The Ice Storm

Rick Moody has written a masterpiece; a brilliant overview of a dysfunctional surburban family during the early 1970's. He does as fine a job as Tom Wolfe did in "Bonfire of the Vanities" in recording a certain moment in American history. His reliance on 1970's trivia, criticized by other customers, is important as the means through which he sets the stage for his fictitious family and their actions during the course of the ice storm. I can't think of another writer who has so aptly captured the domestic horrors of surburbia. In my list of great American novels from the 1980's and 1990's, "The Ice Storm" shares top billing with Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities", Mark Helprin's "A Winter's Tale", E. L. Doctorow's "Ragtime" and William Gibson's "Neuromancer". Without a doubt, Rick Moody is one of the most unique, distinctive voices of my generation; I feel privileged having been a fellow classmate of his in a college writing seminar many years ago.

This book has not left me since I read it well over a year ago. Moody's narrative style is comparable to John Cheever with a flair for American culture. This was incredible. Read it.

A powerful tour through the agonies of family life in a very particular early 70's version of the human condition. The characters wallow into a Big Muddy of their own making, but their portrayal is vivid, poignant and moving. Seeing the movie is no barrier to reading the book. It's the same story told much more deeply and richly.

The Ice Storm is one of the best books i have ever read. It works on a lot of different levels. The characters AREN'T fully developed, in the conventional sense, but that is delibrate. In fact, it's where a lot of the book's power comes from: no one i know is "fully developed" either. Is the book too cold? Look at the title. Moody writes about something clearly personal to him, but avoids becoming overly sentimental. The Ice Storm requires and rewards close reading.

There is no other book that explains what's like growing up in the 70s better than THE ICE STORM. A very beautiful and delicate family drama. Yes, it's very cold but that's the point the author wants to emphasize. Most folks complain that the characters are not fully developed - its not a flaw at all. Its simply because the characters dont know themselves - they're confused and lost in a chilly world. Very distant also. We're not supposed to feel any warmth or comfortable.Moody wants us to feel distant with the characters - dont forget the progantist is the oldest son Paul whos totally lost and frozen. We see his family through his eyes.Reading the book is like visiting my childhood again. My parents spent too much time partying and tyring to keep up with the sexual revolution. It does have a devastating price - my father died of alcoholism last Christmas and I don't talk to my mom and sister anymore. For a very long time, my family forgot how to huddle even in the most difficult time. And th book rings very true for me and many other young folks. Moody is also a genius with words and his writing is very beautiful.