Then he was billeted with another family for juniors hockey when he was in high school.

He grew up in Buffalo, but when his father got traded to North Carolina, Mickey was left behind so he could focus on his own hockey development while his mom and four sisters moved down with his dad. He’s at the previous Mickeys’ college biding his time until he’s eligible for the draft, where he is also expected to go first. Mickey is a third, and his father and grandfather (Mickey I and Mickey II) were legendary hockey players who both went first in the draft. He’s the narrator and he’s a Messy Character. So you might see how the theme is for the young crowd, but I’ve got to say, I know plenty of adults who still find themselves in their own personally manufactured box, and I think the story is accessible to a wide audience.

Mickey has a story in his head about his life that’s absolutely real for him, but also maybe doesn’t encompass the whole story of his life, and this book really digs into how we might see ourselves and our reality in a certain way, but that narrow vision is like a box that we could just open, but we’ve been in the box for so long that we stopped thinking about all the things outside the box, so we think it’s impossible to get out. Plot: Mickey’s difficulty acknowledging his mental health struggles makes all of the burdens of his own and others’ expectations for him much, much heavier.įirst off, Mickey and Jaysen are both in their first year of college, but they’re seventeen, not yet eligible for the NHL draft, and the themes and characterizations of the book are more Young Adult than New Adult. Heat Factor: These teenage college first years get up to stuff, but the door is firmly closed.Ĭharacter Chemistry: Layered and complex, with a mutual forbidden desire and a rivalry for the top spot in the NHL draft

Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei