The novel was a moderate success commercially however its sales were boosted in 1997 with the release of the film adaptation. His characters, drawn with a manic acuity that isn't fully accounted for until the end, stay with us long after we've finished reading.' This is a good book, packed with keen observation and sympathy for human failure' while The Guardian called it 'one of the wittiest books about family life ever written.' Amanda Heller of The Boston Globe stated 'Moody brings this profusion of metaphor to order with a fierce, subversive intelligence. Critic Adam Begley of the Chicago Tribune called the novel: 'A bitter and loving and damning tribute to the American family. The Ice Storm was largely commended for its audacity and the many daring subjects explored in the novel. The rapidly changing sexual mores of the period are reflected in the lives of both families, whose members experiment with traditionally taboo acts such as suicide and adultery.

Youthful characters engage in sexual experimentation as their parents pursue affairs and otherwise absent themselves from their lives. Themes include secrets, permissiveness, vulnerability, betrayal, and absence.

Its themes find their reflection in the setting: the 1970s at the time of the Watergate scandal in the wake of the sexual revolution. The novel explores the loss of innocence and moral compass in upper-middle class Americans. The story focuses on the 24 hours in which a major ice storm strikes the town of New Canaan, Connecticut, just as both families are melting down from the parents' alcoholism, escapism and adultery, and their children's drug use and sexual experimentation. Her daughter ventures into sexual liaisons with both females and males, including her neighbors Mikey and Sandy. Ben is currently having an affair with his married neighbor Janey. The Hood family members are Ben, Elena, Paul and Wendy, and the Williamses are Jim, Janey, Mikey, and Sandy. The novel is narrated by four members of the two families, each promoting his or her view of complications that arise throughout the novel. The setting is an affluent Connecticut suburb during the height of the sexual revolution. The novel takes place over Thanksgiving weekend 1973, during a dangerous ice storm, and centers on two neighboring families, the Hoods and the Williamses, and their difficulties in dealing with the tumultuous political and social climate of the day. In 1997, the novel was adapted into an acclaimed feature film directed by Ang Lee, featuring a cast including Joan Allen, Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, Tobey Maguire and Katie Holmes in her screen debut.

The novel was widely acclaimed by readers and critics alike, described as a funny, acerbic, and moving hymn to a dazed and confused era of American life. The Ice Storm is a 1994 American novel by Rick Moody.

The Ice Storm by Rick Moody