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The Year of Ice

3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 · rating details · 723 ratings · 51 reviews

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...more

Paperback, 272 pages

Published October 11th 2003 by St. Martin's Griffin (first published July 17th 2002)

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Dec 03, 2007 Marcelo rated it 5 of 5 stars

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...more

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Dec 08, 2012 cor ad cor loquitur rated it 4 of 5 stars

God, what a treat.
There's novels written in the point of view of teenagers and then there's this book: a novel written from inside a teenager's head. I've read loads of books, all filled with all knowing narrators who are much too advanced for their own good, but this book stunned me. A whirlwind of just perfect writing and angst, a lot of angst.
You won't regret reading this book, despite the heartbreak it may leave you with. It will be a book to stick with you and I won't forget about it anytim...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Jeffery Looper rated it 3 of 5 stars

"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 unusu...more "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.(less)

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Jul 16, 2009 Duane rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a difficult book for me to review for a number of reasons. To begin with, the author does a masterful job of describing the characters to us through actions and words. By the end of the book, you have a complete visual image of who they are and what they look like. Having said that, I didn't enjoy the lack of focus that the story keeps going through. The author will start a story sequence and then quit in the middle. I understand why he did it, but it's not to my liking. A warning that t...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Hofdude rated it 1 of 5 stars

Being my first gay novel looking for inspiration, I was severely disappointed. I ended up hating the main character. The story was told from his point of view with his thoughts on things, which, being gay, would be extremely interesting, right? Nope. All it was was his fantasies which beg for pity, but the way he treats people in reality, makes you not care! He's a jerk to his dad, his dad's girlfriend, even his crush because he wants to act straight? I'm sorry, that's too much. Maybe that was t...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Anthony rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, favorites

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...more 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.(less)

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Jul 21, 2010 Thai rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was pretty excited to read this book at first cause I was pretty young. The audience follows the life of Kevin Doyle and one of the stand out things is that he isnt a gay stereotype which is refreshing. His life is a mess and it seems realistic enough and you come to actually care for him.

The plot definitely has its good points but in the latter half it became a bit tiresome? The events seemed a bit plain? You just seem to follow Kevin's life as he grows up and how he deals with family. The e...more

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Oct 10, 2009 Jeff Erno rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-fiction

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 Kevi...more 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.(less)

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Jan 29, 2013 Brigid rated it 5 of 5 stars

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...more

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Mar 08, 2009 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 12, 2008 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

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...more 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.(less)

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May 13, 2008 Daniel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

A few things about this book irritate me; most of all, I am not sure the author is all that literate. Two examples: he writes "should of" to capture a teen's jargon, but not consistently; at some point he uses "immanently" instead of "eminently." I mention both cases because one has the impression he has heard more than he has read.

Having said that, this novel was interesting and has its virtues. Chief among the latter is that it manages to be a novel about a gay teenager without turning it into...more

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Feb 11, 2008 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-2008

I'm not a very fast reader, but this book sucked me. I read two-thirds of it yesterday (and if I hadn't had work today, I'd have just kept reading!) and the rest today. Now I'm a little sad that it's all over.

It makes an interesting contrast the book I read just before it, DOO-LANG LOVE. Both were about young gay men (Rex, 23, in DOO-LANG LOVE and Kevin, 17/18, in THE YEAR OF ICE) looking for love, and in both the main characters found something more than that, in family and/or friends. But whe...more

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Dec 20, 2009 Staci rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Mature teens, adults, GL teens

Shelves: 2009-reads

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...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Grant rated it 5 of 5 stars

In gay lit you can't swing a cat without hitting a coming of age story. The reason this one stays with me is that Brian Malloy and I are about the same age, both from the midwest, both were closeted gay guys in high school in the late 70's. Not only does his journey speak to me, but the backdrop it unfolds against is much like my own.

Besides that, though, this is a book of deep emotion and beautiful language. There's a copy next to my bed. It's the only book I keep that close.

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Aug 09, 2012 Dominic Potratz rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was captivating, It really takes you through a wonderful experience of emotion, you will laugh and you will cry. This book takes family conflict to a point anyone can relate in some way. It's a story of age, anyone who enjoys a book about growing up will love this read. You are taken through the transformation from kid to adult in the pages of this book. Brian Malloy truly strikes the heart of the reader.

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Apr 20, 2008 Coffeeboss rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, festival-of-the-gays

Kevin is a "foxy" senior at his small-town high school in 1970s Minnesota. He considers himself an "alpha" male, meaning he often uses his brawn to put other boys in his place, and all the girls want him. His mom died a couple years earlier, and his dad is being pursued by all the widows and single women in town. And Kevin just happens to know that he is gay, and doesn't know what to do about it. The Year of Ice was shelved in the adult fiction section of my library, probably because mention of...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-themed

I read so many books that I got about ten pages in and realized I had read this before and liked it very much, so I kept reading it again. It paints a picture of a gay character that is completely lost in the world of tough guy, beer guzzlers and has no role model or permission from anyone to explore the other side of himself. In many aspects, he's not a good person and unlikeable at moments, but there is enough raw material in him that you keep pulling for him to make it. The other people in th...more

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Mar 24, 2009 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was okay; I guess I just kept hoping for more. More character development, more interactions, more sex, something! I did finish it, and I do think it resonates with the typical gay adolescent experience, but would probably be more enjoyed by younger readers.

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Jan 16, 2011 Vfields needs to be happy! rated it 4 of 5 stars

In some way this was a coming of age novel, in others it was a family drama. A high school teen is dealing with his mother's death, his father's short comings and his own sexual awkwardness. It is a well written story with a satisfying, realistic ending.

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Jan 12, 2010 Lorena rated it 4 of 5 stars

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.

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Jan 26, 2009 Hillery rated it 4 of 5 stars

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.

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Feb 29, 2008 Spoonbridge rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Twin Citians

Shelves: minnesota, library-book

I liked this novel, a poignant depiction of a troubled young man struggling to come to terms with his sexuality in 1970s Minneapolis after the tragic death of his mother in the icy Mississippi. I felt that Kevin's personality and feelings were very well developed and the book spared no details in the course of the very rough year of 1978, though I felt that some plot points were left unfulfilled. I especially enjoyed the setting of the Twin Cities in 1978, recognizing things still in existence a...more

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Mar 01, 2010 Javier Martinez rated it 5 of 5 stars

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+!

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Jan 06, 2009 Wils Cain rated it 3 of 5 stars

Coming of age story of a gay teenager dealing with all family and friend issues that come up around him. Reminds me a lot of my high school years and always thinking, why is all of this happening? Ice is very much a part of the story...almost a character in itself.

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Jun 30, 2012 Frank Quebbemann rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book conveyed a tremendous sense of longing during coming of age. Some of the dialogue didn't fit the characters, and that was off-putting.

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Apr 06, 2009 Juan rated it 5 of 5 stars

awesome, reader can really relate (at laeat, I did), funny, sad, and soooo entertaining. five stars

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Jul 18, 2012 Michael Perales rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a good book slow beginning but if you can try move past that it gets better

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Jul 17, 2012 Kristel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Story of a young man who is trying to come to terms with his sexual identity.

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Dec 29, 2010 Very rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, borrowed, lgbt, style-points, xy, ya, moody-blues, gimme, first-person, good-stuff

This is one of those books where you love the main character so much that you'd pretty much follow him anywhere. The writing is hilarious and economical (probably my favorite combination) and even the minor characters pop.

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