more than anything to have the object of his attraction return his affections, or at the very least have someone - a man, who would reciprocate his feelings for him. That he would not have to find love in the arms of a woman, because he felt it in his gut at how much of a betrayal it was. 'Remember, Kevin, smile and the world smiles with you, cry and you cry alone.' 😣 It is captured in a very engaging and poignant manner with Kevin's narration truly being the champion.
At times, he is very crass, so much that as much as I cringed at the crude language he spouted. A hefty amount of slurs are used - which I understand may be offensive - but it was such a raw portrayal of how his personality rang so very true; not only in how he addressed himself as a queer or fag, but how he viewed others with a very honest and firmly stanced opinionated mind that left no room for argument.
“Not the way I used to cry when I was little, really loud and gulping for air; this time I just let all the energy leak out of me and the tears crawl down my face without a sound, like they’re dying.”
It made Kevin such a realistic and at times a tragic protagonist. He is not yet over the grief of losing his mother and now, to have his own father behave in the way that he is - expect of him things that he refuses to partake in, or even accept, for how much it hurts him and desecrates the memory of his mother - you can't help but feel for him. What can you say to the woman who may very well be responsible for his mother's death? 🥺 How can you hurt the one who hopes that she may have a future with his father - who, in my opinion, is a no-good rotten scumbag who doesn't deserve any of the good things that came his way.
Their father-son relationship was so jarring and heart-wrenching, I just have no words for the callous way in which he behaved and treated his son - it really struck a nerve with me. 😕Yet Kevin's frank and candid personality never wavered that brought a sense of levity and humor to even the most serious and tense of scenes. 👌🏻 And I really liked that; I liked that as much as I wanted to pound the face of any person that offended him, his coping demeanor let readers feel with him; that his brusque attitude was his way of trying his best not to let it get to his heart too much, even if he was hurting inside. 🥺
“It must be nice. You get to be dead, and I have to live, wondering if I did something wrong. Wondering if you loved me or him. Wondering if not having his love was all it took for you to put your foot on the gas and fly into the ice.”
His grief was so tangible - he doesn't have anyone that he can unload these feelings that are eating him up from inside. Who will ever deem it acceptable that a grown boy can feel so alone - so lonely without his mother - aching to ask her all the unanswered questions he never had the chance to ask. I didn't quite understand where the author was going with the story, but as all the events unfolded, I started to care. 😥 'Because you can make up this whole life based on what you didn’t do. And it’s always a wonderful life, better than the one you have.' You can't imagine how horrid his life was becoming - how achingly frustrating it was that he had to reel in his anger and his patience, simply to avoid a further conflict, when all he wanted was just to graduate in one sane piece of mind.
His family drama may have been wild, but it was also tinged with a sadness to it, and the helplessness he felt and how others were unwittingly caught with a man who didn't deserve their respect. It never felt unnecessary or unbelievable, there was this intimate realism to the characters' behaviors that I never felt like an intruder, more like a witness to one family's determination to have things make sense - for each other. ❤️🩹❤️🩹 Kevin's father dealt a heavy blow for everyone he was involved in and the coming-of-age for Kevin was his tolerance and the kindness that he was able to dredge up in his heart and realize that it was time for him to be a man.
“Instead of a woman, there’s a man, and you promise to love him, to honor him, to cherish him, in sickness and in health, till death do you part. I mean, it’s been done a million times, right? So what would be so weird about a man saying all the same stuff to another man?
Everything. Everything would be weird. And that’s just the way it is.”
A major part of the story also centers around Kevin's desperate desire to have someone to love - knowing that it's going to be difficult, for how he is attracted to men. There is no enlightening moment to it - he always knew it, he just has no one to share that intimate bond with - someone he can hold and just be happy and secure with. 😢 His mindset affects his relationship with his friends and his peers - has his motives questioned with a girl he tries to cover up his own guilt of being attracted to men, but it just, somehow, worked. He seeks out that comfort through various means - some more questionable than others, which definitely earns a raised eye from me.
For the questions he poses to himself over the validity of his feelings, the pang of knowing that he'll never get to feel the intimate bond with another man was hard to see. 'I wonder what it would be like if I ever found the man of my dreams.' For it's like he says - what does it matter if it is a man or a woman, when all we are searching for is the chance to have someone to love; realization that it will be a hard-fought journey till he finds someone that he can truly share a meaningful connection with is the one thing that keeps him going through the angst and the pain. 💔 💔
“I want to say: Because she left me with him. Because the more I get to know him, the less I like him. I wish I had a real father. I wish Mom was still alive. I wish I liked girls. I wish I liked you the way you like me.
I’m bumming all the time anymore and I don’t know how to make it stop.”
If you set the rough dialogue aside, there is a beautiful story that lies beneath - a heartwarming coming-of-age of a young man who balances the breakdown of the only family he's ever known, while finally coming to terms with the person he is and not shying away from being true to himself. It was well-written and I experienced a wide array of emotions while reading. Kevin made me laugh at his boldness, he made me tear up at his sadness, he brought me joy at his happiness. It wasn't perfect, but it was a touching and at times deeply heartfelt story that I certainly don't regret reading. 🙏🏻
February 24, 2016
I wanna say hello. I wanna say My name is Kevin and I am so fucking lonely.
Couldn’t put this book down.
This is the kind of YA novel I love to read - characters that feel real, no one is just the villain or just perfect, everyone has their own fight that the reader can sympathize with, and everyone makes mistakes. Things are said and done in anger – some can be forgiven, others not. Things are said and done out of love – some are right, others are wrong. This book is a slice of life.
And what to say about Kevin – the 18 years old narrator – with his sense of humour and sarcasm which, although childish at times, made me laugh because he made just the jokes a kid his age would think funny; with his attempts to be the alpha (his words, not mine) when with his friends; with his brutal honesty towards himself; with his shyness and loneliness and desire to be touched and loved. There was no way I wouldn’t love him.
I owe Lena a big thank you for inspiring me to read this book with her amazing review.
4.5 stars
December 4, 2007
I don't want to rave too much about this book, lest I hype it up too much for a potential reader. But I will say that I really took an intense personal liking to this book for numerous reasons. The writing is excellent. It is one of the best written coming-of-age story about a gay boy that I've encountered. I found myself relating so naturally to the protagonist, as when he thinks about his high school crush, "standing next to my locker. I don't know how to look at him anymore. I'm afraid he'll guess that I love him. But then I'm afraid that if he's like me, I'm not giving him enough clues to figure it out. This bites the big one". The main character's voice is absolutely natural. And so is the story. It's not sappy or sentimental. It's not whiny or tragic. It's just feels very real, very familiar for anyone growing up gay in the era before gay marriage. But it's more than a gay story...it's a story of mothers and sons, of fathers, of families and best friends, first dates, drinking at parties, going to college, of love and loneliness, of the Twin Cities (big presence of place). It has many moments of brilliance, as when Kevin reflects on his dead mother: "I turn on the ignition, and the car snaps me back to the real world. The world where being dead happens to somebody else, not me. I laugh. Most people are dead. I mean think about it, everybody who has ever lived is dead, or gonna die. Like A follows B. It's the living who are the exceptions, not the dead." Kevin is normal in many ways, popular, outgoing and good looking, but thoughtful and sensitive enough that you can't help but like him. Anyways, read for yourself. A great book to read this winter.
September 12, 2019
This is a strand one to review, let me start by recommending this one I could not put this one down. I was up well into the night when I started it. Not a romance, it’s 1978 and Kevin is in his senior year if high school. I could imagine the 70’s perfectly from the writing which made this book. Kevin is having a rough year, there family problems, he’s coming of age, emotionally all over the place, the times are so different and the author captured it perfectly. The story is told in Kevin’s POV, which can be sad, smart and cutting with sarcasm. I think the author really captures the contrast from times looking at the thoughts Kevin experiences. Great book one I won’t forget
July 15, 2015
M/M literature is becoming less of an obscure genre, and one that has garnered a huge following. This alone is a remarkable achievement for a genre that had scant offerings and those that were mainstream were hidden in the ‘sexual development’ sections of bookstores (and I know… I used to secret agent them out as a teenager). It is even more delightful that the majority of these books are either from small independent publishers, or self published. There is this certain inherent credibility and integrity to authors that release their work in these ways.
These novels are an enormous wealth and each reader understands and values them differently. This is the uniqueness of gay lit. It can be informative for a young teenager struggling to comprehend the differences between himself and peers that hold affection for the opposite sex, inspiration for a person struggling with depression or suicide, offer a reminder that a sturdy, closed relationship is still a thing, while helping others understand that monogamy is often malleable. I just love, and can’t get enough of gay lit. However, recently there has been the injection of angst, self-defeating, and books that go along with the motto: if you are a fag the stereotypes are true, and you will always, always be lonely, into gay themed lit. In a small demographic, where additions to the genre are few and far between, these novels can have a deleterious effect on peoples’ perceptions of gays, both for those identifying as gay, as well as non-gays’ perception of gay people. Why am I yapping so much about this trend? Because I want to reinforce that this glorious achievement of a novel does not, I repeat not, succumb to a sad-porn style of gay writing.
In a slick, tightly woven writing style that is an exquisite example of first POV, Brian tells the eerily familiar story a high schooler’s budding sexual development. This book is a remarkable and welcoming addition to M/M lit, not because of its overall theme of sexual development, but because of the unique method of exploring it. The Year of Ice’s fellow bookshelf buddies often focus on sexual exploration as the main driving force of sexual identity. Sexual experience between two men is often the driving force for comprehending sexual identity. This book focuses more on the quality of the main character’s self-agency, masculinity, and his struggle to navigate the actual meaning of gayness, specifically mentally and physically. It also is a heavy, and gut-heaving reflection on intrapersonal aspects of sexuality and sexual identity.
Kevin is 17 at the start of the Year of Ice. He is popular, all the girls lust after him, he has a solid after school job, and we learn, through a nauseating amount of repetition, that he is one hell of a looker. He isn’t very smart, a C student at best, though I think this is a matter of applying himself, because his thoughts and brilliant corrosive sarcasm are beyond measure. Oh, if it isn’t apparent, he wears a straight man’s custom.
He is at war with his own sexual identity. He fancies/stalks a fellow classmate named Jon. His relationship with Jon is already turbulent because of some high school trivial masculinity hierarchy that reflects more the social strata of wolves, than it does humans, but on top of that he can’t calm his libido every time he sees Jon’s eyebrows. He has a few core friends, who don’t know he’s gay, and is relatively liked/feared. Somehow he endures multiple sexual episodes with a girl, even though they are a source of personal torture and to a large extent undermine his identity/ These, among others, are the systems that are restricted and constricted by his confusions over his sexual identity. I should point out that I don’t believe he was as much closeted, as he was trying to figure out the details of his sexuality, and how they fit into his life. Tim Wyman syndrome.
Outside the wrecking ball of pretending to be straight, Kevin’s life has a detailed list of knife cuts. His mother died of an apparent accident, but that’s slightly questionable, or is it? His father is absent, detached, and at times physically abusive. The father has little to no accountability, and relegates Kevin to a position of adulthood, forcing his kid to integrate and claim responsibility for his own mistakes.
His friends, while sturdy and essential to his wellbeing are mostly obsessed with ‘cars, tits, and tits’, and he often complains that there is little depth to these relationships. He later finds out, as his dad’s life spirals out of control and as a result his own, that most of the relationships, past and present, that he counted on were tainted by his father’s arrogance and immaturity. He has a few sturdy adult relationships, but mostly they are as rocky as his own self-identity. There is one really solid adult connection but he ends up in a ‘sauna’ and he isn’t waking up. His aunt, while aggressive, is a source of stability. And some, like Chuck, are full of mindfuckery. And the really shit part is, straight people, you do this too much to gay people. And gay fashion alert: he dresses in plaid, and if Banana Republic didn’t shit out so much for the past two seasons this may see bit farmer and not so cool—it still isn’t! —, but I guess this was only a problem for me.
So we have Stud Kevin, trying to figure out his own life, the life beyond senior year, the life of being gay, all the while dealing with the mess that is his life; a care packages delivered by dad. As he leaves high school, his sexuality starts to bloom. He is no longer the awkward teenager that dated girls to maintain an image, he is less likely to frequent keggers, and he is more willing to accept himself as gay. We bare witness to the hilarity—because we all can relate—of deciphering and writing personal ads. And, if you are like me, you’ll slide lower in your seat as you read the all too relatable scene where he attempts to enter a gay bar, after winding his way around the block a billion and one times.
As he enters his post-high school years, where he proudly attends college, he is exposed to a whole different microcosm of life that flourishes with potential. He meets a few people along the way that detract from the overall successfulness of understanding his sexuality, but these are fleeting and temporary. Some aid in self-discovery, but these too are brief. He meets people that appear essential to his sexual development, and while one could argue that the merger of them does amass the individual parts of his sexuality, most of these people are whispers in his history, and it’s all too fucking real and sad and heart-breaking, and big loud screaming “FUCK I can’t, as a reader, take this anymore”. This is one of my biggest gripes. I reject the notion, once again, that gay life has to be so sad and horrible, that it must be so challenging, and that the sum of a gay man’s parts needs to be tragedy and emotional needles. I am not oblivious to the inherent torture and loneliness of not understanding who you are, and once figuring it out, understanding that those around you are often not your allies, but enemies to your self-agency and identify. And I realize that it takes a lot of work to feel something of ‘it got better’, that it’s always one hell of a cluster-fuck, but where’s the goodness, Brian, in Kevin’s life? Cause there seems to be so little. And, as always with these books, the books that have a potential to ignite further despondency *, I say again and again, to the kids and adults who are angry, mad, sad, confused, etc, that this isn’t all that there is, cause being gay, its freaking marvelous.
Somehow, in a way that makes sense to the Kevin we met, and the Kevin we watched grow, all these things arrange themselves in a constellation that Kevin may not be able to accept or yet fully understand and may struggle against, but they are the Kevin we meet and the Kevin we cheered along the way, and this Kevin, well there’s some hope. The ending doesn’t come to some closure of grand self-awareness for Kevin, but more reflects fractures in those things that anchored him, leaving a new horizon of possibilities, the most important being acceptance, and the understanding that, with time it will all make sense.
There were a few issues. I felt his relationship with Jon was surface level, and there needed to be more tension, a higher level of dynamics. There interactions were so scarce that I couldn’t quite rationalize Kevin’s obsession with him. The mind numbing number of times the book broached Kevin’s attractiveness was unnecessary. There were some inconsistencies; the most glaring, “I’ve never touched a guy in my life, apart from slapping or hitting and occasionally shaking a hand”. So that whole biting ass scene?!? And, while welcoming, and often a relief from his deep analysis of his own sexuality, his jokes and sarcasm started to feel like the same material recycled. However, these are just minor issues of an otherwise successful piece.
Kevin’s mind is a scared mind. It’s a curious mind. It’s a horny mind. It’s a ‘what the fuck does M4M mean and what is a top and a bottom?” mind. It’s a sad mind. It’s a devastated mind. It’s an envious mind. It’s a vengeful mind. It’s a mind that I can find all too relatable. And for all this, we should really fucking applaud for Brian, cause shit, did he get this one right.
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These novels are an enormous wealth and each reader understands and values them differently. This is the uniqueness of gay lit. It can be informative for a young teenager struggling to comprehend the differences between himself and peers that hold affection for the opposite sex, inspiration for a person struggling with depression or suicide, offer a reminder that a sturdy, closed relationship is still a thing, while helping others understand that monogamy is often malleable. I just love, and can’t get enough of gay lit. However, recently there has been the injection of angst, self-defeating, and books that go along with the motto: if you are a fag the stereotypes are true, and you will always, always be lonely, into gay themed lit. In a small demographic, where additions to the genre are few and far between, these novels can have a deleterious effect on peoples’ perceptions of gays, both for those identifying as gay, as well as non-gays’ perception of gay people. Why am I yapping so much about this trend? Because I want to reinforce that this glorious achievement of a novel does not, I repeat not, succumb to a sad-porn style of gay writing.
In a slick, tightly woven writing style that is an exquisite example of first POV, Brian tells the eerily familiar story a high schooler’s budding sexual development. This book is a remarkable and welcoming addition to M/M lit, not because of its overall theme of sexual development, but because of the unique method of exploring it. The Year of Ice’s fellow bookshelf buddies often focus on sexual exploration as the main driving force of sexual identity. Sexual experience between two men is often the driving force for comprehending sexual identity. This book focuses more on the quality of the main character’s self-agency, masculinity, and his struggle to navigate the actual meaning of gayness, specifically mentally and physically. It also is a heavy, and gut-heaving reflection on intrapersonal aspects of sexuality and sexual identity.
Kevin is 17 at the start of the Year of Ice. He is popular, all the girls lust after him, he has a solid after school job, and we learn, through a nauseating amount of repetition, that he is one hell of a looker. He isn’t very smart, a C student at best, though I think this is a matter of applying himself, because his thoughts and brilliant corrosive sarcasm are beyond measure. Oh, if it isn’t apparent, he wears a straight man’s custom.
He is at war with his own sexual identity. He fancies/stalks a fellow classmate named Jon. His relationship with Jon is already turbulent because of some high school trivial masculinity hierarchy that reflects more the social strata of wolves, than it does humans, but on top of that he can’t calm his libido every time he sees Jon’s eyebrows. He has a few core friends, who don’t know he’s gay, and is relatively liked/feared. Somehow he endures multiple sexual episodes with a girl, even though they are a source of personal torture and to a large extent undermine his identity/ These, among others, are the systems that are restricted and constricted by his confusions over his sexual identity. I should point out that I don’t believe he was as much closeted, as he was trying to figure out the details of his sexuality, and how they fit into his life. Tim Wyman syndrome.
Outside the wrecking ball of pretending to be straight, Kevin’s life has a detailed list of knife cuts. His mother died of an apparent accident, but that’s slightly questionable, or is it? His father is absent, detached, and at times physically abusive. The father has little to no accountability, and relegates Kevin to a position of adulthood, forcing his kid to integrate and claim responsibility for his own mistakes.
His friends, while sturdy and essential to his wellbeing are mostly obsessed with ‘cars, tits, and tits’, and he often complains that there is little depth to these relationships. He later finds out, as his dad’s life spirals out of control and as a result his own, that most of the relationships, past and present, that he counted on were tainted by his father’s arrogance and immaturity. He has a few sturdy adult relationships, but mostly they are as rocky as his own self-identity. There is one really solid adult connection but he ends up in a ‘sauna’ and he isn’t waking up. His aunt, while aggressive, is a source of stability. And some, like Chuck, are full of mindfuckery. And the really shit part is, straight people, you do this too much to gay people. And gay fashion alert: he dresses in plaid, and if Banana Republic didn’t shit out so much for the past two seasons this may see bit farmer and not so cool—it still isn’t! —, but I guess this was only a problem for me.
So we have Stud Kevin, trying to figure out his own life, the life beyond senior year, the life of being gay, all the while dealing with the mess that is his life; a care packages delivered by dad. As he leaves high school, his sexuality starts to bloom. He is no longer the awkward teenager that dated girls to maintain an image, he is less likely to frequent keggers, and he is more willing to accept himself as gay. We bare witness to the hilarity—because we all can relate—of deciphering and writing personal ads. And, if you are like me, you’ll slide lower in your seat as you read the all too relatable scene where he attempts to enter a gay bar, after winding his way around the block a billion and one times.
As he enters his post-high school years, where he proudly attends college, he is exposed to a whole different microcosm of life that flourishes with potential. He meets a few people along the way that detract from the overall successfulness of understanding his sexuality, but these are fleeting and temporary. Some aid in self-discovery, but these too are brief. He meets people that appear essential to his sexual development, and while one could argue that the merger of them does amass the individual parts of his sexuality, most of these people are whispers in his history, and it’s all too fucking real and sad and heart-breaking, and big loud screaming “FUCK I can’t, as a reader, take this anymore”. This is one of my biggest gripes. I reject the notion, once again, that gay life has to be so sad and horrible, that it must be so challenging, and that the sum of a gay man’s parts needs to be tragedy and emotional needles. I am not oblivious to the inherent torture and loneliness of not understanding who you are, and once figuring it out, understanding that those around you are often not your allies, but enemies to your self-agency and identify. And I realize that it takes a lot of work to feel something of ‘it got better’, that it’s always one hell of a cluster-fuck, but where’s the goodness, Brian, in Kevin’s life? Cause there seems to be so little. And, as always with these books, the books that have a potential to ignite further despondency *, I say again and again, to the kids and adults who are angry, mad, sad, confused, etc, that this isn’t all that there is, cause being gay, its freaking marvelous.
Somehow, in a way that makes sense to the Kevin we met, and the Kevin we watched grow, all these things arrange themselves in a constellation that Kevin may not be able to accept or yet fully understand and may struggle against, but they are the Kevin we meet and the Kevin we cheered along the way, and this Kevin, well there’s some hope. The ending doesn’t come to some closure of grand self-awareness for Kevin, but more reflects fractures in those things that anchored him, leaving a new horizon of possibilities, the most important being acceptance, and the understanding that, with time it will all make sense.
There were a few issues. I felt his relationship with Jon was surface level, and there needed to be more tension, a higher level of dynamics. There interactions were so scarce that I couldn’t quite rationalize Kevin’s obsession with him. The mind numbing number of times the book broached Kevin’s attractiveness was unnecessary. There were some inconsistencies; the most glaring, “I’ve never touched a guy in my life, apart from slapping or hitting and occasionally shaking a hand”. So that whole biting ass scene?!? And, while welcoming, and often a relief from his deep analysis of his own sexuality, his jokes and sarcasm started to feel like the same material recycled. However, these are just minor issues of an otherwise successful piece.
Kevin’s mind is a scared mind. It’s a curious mind. It’s a horny mind. It’s a ‘what the fuck does M4M mean and what is a top and a bottom?” mind. It’s a sad mind. It’s a devastated mind. It’s an envious mind. It’s a vengeful mind. It’s a mind that I can find all too relatable. And for all this, we should really fucking applaud for Brian, cause shit, did he get this one right.
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January 29, 2013
Fantastic book. The writing was stellar, and I couldn't put it down. I loved the voice. Kevin is a fantastic character, and his grief and angst and desire to be loved just jumped off the page. The narrative voice made me laugh out loud several times. Seriously, couldn't put it down. I was reading it at 3:30am this morning.
That said, the ending doesn't really resolve anything. It's like reading a narrative of a year of someone's life. It's vivid and compelling and fascinating to read, but don't go into this expecting a perfect story arc.
That said, the ending doesn't really resolve anything. It's like reading a narrative of a year of someone's life. It's vivid and compelling and fascinating to read, but don't go into this expecting a perfect story arc.
July 21, 2021
I’m actually glad I read After Francesco first. I believe it helped me enjoy this book even more than I would have. This author writes with such an authentic voice. In both books the story reads like an autobiography representing the real thoughts, emotions and words one would expect to hear from the character at that age.
September 15, 2012
It's 1978. I mean, the entire year of 1978 - January to December. Kevin the main character and narrative of the story is one pissed off teenager about to graduate from his high school. But, he's truly pissed off with the people around him (especially his father), and his personal conflict: a confused, conflicted, and closeted young man. He portrays himself as this tough and exterior alpha, but in his own world, it's something completely different. One of the main reasons that he is angry is the mysterious reason his mother has died two years prior. He doesn't have the truth and his relatives have given him conflicted answers. Did she die on her on accord? Did she die by accident? The real answer gets lost in the shuffle. There's so much more that I would want to say, but as we all say, "it's better to read the book to get a personal impact."
Kevin lives with his good for nothing father, Pat, and Kevin normally keeps to himself. His Aunt Nora, sister of Eileen (Kevin's mother) always hated Pat from the very beginning. And everything Aunt Nora has been saying to Kevin starts sticking to him. Secrets gets exposed in the harshest way possible. You know when people say that it's all in the timing? This novel from Kevin's point of view goes right out the window. It becomes a complete contradictory. Kevin has two best friends that don't know exactly who he is because Kevin is the alpha male and no one could truly stand up to him. And in the beginning, Kevin is in love with Jon Thompson (well, his version of him at least), because there are two of them... Kevin's version and the one in his real life. And that's just the beginning.
Kevin overall is one confused young man without any real guidance about his sexuality, and lashes out with jumping to conclusions; making up reasons of this or that scenario that doesn't truly resolves anything. And anything that he does discover only makes him even more angry, disillusioned, confused, lonely, but surprisingly not psychotic.
When it was 1978 for me, I was just turning 4 years old. So, it was almost difficult for me to truly understand the mind of a struggling teenager at that time. But the story (even though it might be fictional) gave me an idea of how it was so frustrating to keep your true self a complete secret from the world, compared to now -- the 21st century.
There were many times throughout the novel that as a reader, I was frustrated at the character, Kevin. For all the thoughts that he went though. I didn't think that I would invest into a character like that. I wanted to smack the sense out of him and tell him to snap out of it because you're doing more harm to yourself than to others. Or there were times where I breathed a sigh of relief because he was finally going forward and getting the answers that he deserved.
Without spoiling the plot of the novel... there are SO MANY issues that Kevin faces in a span of a year, that I almost had to take notes just to keep track of it all. Overall, the novel had an ending. I don't even think I can even claim it as a bittersweet ending. It made me want more.. a sequel. Somewhere in the 80's, just for an aftermath. Would I recommend this book? Yes! This novel is very unpredictable, and it keeps me guessing and invested with the character. Can I relate? Yes. Growing up as a single child and having to guide myself without and "real" guidance of self-discovery... it was a battle in my own time. The novel is both a smooth read and very memorable in my mind, and now has become one of my favourites.
Kevin lives with his good for nothing father, Pat, and Kevin normally keeps to himself. His Aunt Nora, sister of Eileen (Kevin's mother) always hated Pat from the very beginning. And everything Aunt Nora has been saying to Kevin starts sticking to him. Secrets gets exposed in the harshest way possible. You know when people say that it's all in the timing? This novel from Kevin's point of view goes right out the window. It becomes a complete contradictory. Kevin has two best friends that don't know exactly who he is because Kevin is the alpha male and no one could truly stand up to him. And in the beginning, Kevin is in love with Jon Thompson (well, his version of him at least), because there are two of them... Kevin's version and the one in his real life. And that's just the beginning.
Kevin overall is one confused young man without any real guidance about his sexuality, and lashes out with jumping to conclusions; making up reasons of this or that scenario that doesn't truly resolves anything. And anything that he does discover only makes him even more angry, disillusioned, confused, lonely, but surprisingly not psychotic.
When it was 1978 for me, I was just turning 4 years old. So, it was almost difficult for me to truly understand the mind of a struggling teenager at that time. But the story (even though it might be fictional) gave me an idea of how it was so frustrating to keep your true self a complete secret from the world, compared to now -- the 21st century.
There were many times throughout the novel that as a reader, I was frustrated at the character, Kevin. For all the thoughts that he went though. I didn't think that I would invest into a character like that. I wanted to smack the sense out of him and tell him to snap out of it because you're doing more harm to yourself than to others. Or there were times where I breathed a sigh of relief because he was finally going forward and getting the answers that he deserved.
Without spoiling the plot of the novel... there are SO MANY issues that Kevin faces in a span of a year, that I almost had to take notes just to keep track of it all. Overall, the novel had an ending. I don't even think I can even claim it as a bittersweet ending. It made me want more.. a sequel. Somewhere in the 80's, just for an aftermath. Would I recommend this book? Yes! This novel is very unpredictable, and it keeps me guessing and invested with the character. Can I relate? Yes. Growing up as a single child and having to guide myself without and "real" guidance of self-discovery... it was a battle in my own time. The novel is both a smooth read and very memorable in my mind, and now has become one of my favourites.
June 12, 2016
I can't remember when last I devoured a book that wasn't a romance or at least had any name-worthy romantic content. It's been a long while...
But lately I don't know if I should hate Dad more for being a dick, or if I should hate Mom more for trying to cross the Mississippi in a Ford Galaxy. I know that neither of them were perfect. I know that I'm a part of both of them. But, like, is the fact that they're my mom and dad enough to make me honor them?
'The Year of Ice' is a wonderful and, I think, very unique coming-of-age story. It is set in the year 1978, and we spent one year with 18 year-old Kevin, from January till December.
During this year, a lot happens in Kevin's life, but not everything changes and gets resolved during it. Something I found really stunning, actually, because usually all is always kinda neat in the end. In a way, this makes 'The Year if Ice' a lot more realistic and satisfying because of it.
We spend this one year in Kevin's head—first person point of view is my favourite, you know?—and I have to say he's a very, very intriguing young man. He has so many questions and insecurities, but he's so far from being a doormat or someone who doesn't know what he wants. It's a fascinating combination.
Kevin shares his year with us in an endearingly funny but also serious and emotional way. I couldn't put the book down, but not because it was so suspenseful or angsty—which I appreciated a lot—but because it was captivating from beginning to end.
Starting the book you don't know much of what is going on in Kevin's life, and I especially love how everything is revealed and developed little by little. Sometimes we only get to know some new facts, but not what Kevin is thinking about it, but then, in a following conversation, it suddenly becomes clear, and I was pretty much awed by it every time.
There is a strong focus on family in this book. What does it mean to be family? What do you do when your family is broken? When you can't figure out or ever know what is real.
I think this is the main part that Kevin grows in; how he can be himself but not cut all ties to his family.
Interestingly, that Kevin is gay is a theme here, too—also an important one—but it's not the driving point.
There were homosexuals back then?
Today... It's hard to imagine that someone could think that he was the only gay man on this planet—apart from his really gay teacher. It's kind of a running joke throughout the book that Kevin meets or hears of people who are or might be gay. He even needs to use two hands to count them, in the end. He hears of this place where homosexuals live in New York, and he can barely believe such a thing exists, or imagine what it would be like.
