An absorbing "coming to life" story of rejection, loathing, and finally to acceptance and love, for who we are and born to be. Though the author is writing about serious issues--homophobia in Ireland, he does so with humor, grace, and love. Beautiful book!

Scrappymags 3-word review: Amazing. Heart-breaking. Heart-warming.

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Shortest summary ever: Cyril Avery's life is told in 7-year increments from the time he is born to a teenaged, unwed mother scandalized ala The Scarlet Letter-style, through his rocky and confusing formative years and into old age. His life has never been easy as he struggles to find his place in post WWII Ireland. Issues of societal discrimination, feminism, love, hate... all wrapped up in this gem of a novel. 

What’s good under the hood: Can I verbally swoon here? Easily the best of 2017. And I don't mean ONE of, I mean - THE. BEST. PERIOD.  

It warmed and broke my heart at the same time, in a mere matter of pages. I don't want to give any spoilers, but for instance themes of discrimination - I've read multitudes of books with this theme lately (it's prevalent in society, thus prevalent in literature), but it wasn't "that" book - it's unable to be labeled as it touches on so many themes - love, hatred, redemption, cruelty, kindness... and with moments of humor peppered throughout. Keep reading. Just as I was brimming with happiness, I was crying the ugly cry minutes later. Such is life, they say. The epitome of "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away" in novel form (ugh my parochial education rears its ugly head, which according to this book is VERY appropo). This is THAT book that gave me all the feels, plus ones I didn't know I had. The writing is rich, a blanket wrapped around the body in a sweeping saga. Let the length of the book intimidate no one!! It moves like the wind... right through your soul. Every damn page, it's that good. It rightly nails the human experience eloquently, poignently and with grace. I want to fly to wherever John Boyne, say nothing, hug him, walk away and fly home.

What’s bad or made me mad: Nothing except for the fact that Ireland doesn't sound as great as I thought it would be. 

Recommend to:

Everyone (and I rarely say that)
Bookclubs - tons to talk about
A must-read for any historical fiction fan
Best-seller readers - don't be intimidated by the length. This book reads FAST.
Avoid if: 

You're touchy about Irish Catholicism (it doesn't paint it in a positive light)
Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing and the author for an advanced copy, making me swoon, for the puffy eyes and smiles, and for feeling all the feelings of what it means to be... HUMAN.

A novel full of heart and humor. Would highly recommend.

Please read more of my thoughts on books at:
http://cavebookreviews.blogspot.com

John Boyne deserves high praise just for the title of his new novel, <b>The Heart's Invisible Furies</b>! We all have some form of rage in our hearts, but this is a story told with that beautiful Irish grandeur of a sweeping lifetime epic. Cyril Avery is the narrator, and he is born to an unwed mother. Cyril's mum, Catherine Goggin, is sixteen when the parish priest scorns her in front of the entire congregation. Her parents kicked her out of the house. She travels to Dublin to give birth and find a life, alone and penniless.<br><br> We meet Cyril after his adoption by a wealthy banker and his wife, Charles and Maude Avery. Cyril is constantly reminded that he is an adopted child and love is not given freely if at all in the eccentric household on Dartmouth Square.<br><br>Eventually, Cyril attends a Jesuit college and rooms with Julian Woodbead. They traverse the boarding school trials and tribulations and come out of school, more or less educated and life long friends. Julian has no idea that Cyril is gay and very much in love with him. Julian is a prolific womanizer, and Cyril follows that frantic coupling with men he meets in the bars and back alleys of Dublin. Cyril is always lonely and looking for love.<br><br> The hypocrisy of the Catholic Church is not a new subject, and yet J.B. infuses new life into the anger one can only feel when reading about their antics throughout the time periods of this novel, from the early 50's to the present day. When a group of men who have scores of pedophiles among them, cannot bear to hear about it from a troubled young man in confession, we can only laugh at the results. The priests, from the run of the mill parish blowhards to highly educated Jesuits, continually shock and appall me with their wrath toward young women and men. Youth who are struggling in life are taught to turn to them for help, only to be degraded verbally and often, physically.<br><br>J.B. writes the truth of these men, and with an excellent sense of humor thrown in. His characters ring true with pain, grief, and a strength of character that gets them through a life of suffering. I loved this epic story about a man who lived through adoption, unrequited love, true love, and the AIDs epidemic. Bravo to Mr. Boyne!

Thank you to NetGalley, John Boyne, and Hogarth Press for the opportunity to read this excellent novel.

This book is the kind of book that will stay with me always.It is an extremely powerful book. It definitely packs an emotional punch. Truthfully, I ran a gamut of emotions while reading this book: sadness, incredulity, anger, laughter (yup laughter), heartbreak, hatred.....
John Boyne knows Ireland and he knows the Irish. It is an honest depiction of the people and their narrow mindedness. He does a brilliant job of depicting the Catholic church's dominance over the people and the abhorrent behaviour of its priests. He is a phenomenal writer, pure and simple!
The book takes place over a span of 63 years. It starts in 1945 and moves forward in 7 year increments. That was clever as it progressed the story perfectly. Cyril, our narrator, is a very conflicted person. It is priceless to watch his transformation through the book. The book is packed with people I really cared about. There is so much occurring in Ireland at this time that the author brings into the book, but ultimately this book is about Cyril and the people who come into his life.
I learnt so much from this book. I learnt how far people will go in the name of discrimination. I learnt how hard it is to accept ones own self, ignoring public opinion. There is so much hatred in this world- to be different is always to pay the cost. Things are changing, but ever so slowly.
Wow, what a powerful, memorable book. I loved it.

4.5 but rounding up because I honestly loved this book. At times I thought it a tad too long, but I was engaged from the start of this finely woven novel and couldn't wait to see how it all tied together, i.e., I couldn't put it down. And, FYI, it is dedicated to John Irving.

To start. Cyril Avery, the focus of the book, is: "Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple..." Starting with Cyril's birth, then adoption, the book advances by chapter--in 7-year increments.

Cyril is gay and his struggles [which begin when he is young] are a focus of the book. BUT, hardly all--there is so much more in this deeply felt story which begins in 1945 and ends in 2015. The book embraces the political/cultural landscape of Ireland and how it has [barely] changed over time--or, just very slowly. [Though there are also years in Amsterdam and New York City.]

There is so much in this book and so many finely wrought characters. Cyril. A primary focus is Cyril and Julian--his heterosexually promiscuous friend [they met when they were 7] for whom he has a great attraction and love. Mrs. Goggins [no spoilers, you will figure this out soon]. His adoptive parents--Charles and Maude--who constantly remind him he is not their own. Bastiaan, Cyril's lover. Jack Smoot. Alice, Julian's sister and ... Ignac, the young boy from Slovenia who Cyril and Bastiaan rescue and make him their family. And so many more.

Beautifully written. Heartbreaking and heartwarming. Sad, but with much self-deprecating humor. There were many times I had an aha moment--thinking now it will be revealed, but Boyne did not tie it up neatly til the end [thank you for that]! And, at the end for me, a teary sigh.

I don't think I can do this book justice save to say--read it!

Such a phenomenal, powerful book. I loved it from beginning to end.

I'm finding it difficult to do justice to this story that evoked so many emotions, sometimes from one extreme to another. I was sad and angry among moments of joy and there were times when I laughed out loud. The story a man struggling in a society that doesn't accept homosexuality, living with the odd people who adopted him at three days old, who said he'd never be an Avery . How is it possible for him to have a capacity for love, for caring when he experiences no love or comfort or caring in these early years with his cold "adoptive " parents? Yet, Cyril can love. As much as a reader can love a character, I loved Cyril from the very beginning as he tells us Cathrine's story at the start of the novel and the start of his life . I especially was drawn to the descriptive writing when sixteen year old and pregnant Catherine arrives in Dublin after being exiled from her home. The descriptions were so clear, I felt as though I was standing there with her .
X
So much ground is covered here - the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church denouncing and banishing a young pregnant girl by the priest who should not throw stones as he himself has fathered illegitimate children, the Church's hold in Ireland, the prejudice and injustice against gay people not just from the church but most of society. Spanning 70 years and highlighting historical events over time and place - from the IRA violence in Dublin to New York City and the AIDS epidemic to Amsterdam back to Dublin, the story is epic. But mostly it is one man's journey in his struggle to be who he is in times when it doesn't seem possible and mostly his unwavering and amazing capacity to love in spite of everything.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Hogarth/Crown Publishing through NetGalley.

