Iceman [Paperback]

 

 

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Eric, the protagonist in Iceman, struggles through a difficult adolescence that can even be what some may label sociopath. His infatuation with death, his enjoyment of hurting people, and his lack of any connection to another person causes the reader to wonder if he has any emotion.
Spending time at the local mortuary instead of attending school seems well beyond the average teenagers fascination with death. Even his brother's girlfriend, a high school dropout, finds his behavior peculiar. He makes mention of this obsession one day at church after killing a mouse."?I just smiled, weaved in and out of light sleep, occasionally pulling the dead mouse back out with my foot so I could look at him. When something's dead, I can?t help looking at it."(Lynch. P99)
It seems when reading more carefully though the book, Eric's infatuation may be connected with his desire to retreat from the world he lives in. Sitting in a coffin is Eric's way of pretending he is dead and with death comes solitude, something that a controlling father and mother, constantly trying to save him, do not allow him to have. "Hope they thought I was a dead person and ran. I just wanted my peace anyway."(Lynch. 53)
Eric's anger when he play?s hockey is apparent in the way his focus lies on "wrecking" the other players rather than winning the game. Even his teammates loathe him and refer to him as 'the animal' because he seems out of control. "I was the kind of guy who could sever another guy's head without feeling a thing. I was after all, the Iceman."(Lynch. 166)
Is Eric really interested in causing pain? After all he's only playing hockey because his father is making him. The anger he exhibits during hockey seems to be displaced because he often states he isn?t even aware of his rage until he is sitting in the penalty box. "I broke a new Christian Brothers hockey stick. I broke it on somebody's head. He was a teammate of mine. The funny part is I don?t really remember being that angry."(Lynch. 69)
Eric's desire to be close with his dad is apparent in the way he is constantly looking for another connection beyond hockey. Eric doesn't want to disappoint his father by telling him that hockey isn't as important anymore but he fears that that will take away the only channel their relationship is based upon. "I'm thinking?maybe we don?t have to talk about hockey right now. I'm thinking we may talk about something else. Like your job dad. I'm thinking about public relations. Can you tell me more about it? Do you like it? Is it interesting? How did you wind up in it? Is it something you always wanted?"(Lynch. 67)
Overall Eric seems like a lost adolescent growing up in a dysfunctional family. He is being pushed into something that he does not like nor want to do. If he follows in his brother's footsteps and finds something else that is more appealing to him, he may end up all right after all.

Doesn't the writer get any choice over the cover of their book? Not only is this one really hideous, it isn't good for the story except in a really obvious way. Put me off buying the book.

One of the best sports novels ever! Fourteen year old Eric is a hockey player, though he is not sure he wants to be one. Caught in the dynamics of an EXTREMELY dysfunctional family, Eric struggles to find himself.

Compelling characters. Lynch is a master of the relationships between brothers, and Duane is one of the best older-brother figures I have encountered in young adult fiction.

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