Both Kevin's family matters and his identity as a gay man develop over the course of the book, but while it's a positive one, it's not easy to get there. We have to live with him through a lot of crap. And it's baby steps better and positive, yes, but he still will have a lot to get through. I think I might not selling this right :-/ This is a satisfying ending and I'm sure Kevin will make and have a great future, but it's not there yet.
Through everything Kevin's snarky attitude overtones all the bad.
Jackie Shaw stands right next to me and whispers in my ear, "I think your dad has the jitters, that's all."
I whisper back to her, "I think my dad's a big dick, that's all."
And he also has this perspective on stuff that sometimes only younger people still have.
That's the thing with the dead, they get to say nothing, forever. They get to keep you guessing. And we're stuck wondering what it all means.
So, yeah... I really loved this and recommend it, too! 4.5 stars
But lately I don't know if I should hate Dad more for being a dick, or if I should hate Mom more for trying to cross the Mississippi in a Ford Galaxy. I know that neither of them were perfect. I know that I'm a part of both of them. But, like, is the fact that they're my mom and dad enough to make me honor them?
'The Year of Ice' is a wonderful and, I think, very unique coming-of-age story. It is set in the year 1978, and we spent one year with 18 year-old Kevin, from January till December.
During this year, a lot happens in Kevin's life, but not everything changes and gets resolved during it. Something I found really stunning, actually, because usually all is always kinda neat in the end. In a way, this makes 'The Year if Ice' a lot more realistic and satisfying because of it.
We spend this one year in Kevin's head—first person point of view is my favourite, you know?—and I have to say he's a very, very intriguing young man. He has so many questions and insecurities, but he's so far from being a doormat or someone who doesn't know what he wants. It's a fascinating combination.
Kevin shares his year with us in an endearingly funny but also serious and emotional way. I couldn't put the book down, but not because it was so suspenseful or angsty—which I appreciated a lot—but because it was captivating from beginning to end.
Starting the book you don't know much of what is going on in Kevin's life, and I especially love how everything is revealed and developed little by little. Sometimes we only get to know some new facts, but not what Kevin is thinking about it, but then, in a following conversation, it suddenly becomes clear, and I was pretty much awed by it every time.
There is a strong focus on family in this book. What does it mean to be family? What do you do when your family is broken? When you can't figure out or ever know what is real.
I think this is the main part that Kevin grows in; how he can be himself but not cut all ties to his family.
Interestingly, that Kevin is gay is a theme here, too—also an important one—but it's not the driving point.
There were homosexuals back then?
Today... It's hard to imagine that someone could think that he was the only gay man on this planet—apart from his really gay teacher. It's kind of a running joke throughout the book that Kevin meets or hears of people who are or might be gay. He even needs to use two hands to count them, in the end. He hears of this place where homosexuals live in New York, and he can barely believe such a thing exists, or imagine what it would be like.
Both Kevin's family matters and his identity as a gay man develop over the course of the book, but while it's a positive one, it's not easy to get there. We have to live with him through a lot of crap. And it's baby steps better and positive, yes, but he still will have a lot to get through. I think I might not selling this right :-/ This is a satisfying ending and I'm sure Kevin will make and have a great future, but it's not there yet.
Through everything Kevin's snarky attitude overtones all the bad.
Jackie Shaw stands right next to me and whispers in my ear, "I think your dad has the jitters, that's all."
I whisper back to her, "I think my dad's a big dick, that's all."
And he also has this perspective on stuff that sometimes only younger people still have.
That's the thing with the dead, they get to say nothing, forever. They get to keep you guessing. And we're stuck wondering what it all means.
So, yeah... I really loved this and recommend it, too! 4.5 stars
July 29, 2017
The Year of Ice, 3.50 stars.
A very well written novel that delves deep into a severely disfunctional family, particularly the father of the MC, Kevin. Having lost his mother to an apparent car accident, Kevin finds his life with his father, Pat, increasingly strained by past secrets that slowly are discovered to be true about his mother's accident, Pat's infidelities and Kevin's hidden homosexuality.
Kevin has a deep crush on another male student but isn't sure if the feelings are mutual. This leads to him having to "go steady" with a pretty girl so his friends and schoolmates won't think he's gay. His feelings for other boys he keeps deeply hidden and every time he thinks he has found someone he can "come out" to, he is rebuffed.
Kevin discovers that one of the widows who has been vying for his father's affections is the one that his father was planning on leaving his mother and himself to move to Florida. This, in Kevin's mind, is the catalist that forced his mother to suicide, not an accident. Over the course of several months, Pat proposes to this woman, Carol, and she becomes pregnant.
Kevin is royally upset with this developement and cannot accept Carol as his step-mother. Pat kicks him out of the house and he moves in with the neighborhood eccentric, Floyd, who wears a pyramid on his head and has an OCD about constantly keeping his sidewalk clear of snow. Not only that, but Floyd is discovered, after he dies of natural causes, to have kept his late wife in the freezer in the basement so he would not be alone.
Kevin moves in with his Aunt Nora, a bitter, venom-spewing old maid who is constantly putting down Pat. When Carol comes over to pick up Kevin to take him to the judge so Pat and Carol can get married, aunt Nora attacks her car with several impliments while shouting vile names and promising to kill "the face-painted slut."
When Kevin's girlfriend expects him to go all the way one night, he rebukes her and their relationship crashes. His crush starts dating her, causing further heartache for Kevin. After he sees them fighting in the school hallway a few weeks later, he beats the cr*p out of his ex-crush.
As graduation looms, Kevin still seeks his "first love" to discover what it's like to be truly loved. All attempts fail, leaving him with only his few friends, endless keggers and drugs. After a panicked call from Carol informing him that Pat has left her, his friends and he begin a search to find Pat. Carol goes into premature labor and the baby is born with severe health issues. Kevin manages to set aside his anger and mistrust of Carol after seeing his new sister. They agree to make a fragile peace for the sake of his newborn sister.
At Thanksgiving, Kevin, Carol, her new daughter, aunt Nora and Kevin's ex-girlfriend are having dinner at one of Kevin's friends house and he finally admits to his ex, in a roundabout manner, that he is gay. She understands and wishes him well at college, leaving Kevin on the front porch to watch the falling snow like his mother often did, saying it sounded like the stillness of the night.
Will Kevin ever find about himself, truly? This reader hopes so; everyone deserves to be happy with whomever makes them happy.
A very well written novel that delves deep into a severely disfunctional family, particularly the father of the MC, Kevin. Having lost his mother to an apparent car accident, Kevin finds his life with his father, Pat, increasingly strained by past secrets that slowly are discovered to be true about his mother's accident, Pat's infidelities and Kevin's hidden homosexuality.
Kevin has a deep crush on another male student but isn't sure if the feelings are mutual. This leads to him having to "go steady" with a pretty girl so his friends and schoolmates won't think he's gay. His feelings for other boys he keeps deeply hidden and every time he thinks he has found someone he can "come out" to, he is rebuffed.
Kevin discovers that one of the widows who has been vying for his father's affections is the one that his father was planning on leaving his mother and himself to move to Florida. This, in Kevin's mind, is the catalist that forced his mother to suicide, not an accident. Over the course of several months, Pat proposes to this woman, Carol, and she becomes pregnant.
Kevin is royally upset with this developement and cannot accept Carol as his step-mother. Pat kicks him out of the house and he moves in with the neighborhood eccentric, Floyd, who wears a pyramid on his head and has an OCD about constantly keeping his sidewalk clear of snow. Not only that, but Floyd is discovered, after he dies of natural causes, to have kept his late wife in the freezer in the basement so he would not be alone.
Kevin moves in with his Aunt Nora, a bitter, venom-spewing old maid who is constantly putting down Pat. When Carol comes over to pick up Kevin to take him to the judge so Pat and Carol can get married, aunt Nora attacks her car with several impliments while shouting vile names and promising to kill "the face-painted slut."
When Kevin's girlfriend expects him to go all the way one night, he rebukes her and their relationship crashes. His crush starts dating her, causing further heartache for Kevin. After he sees them fighting in the school hallway a few weeks later, he beats the cr*p out of his ex-crush.
As graduation looms, Kevin still seeks his "first love" to discover what it's like to be truly loved. All attempts fail, leaving him with only his few friends, endless keggers and drugs. After a panicked call from Carol informing him that Pat has left her, his friends and he begin a search to find Pat. Carol goes into premature labor and the baby is born with severe health issues. Kevin manages to set aside his anger and mistrust of Carol after seeing his new sister. They agree to make a fragile peace for the sake of his newborn sister.
At Thanksgiving, Kevin, Carol, her new daughter, aunt Nora and Kevin's ex-girlfriend are having dinner at one of Kevin's friends house and he finally admits to his ex, in a roundabout manner, that he is gay. She understands and wishes him well at college, leaving Kevin on the front porch to watch the falling snow like his mother often did, saying it sounded like the stillness of the night.
Will Kevin ever find about himself, truly? This reader hopes so; everyone deserves to be happy with whomever makes them happy.
December 20, 2009
I'm always looking for well-written and HONEST gay/lesbian YA books. This one is both of those things and so much more. It's not just a story about a young man named Kevin who knows he's gay and just wants to find someone to love. It's about how his life is in such chaos since the death of his mother and finding out dark secrets about his father. It's about life and being a teenager on the brink of adulthood and feeling like you're ready to take on the world, but also wanting everything to stay the same and to remain safe. I loved every single word in this book and the ending wasn't quite what I expected, but I feel pretty confident that Kevin is going to find his "own" place in the world. For those of you that are participating in the GLBT Challenge for 2010 this is one book that I highly recommend for your list.
March 1, 2010
Wonderful book! The characters in this book feel so real even with their idiosyncratic behavior. This book has both touching moments and humorous moments and at times it makes you want to cry. You feel for the characters and what they are going through. Overall A+!
February 19, 2017
Frankly, I don't think 5 stars is enough for this book! There should be way more stars for such books.
Like most of the books I read, this one I didn't plan on reading any time soon as well. BUT I am so glad I did because it's one of the best books I read so far. I mean, I do say about books I just finish that they are the best, but for this one I sincerely mean it.
'The Year of Ice' is a great coming of age novel that will hold you within its pages and literally make you lose track of time, and your existence, from the very first words.
This novel did remind me a lot of 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' and 'The Catcher in the Rye', it's like a mixture of both and yet it stands out.
Every time I came closer to the ending, I kept thinking 'I don't want this book to ever end', but sadly it did. Somehow I got attached to the main character and all the other characters as well.
This is a well written novel; it will make you laugh, smile and feel sad since the main character. This is not a book that just focus on a main character that is gay and his struggle with sexuality. This book focuses on almost every part of the Kevin's life and his struggle to accept his mother's death, his struggles with his father, and his struggle to accept himself.
I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE. I am so glad I got the chance to read this book.
Like most of the books I read, this one I didn't plan on reading any time soon as well. BUT I am so glad I did because it's one of the best books I read so far. I mean, I do say about books I just finish that they are the best, but for this one I sincerely mean it.
'The Year of Ice' is a great coming of age novel that will hold you within its pages and literally make you lose track of time, and your existence, from the very first words.
This novel did remind me a lot of 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' and 'The Catcher in the Rye', it's like a mixture of both and yet it stands out.
Every time I came closer to the ending, I kept thinking 'I don't want this book to ever end', but sadly it did. Somehow I got attached to the main character and all the other characters as well.
This is a well written novel; it will make you laugh, smile and feel sad since the main character. This is not a book that just focus on a main character that is gay and his struggle with sexuality. This book focuses on almost every part of the Kevin's life and his struggle to accept his mother's death, his struggles with his father, and his struggle to accept himself.
I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE. I am so glad I got the chance to read this book.
March 8, 2009
Impressed. The Year of Ice broke away from the cliches found in almost all gay teen fiction. The guy he had a crush on wasn't secretly gay, also. He wasn't the captain of the football team. He didn't come out to his parents and find blissful acceptance. He didn't even find love in the end.
The characters were complex. The gay character wasn't the only one who had to struggle between his public persona and his internal thoughts and emotions. When dealing with those internal emotions, they sometimes had to deal with two that conflicted with each other. Some of the characters grew, though not unbelievably. Others stayed the same ass-holes they were from the start.
In the end, I felt like there was hope for the main character Kevin, but his future was still unclear. As any teenager in his or her first semester of college, there are still so many possibilities and uncertainties. (Hell, at 39, I still have a world of choices I can still make that will affect where I end up in life.) But he was no longer gripped by fear. He felt a stronger sense of being able to face those uncertainties without being crippled by them.
The characters were complex. The gay character wasn't the only one who had to struggle between his public persona and his internal thoughts and emotions. When dealing with those internal emotions, they sometimes had to deal with two that conflicted with each other. Some of the characters grew, though not unbelievably. Others stayed the same ass-holes they were from the start.
In the end, I felt like there was hope for the main character Kevin, but his future was still unclear. As any teenager in his or her first semester of college, there are still so many possibilities and uncertainties. (Hell, at 39, I still have a world of choices I can still make that will affect where I end up in life.) But he was no longer gripped by fear. He felt a stronger sense of being able to face those uncertainties without being crippled by them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2008
Author Brian Malloy introduces the reader to Minnesota high school athlete Kevin Doyle, who is having as bad a senior year as Stephen King’s Carrie White. His mother, Eileen, was killed in a car accident; his father--who he never really got along with in the first place--has taken to drowning his sorrows; neighborhood women seeking entry constantly show up at his house bearing food, and he has an unrelenting crush on a male classmate, Jon, with whom he can’t even manage to fake a friendship. The fact that he turns the head of every girl within eyeshot is no consolation.
When Kevin isn’t working at the Red Owl supermarket, arguing with his boss, Lorraine, he spends most of his time with his best friends, Tommy and Rick. His true confidante, though, is an imaginary version of his crush, Jon, who lives and sleeps in Kevin’s bedroom. Kevin’s Jon is loving, compassionate, and supportive. The real Jon is a scale model, hormonal 18-year-old male, whose discomfort around Kevin stems from the rough treatment he receives from him on field (seemingly unaware of the real reason Kevin ruthlessly tackles him).
Meanwhile, at home, Kevin’s father, Pat, starts dating one of his admirers, Jackie. Kevin’s Aunt Nora (Eileen’s sister) becomes enraged, wrongly suspecting the woman to be Carol Gunderson. Both Kevin and the reader soon learn Carol and Pat were involved, and that Eileen became aware shortly before her death. This news results in a series of ugly, violent arguments among Kevin, Pat, Aunt Nora, Carol, and Jackie. Nonetheless, Kevin eventually grows accustomed to Jackie and Pat, who ask Kevin to join them for a move to Alaska. The move never comes to fruition, and their nuclear family image fades shortly thereafter, when Pat reconciles with Carol.
While Kevin genuinely cares about Tommy and Rick, he forges his shared enthusiasm for women by finding a girlfriend, Allison, and staging very public displays of affection. Privately, he reads Playgirl magazine, develops an attraction for a nearby college student who temporarily (and inexplicably) takes him under his wing, and establishes an unspoken connection with Mr. Hayes, a teacher who shares his preference for the same sex. Ironically, Kevin sets physical and emotional boundaries with Allison that eventually land her in the arms of Jon, his former crush. Unfortunately, graduation hardly proves to be the light at the end of the tunnel for Kevin, and many questions--pertaining to his future, especially--remain unanswered. Rather than spoil the entire story and reveal what challenges await him, it suffices to say his spirit remains in tact.
Hats off to the author for creating a teenage character who may be occasionally embarrassed, but never ashamed--of his sexual orientation, his father’s drunkenness, his Aunt’s impropriety, and his misogynist friends. Malloy convincingly channels Kevin’s erratic thought process as he swaggers back and forth between a young boy in mourning for his mother, a son resentful of his father, a student appreciative of his teacher’s knowledge, and a lonely man seeking the company of others like him.
When Kevin isn’t working at the Red Owl supermarket, arguing with his boss, Lorraine, he spends most of his time with his best friends, Tommy and Rick. His true confidante, though, is an imaginary version of his crush, Jon, who lives and sleeps in Kevin’s bedroom. Kevin’s Jon is loving, compassionate, and supportive. The real Jon is a scale model, hormonal 18-year-old male, whose discomfort around Kevin stems from the rough treatment he receives from him on field (seemingly unaware of the real reason Kevin ruthlessly tackles him).
Meanwhile, at home, Kevin’s father, Pat, starts dating one of his admirers, Jackie. Kevin’s Aunt Nora (Eileen’s sister) becomes enraged, wrongly suspecting the woman to be Carol Gunderson. Both Kevin and the reader soon learn Carol and Pat were involved, and that Eileen became aware shortly before her death. This news results in a series of ugly, violent arguments among Kevin, Pat, Aunt Nora, Carol, and Jackie. Nonetheless, Kevin eventually grows accustomed to Jackie and Pat, who ask Kevin to join them for a move to Alaska. The move never comes to fruition, and their nuclear family image fades shortly thereafter, when Pat reconciles with Carol.
While Kevin genuinely cares about Tommy and Rick, he forges his shared enthusiasm for women by finding a girlfriend, Allison, and staging very public displays of affection. Privately, he reads Playgirl magazine, develops an attraction for a nearby college student who temporarily (and inexplicably) takes him under his wing, and establishes an unspoken connection with Mr. Hayes, a teacher who shares his preference for the same sex. Ironically, Kevin sets physical and emotional boundaries with Allison that eventually land her in the arms of Jon, his former crush. Unfortunately, graduation hardly proves to be the light at the end of the tunnel for Kevin, and many questions--pertaining to his future, especially--remain unanswered. Rather than spoil the entire story and reveal what challenges await him, it suffices to say his spirit remains in tact.
Hats off to the author for creating a teenage character who may be occasionally embarrassed, but never ashamed--of his sexual orientation, his father’s drunkenness, his Aunt’s impropriety, and his misogynist friends. Malloy convincingly channels Kevin’s erratic thought process as he swaggers back and forth between a young boy in mourning for his mother, a son resentful of his father, a student appreciative of his teacher’s knowledge, and a lonely man seeking the company of others like him.
April 6, 2025
Of a time.
July 6, 2023
"The Year of Ice" revolves around a 18-year-old and tells his experiences in the first person perspective in a single year, 1978. It's a novel about struggles on family matters, sexuality and other typical teenage as well adult problems.
The writing is beautifully done, and it lets the story absorb me as I read the book. The POV on Kevin Doyle gives the story a focus, and we witness events that in one way or another, relates to the coming of age of a not-so-ordinary teenage boy, one with an unusual family and a past that haunts him deeply, as well as the desire to escape from a world of ice and loneliness and be who he really is.
I think it's a very depressing book -- that's not to say it's a bad thing -- and it's even more so how the author emphasizes on the display of ice and frigid weather throughout, without any detailed mention of the features of fervent summers. It's kind of like a symbolism throughout, as it describes Kevin's feelings and his frustration. That being said, the story does hold undertones of hope at times and break the spell of constant struggle, which gives readers something to hope for.
Things that happen in the book are highly believable and though some characters are shown to be "ugly" at first, they all have depth and ultimately, a "heart." I find it hard to really loathe any characters introduced here because I have a feeling that they all deserve pity and forgiveness, at one point or another. Perhaps it just shows that no matter how bad a person seems to be, there's always the underlying goodness that lies within and can eventually be discovered if you look hard enough.
All in all, it's not a story that I find very interesting at first, but the writing is enjoyable and Kevin's character keeps pulling me further into the story. Kevin Doyle is a kid with a lot of conflict, both inner and outer. Yes, his life may be a mess, and he does experience a lot of frustration, anguish and anger in a single year, but he's also a teenager, one with a future and one yet to be knocked over completely by the uncertainty of life. And he believes, just as we should, life doesn't wait for the ice or snow and melt away; life carries on and always will, and we either embrace it or hate it, but we all move on, notwithstanding our wish for the opposite.
Poignant, beautifully written, depressing with hints of hope and interesting and realistic characters and intense scenes expressed in heated dialogue, it's overall an enjoyable read.
The writing is beautifully done, and it lets the story absorb me as I read the book. The POV on Kevin Doyle gives the story a focus, and we witness events that in one way or another, relates to the coming of age of a not-so-ordinary teenage boy, one with an unusual family and a past that haunts him deeply, as well as the desire to escape from a world of ice and loneliness and be who he really is.
I think it's a very depressing book -- that's not to say it's a bad thing -- and it's even more so how the author emphasizes on the display of ice and frigid weather throughout, without any detailed mention of the features of fervent summers. It's kind of like a symbolism throughout, as it describes Kevin's feelings and his frustration. That being said, the story does hold undertones of hope at times and break the spell of constant struggle, which gives readers something to hope for.
Things that happen in the book are highly believable and though some characters are shown to be "ugly" at first, they all have depth and ultimately, a "heart." I find it hard to really loathe any characters introduced here because I have a feeling that they all deserve pity and forgiveness, at one point or another. Perhaps it just shows that no matter how bad a person seems to be, there's always the underlying goodness that lies within and can eventually be discovered if you look hard enough.
All in all, it's not a story that I find very interesting at first, but the writing is enjoyable and Kevin's character keeps pulling me further into the story. Kevin Doyle is a kid with a lot of conflict, both inner and outer. Yes, his life may be a mess, and he does experience a lot of frustration, anguish and anger in a single year, but he's also a teenager, one with a future and one yet to be knocked over completely by the uncertainty of life. And he believes, just as we should, life doesn't wait for the ice or snow and melt away; life carries on and always will, and we either embrace it or hate it, but we all move on, notwithstanding our wish for the opposite.
Poignant, beautifully written, depressing with hints of hope and interesting and realistic characters and intense scenes expressed in heated dialogue, it's overall an enjoyable read.
July 14, 2021
I just reread this book. It is one of my favorite coming of age stories. Kevin is a high school senior in 1978. He considers himself an alpha, and makes sure that everyone remembers that, including, Jon, the boy he is in love with. Kevin is dealing with a lot. His mother died in a car accident two years prior to this story. New facts come to light regarding his parents' relationship, which make Kevin see his father differently. Kevin likes boys, and in 1978, there is no information or support to help him deal with this. What makes this story so great for me is the way the author gets inside of Kevin's head. Someone will ask Kevin a question and often we will read the response that is in Kevin's head before his actual response. I cannot stress how amazing this book is. I highly recommend it!
Added note: There is finally a sequel! If like me you have wondered and worried about what became of Kevin, now we have After Francesco.
Added note: There is finally a sequel! If like me you have wondered and worried about what became of Kevin, now we have After Francesco.
August 21, 2016
I don't even know what to say about this one.