A rollicking family saga that sprawls across geography and time, chock full of tragedy defused by satire, enduring love amid rivers of lustful escapades, and kind hearts lurking among the pervasive bigots and racists. Our hero Cyril Avery is raised is raised in Dublin in the 50s by remote adoptive parents, the womanizing dandy Charles and workaholic writer Maude. We know his teenaged mother put him up for adoption after her pregnancy led her minister and family to run her out of town in rural County Cork. From a crush on his best friend Julian at age seven, we follow his awakening to the knowledge of what it means to be gay and the urgent need to keep his orientation under wraps, especially in a society dominated by the Catholic Church. He learns the hard way that trying to pass as straight is living a lie that can damage the trust of those most dear to him, both male and female.

The conservative Anglophile politics of his and Julian’s parents makes their families enemies and targets of the IRA. His father ends up getting prosecuted for evading taxes. Against this backdrop of catastrophes I will not spoil, his attempts to be honest about his homosexuality ends in a more personal form of disaster, eventually putting him on the run to liberal Amsterdam. Even there, where his work at the Anne Frank house makes him aware of other traditions of discrimination, it takes him a long time to gain some balance and self-respect. He finally achieves for the first time a lasting relationship with another man, a public health doctor. Some sense of family emerges when they effectively adopt a streetwise “rent boy.” His lover’s work brings them to New York City at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the 80s. Despite progress in the 70s in acceptance of gays, homophobia gets accelerated in the age of paranoia over this modern plague. More tragedies humble Cyril and make him ready to return home and build bridges of forgiveness between those who have hurt him and those he has hurt. At long last we also get some resolution in his personal quest to find out about who his real mother was.

The warmth and enlightenment in the book’s resolutions at the end helped me round my 3-plus stars to four. Along the way, I delighted in some serious belly laughs when the narrative sometimes went over the top in absurdities. However, I was often irritated at some of the gags being repeated too often. For example, there is the perpetual chorus of the explanation that Charles and Maude are his adoptive parents, not his “real” parents. People constantly mistaking his name as “Cecil” and harping on its faggy nuance also got old. Some humor comes with repetition, but the constant trotting out of cartoony attributes of his parents stopped being funny pretty quick. Sometimes a twist of extra absurdity can turn a groan into a laugh, such as here when Charles brags about his success as philandering:

“I’m a handsome, powerful man, with a well-earned reputation in this town as a formidable lover. Women love that sort of thing.”
“What you know about women,” replied Maude, “could be written in large font on the back of a postage stamp and there’d still be room for the Lord’s Prayer. …”
“What is there to learn …It’s not as if these are particularly complex creatures that we’re talking about. Unlike dolphins, for example. Or St. Bernard dogs.”

Similar outcome here :
"A marriage should be about friendship and companionship, not about sex. I mean what man in his right mind wants to have sex with his own wife?"

Or here, where a chortle is earned when Charles expresses disappointment over his son putting all the blame on his friend Julian when they into trouble for slipping out of school with Julian for drinks with girls:
“Sometimes I wonder where I went wrong. It’s not as if I brought him up to respect women.”

As for Maude, the joke repeated too often concerns her elusive motivation for writing, given her disgust for writers who become popular and widely read. Versions of the following vision of her comes upon us with regularity:
"She wrote all day, every day, even Christmas Day, and rarely emerged from her study except to prowl around the house in a haze of cigarette smoke, looking for matches."

Her attitudes about gay sex are little modified by her outlook on men in general:
"There is simply nothing more disgusting than the naked body of a man. All that hair and such terrible smells, because men didn’t know how to wash themselves properly unless they had been in the army."

Her emotional distance is hammered home with her response to Cyril’s distress at one of his playmates getting flattened by a bus:
"…she simply remarked that it would have been ghastly if anything like that happened to me, as they had gone to so much trouble to find me in the first place."

This book’s dedication to John Irving jives with his combination of sentimentality and implausible tragedies in his family sagas. For a downward comparison, my sense of affinities of this book with the Clifton Chronicles series by Jeffrey Archer bore some fruit in the praise of him over Toibin by a parliament representative to Cyril at his work with its research library:

“He tells a story, and that’s what I like. Does this fella tell a story? He doesn’t spend twenty pages describing the color of the sky?”
“He hasn’’t so far.”
“Good. Jeffrey Archer never talks about the color of the sky and I like that in a writer. I’d say Jeffrey Archer has never even looked up at the sky in his entire life.”
“Especially now that he’s in prison,” I suggested."
(This refers to the end of Archer’s career as a British MP after some criminal financial indiscretions, before he recast himself as a popular writer)

In sum, this tale has its comic moments and falls somewhere in between the melodrama of Archer and Irving’s sublime blend of warmth and satire. This book was provided by the publisher for review through the Netgalley program.

This is a wonderful novel, the sort of book every reader hopes for when cracking open a new cover. I've been feeling let down by a lot of new fiction and have been re-reading old favorites--big, fulfilling novels like"A Suitable Boy"by Vikram Seth or "Gospel" by Wilton Barnhardt. "The Heart's Invisible Furies" is the same kind pleasure.

I won't go over the plot--others have already done a lovely job. I do wish that the novel had a different title (this one is nearly impossible to remember) and had given a more compelling cover. But don't be put off. It's a firecracker of a book, and you will look forward to it every day until you reach the last page.

John Boyne is a marvelous writer if you haven't read him before. A great pleasure awaits you!

Few authors can slay me emotionally while simultaneously making me think, the way that John Boyne does. His book The Absolutist (see my original review), is one of my favorite books of all time, and also made my list of the best books I read in 2012. Five years later, I still can't get that book out of my mind or my heart.

While not all of Boyne's books have caught my interest, his latest, The Heart's Invisible Furies, utterly knocked me out. I read the entire book in one day (thanks to two airplane trips, a delayed flight, and time to kill before an out-of-town meeting), and found myself at various times moved, angered, touched, perplexed, and devastated. (Sometimes I existed in more than one of these states simultaneously.)

Cyril Avery is born in 1945 out of wedlock to a fiercely independent teenager in Dublin, who is cast out in disgrace by her small Irish village. Adopted by Charles, a wealthy, womanizing ne'er-do-well and Maud, his novelist wife (who writes like a fiend but is horrified if her books sell or get any fanfare), whose parenting style consist mostly of forgetting he's there, forgetting he's a child, and reminding him he's adopted, Cyril is a quiet, intellectual child, mostly observing the crazy behaviors around him.

When he is seven years old he meets Julian Woodbead, the son of Charles' lawyer and childhood friend. Even at seven, Julian is infinitely more glamorous and worldly than anyone Cyril can imagine, and Cyril is utterly transfixed by him. This chance encounter begins a lifelong relationship which will bring Cyril to the greatest heights and the lowest lows, force him to understand who he is and what he wants and feels he deserves from life, and come to terms with his homeland and its domination by religion, as well as his unique upbringing.

The Heart's Invisible Furies follows Cyril from birth and then moves in seven-year intervals through his life. This is a searing look at how all too often we hide our true selves from those we care about, out of fear, self-loathing, and self-preservation, but it's also a look at how circumstances both within and beyond our control shape our lives and our chances at happiness and satisfaction. This is a story of friendship, love, bravery, pain, loss, violence, politics, religion, prejudice, and trying to find peace within ourselves, against a backdrop of some of the more tumultuous times in our world.

While my description makes this book sound more ambitious than it is, at its heart, this is a book about love of all kinds. Boyne's writing truly took my breath away at times, and even if I found Cyril's character a little too passive occasionally, I still felt for him, as well as the other characters Boyne created. There was a little too much violence in this book (not truly graphic in every case) but I know the scenes were in keeping with the world and time in which they were set.