Kevin, to be completely honest, is a jerk. I know he has his reasons and sometimes he's funny and relatable. But other times he's just a complete asshole and I didn't like him. Come to think of it, pretty much everyone is an asshole at some point in this book.
There's no romance at all, and although I appreciate that it was a much more complex coming of age story, I really wish there was a romance. Kevin could use some happiness. (For the record, I kind of ship him and Tommy).
Tl;dr version- I didn't particularly like this, and I wouldn't recommend it. It's not a bad book by any means, in fact at some parts I did enjoy it. But overall I wish I'd read something else.
Kevin, to be completely honest, is a jerk. I know he has his reasons and sometimes he's funny and relatable. But other times he's just a complete asshole and I didn't like him. Come to think of it, pretty much everyone is an asshole at some point in this book.
There's no romance at all, and although I appreciate that it was a much more complex coming of age story, I really wish there was a romance. Kevin could use some happiness. (For the record, I kind of ship him and Tommy).
Tl;dr version- I didn't particularly like this, and I wouldn't recommend it. It's not a bad book by any means, in fact at some parts I did enjoy it. But overall I wish I'd read something else.
February 7, 2014
This book was like no other than I've read. I'm a teenage and he exactly captured the mind of youth. The way Kevin feels throughout the book and his mood is all so realistic. I felt like I was reading straight from a diary or something. Also, I'm an avid gay rights person, so this book was something I felt I could connect with personally. Many praises to Brian Malloy. His first book was definitely a major hit and I can tell her has major potential in the writing field. This is a must read!!
June 12, 2013
A lot going on with The Year of Ice. Kevin Doyle is a senior in high school, but two years ago, on his 16th birthday, he was attending his mother's funeral.
The theme of "ice" is well thought out, and an early reference to Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" leads Kevin to search for different meanings of this poem through-out.
Great read
The theme of "ice" is well thought out, and an early reference to Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" leads Kevin to search for different meanings of this poem through-out.
Great read
January 26, 2009
One of my favorite novels of the past few years. Set in 1978, the author perfectly captures the voice of a teenage stoner who is also realizing he is gay. I laughed out loud in many places, though it is a novel of substance. Ending was not as strong as I had hoped.
January 13, 2010
This was one of the first gay fiction books I read, and what a way to start! It captured the struggle of realizing oneself is gay perfectly (in my opinion anyway). It was a heart-wrenching and completely consuming book and I'm glad to have read it.
May 1, 2015
Sad to say goodbye to Kevin! I loved his smart-ass jokes. You could feel his desperation and loneliness throughout the book, I felt so sorry for him most of the time. This was not a romance novel and that was kind of refreshing (and realistic!) too! 4 stars!
February 20, 2019
I'm struggling to see what the fuss is all about. This was an extremely disappointing read for me. It's a good thing that the characters were mostly OK, because everything else about this book was meh.
November 21, 2022
I like Malloy's writing as it does come across as truly authentic. However, 'The Year of Ice' was a miss for me; I enjoyed its sequel, 'After Francesco', much more. I would've liked to have seen more growth and development for the main character, Kevin. Additionally, I understand this book was originally published in the early 2000s and is set in the late 1970s, but the casual and repeated use of the 'R-word' was off-putting for me.
September 3, 2019
Me he quedado con cara de ¿ya ha terminado? Para mi gusto, le falta "final"
January 30, 2021
CW: homophobia, sexual assault, misogyny, ableism, racism, fatphobia, physical assault...etc?
I have quite some thoughts about this book, but currently, I'm just stuck wondering if a 1,5 rating is more 1 star or 2 stars. I've gone with 2 stars for now, because I enjoyed the book at times and thought there were some good bits to it, but at the same time the characters mostly sucked and there was so much bs + at least 2 instances of sexual assault by the main character, so, you know, some mixed feelings there. :)
Edit: Gone back and changed it to 1 star. Again, enjoyed it at times and it was easy to get through, but overall I disliked the MC and the way the author glossed over some serious bullshit.
I have quite some thoughts about this book, but currently, I'm just stuck wondering if a 1,5 rating is more 1 star or 2 stars. I've gone with 2 stars for now, because I enjoyed the book at times and thought there were some good bits to it, but at the same time the characters mostly sucked and there was so much bs + at least 2 instances of sexual assault by the main character, so, you know, some mixed feelings there. :)
Edit: Gone back and changed it to 1 star. Again, enjoyed it at times and it was easy to get through, but overall I disliked the MC and the way the author glossed over some serious bullshit.
October 10, 2009
Kevin Doyle is an eighteen year old high school senior from Minneapolis. It is 1978, and Kevin lives at home with his widowed father. Kevin's mother died two years prior in a tragic automobile accident when her car hit a patch of ice and careened off the highway over an embankment into the Mississippi River.
Kevin has a secret which he shares with no one...no one except his imaginary boyfriend Jon. Actually Jon is a real person that goes to school with Kevin, but the real Jon is straight. So Kevin goes to bed every night with Jon's imaginary gay alter ego. It is Kevin's sexual orientation which is the secret.
Kevin's family is full of secrets. When he discovers that his father was embroiled in an ongoing extramarital affair at the time of his mother's death, Kevin is left wondering if it was really an accident. He fears she may have committed suicide when she learned her husband was planning to leave her.
From the very first paragraph of this novel, I knew that I was going to love this writer. His ability to describe rather mundane situations in such a colorful and hilarious manner is beyond remarkable. He skillfully assumes the voice of the central character, employing a vernacular that is humorous and poignantly real.
In my view the book is not without weaknesses, however. Paramount among them is the stagnant plot. I kept waiting for something spectacular to happen. Something amazing and earth-shattering, but there was no climax. The central character was believable, lovable, and very readable...but he failed to take any action. I wanted a romance or at the very least a grand coming-out moment. There were none.
Several sub-plots emerged within the story, and I yearned for resolution. The reader is left wondering what happened, and perhaps this is the author's point. Obviously he wanted his readers to draw their own conclusions. In this sense, the book felt more like a memoir than a fictional novel.
Overall, I found the book to be a fascinating read. I love this writer's voice, and I'm craving more. A sequel would be wonderful, for then we would learn what actually happened.
The Year of Ice is a welcome addition to my GLBT library. I definitely recommend it.
Kevin has a secret which he shares with no one...no one except his imaginary boyfriend Jon. Actually Jon is a real person that goes to school with Kevin, but the real Jon is straight. So Kevin goes to bed every night with Jon's imaginary gay alter ego. It is Kevin's sexual orientation which is the secret.
Kevin's family is full of secrets. When he discovers that his father was embroiled in an ongoing extramarital affair at the time of his mother's death, Kevin is left wondering if it was really an accident. He fears she may have committed suicide when she learned her husband was planning to leave her.
From the very first paragraph of this novel, I knew that I was going to love this writer. His ability to describe rather mundane situations in such a colorful and hilarious manner is beyond remarkable. He skillfully assumes the voice of the central character, employing a vernacular that is humorous and poignantly real.
In my view the book is not without weaknesses, however. Paramount among them is the stagnant plot. I kept waiting for something spectacular to happen. Something amazing and earth-shattering, but there was no climax. The central character was believable, lovable, and very readable...but he failed to take any action. I wanted a romance or at the very least a grand coming-out moment. There were none.
Several sub-plots emerged within the story, and I yearned for resolution. The reader is left wondering what happened, and perhaps this is the author's point. Obviously he wanted his readers to draw their own conclusions. In this sense, the book felt more like a memoir than a fictional novel.
Overall, I found the book to be a fascinating read. I love this writer's voice, and I'm craving more. A sequel would be wonderful, for then we would learn what actually happened.
The Year of Ice is a welcome addition to my GLBT library. I definitely recommend it.
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