This book didn't leave me in tears as often as The Absolutist did, but it moved me all the same. (And speaking of The Absolutist, props to Boyne for a subtle tip of the hat to that book in this one.) This is a book that needs to be read, be felt, and be pondered. I know I'll be thinking of the beauty and emotion of The Heart's Invisible Furies for some time.

NetGalley and Crown Publishing provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

The voice of the narrator was so clear, I heard in my head with a brogue. Poignant, painful at times, hilarious at others, but ultimately hopeful and affirming. I'm going to go out on a limb, and make it one of the best I've read, ever. But, maybe you need to be from an Irish family, have lived in New York, had a friend die from AIDS, know a woman who placed her child for adoption, or, I don't know, be a human, to really relate to this book!

First, thank you to Crown publishing for making a digital arc available to me through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The story starts in the small town of Goleen Ireland 1945. Catherine Goggin is discovered to be an out of wedlock pregnant teenager. She is exiled by her hypocritical priest and disowned by her family and leaves for Dublin.
This epic novel is broken into 7 year increments to tell the life of Cyril our protagonist who is adopted and a homosexual.
I really enjoyed the descriptions specifically of Dublin, the dialogue was outstandingly written, and the slow reveals we're occasionally enjoyable.
Generally this book would have been one I would have passed on but I am glad I didn't as it is very timely in it's publication as we are redefining what family means and combating homophobia, and I feel this book tackles both subjects incredibly well as it brings to light the struggles and intolerance that those who may be slightly different face by those that think the status quo is the only right way to live. If you choose to read this upon it's American publication come at it with an open mind and you will find characters you will care for deeply with all their complexities and nuiances the author crafted so well, and it might just change you.

Thanks to Crown Publishing, Hogarth Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an incredible book! I couldn't put it down once I'd started it. The story draws you in and keeps you there until the very end. It's set in 20th century Ireland, which was struggling with the politics of an independent Ireland as well as dealing with the Catholic church and its role in society. Ireland in those years had extremely conservative values. Unwed mothers were banned from their homes, and homosexuality was illegal and punishable by imprisonment.

Into this, Cyril Avery was abandoned at birth by an unwed mother in Dublin and raised by a well-to-do detached couple, Charles and Maude Avery, who told him repeatedly that he was never a real Avery. Charles was a banker with questionable ethics and Maude a talented writer who hated the thought of fame of any sort. At age seven he meets Julian Woodbead, the son of a lawyer who is defending Charles. Cyril bonds with him instantly, and although he doesn't see him again for several years, knows he has a crush on Julian.

Cyril has realized that he is gay, and is attending an all boys Catholic boarding school when Julian suddenly appears and becomes his roommate. Cyril hides his homosexuality in school and throughout most of his life.

As he grows older, Cyril runs away from difficult situations and finds himself in different countries, always concerned with the stigma of being gay. He stops in the Unites States for a time working with AIDS patients, and finally ends up back in Ireland faced with an unusual family of his own.

This is an amazing story of one man's struggle to find his way in a society that has little tolerance for him and others of his "type", and his search for love and peace.

I very highly recommend this book. It's unmissable, and I think it will be a huge seller.

I was lucky enough to get this as an ARC through NetGalley, otherwise I may have passed up this beautiful gem! This book takes us through 70 years of the life of Cecil Avery, who had a rough start in life. He was conceived out of wedlock, his mother shunned by the Irish Catholic Church. She found herself alone, penniless and scared. But she had a plan and gave her baby boy up to an adoptive family. But Cecil was never truly an Avery of which his strange family constantly reminded him. They treated him well enough, but he was just sort of there. As Cecil is growing up, he realizes he prefers men and this book takes us on an epic ride through his life. The stigma, the lies, the intolerance, the cruelty. I won't say more as you need to discover his story and his journey for yourself. It was beautiful and painful. I had big fat tears rolling down my face more times than I care to admit. How lives and circumstances intertwined was breathtaking. And the Epilogue was everything. Do yourself a favor and immerse yourself in the life of Cecil Avery.

Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book via NetGalley.

This book has a lot of elements of stories I enjoy— it takes place in Ireland, follows a character throughout his entire life, and use 'fate' to bring people together across many years and many countries. Essentially, on paper it sounds like something I would love. And while there were definitely elements of the story that I enjoyed a lot, I felt a bit detached from the narrative and struggled to get invested in the story.

The main reason I didn't love this story was its length. I'm okay with long books; I even love long books on occasion. But a story really needs to warrant its length, and I felt like this one was dragged down by how long it was. Its nearly 600 pages could easily have been scrapped down by 100-200 pages easily.

I appreciated the central message of this book as the main character came to terms with his sexuality amidst a culture that didn't approve. Cyril was a resilient, flawed, complex main character that literally grew up before my eyes as I was reading, and I really enjoyed seeing how the author developed the characters every chapter through the use of 7 year gaps. However, the characters started to become vehicles for the message and mouthpieces for the author that took away from the naturalness of the story. The dialogue was witty and enjoyable, but occasionally it felt forced, as if the author were spoon-feeding the reader instead of letting them uncover the message. It lacked nuance for me, and that made it a bit unpalatable.

All that being said, I really enjoyed the times while I was reading this book. It did take me a while, but when I would sit down to read it I would get lost in Cyril's story. However, it wasn't a book I was always eager to pick up. I think, again, that was due to its length. I would read a bunch and feel like I hadn't made any progress, and that doesn't really encourage you to keep reading.

This book is dedicated to John Irving, and I can definitely see his influences in the story. Even though I've only read A Prayer for Owen Meany, which I also liked but didn't love, I can imagine Irving fans particularly enjoying this story for its themes, characters, and witticisms.

This was simply spectacular. The arc of this life- at turns comic and tragic. Captured the desperate choices people make, and illustrates how we are all so fragile and damaged yet manage to endure. And the scope of forgiveness- showing how everyone needs to let go and love. Bravo read this AAP!

I ended this story in tears, what a beautiful, horrible, epic family tale. It ranged from 1945 till present times, through many nightmarish times for me. The first years of Aids, the fears the lies, and the Twin Towers, such darkness. I felt so much, this was such an emotional story. It was so real, laced with histories I lived through, a time machine of sorts. I had to stop many times to think about the events and to compare them to my memories of the time.This was the longest I've ever taken to read a book, it could not be read quickly it was too intense.
Cyril born in 1945 to a single mother thrown out by her family and church in Ireland placed in a adopted family lived an epic life. Raised by off centered cold parents, he was always held apart and alone. Growing up he had love for his friend that wasn't allowed or returned. He was a young gay man when it was a near death sentence to be one in Ireland. Political, legal, religious, and social wars against gay people were extreme, he hid and became a bit self destructive. He was terrorized, as were most in that time. He left Ireland after a punch in the gut wedding and began an epic journey through 3 countries, one great love, a new family, and many horrible loses. The great circle of life brought him so close to his roots many times always just a touch.
What a book. I don't think I am capable of describing it fully. It is beyond my ability to write the feelings.

The Catholic Church has not been known for embracing homosexuality, or sexuality except as it relates to bearing children to those happily wed with the blessing of the Church. It is in 1945, this era in Ireland, where sixteen year-old Catherine is exiled from her church by their priest, the same priest, who it will later be discovered had fathered two children by two women. One in Drimoloeague, one in Clonakilty. The same Father James Monro denounces Catherine as a whore and bans her from returning to this town with the congregation looking on as he drags her past the graveyard, giving her an hour to be gone. Forever.

Buying a one-way ticket, she boards the bus to Dublin with plans for no further than getting through this day. A young man named Seán gets on the bus at a later stop and eventually starts up a conversation with Catherine, and when they arrive in Dublin, it is to Seán’s friend Jack’s place they go, where Catherine will end up staying. She will eventually find work in the Dáil Éireann tearoom.

Told in seven-year increments, in 1952 we are introduced to young Cyril Avery, the adopted son of Roger and Maud Avery. Cyril is but a lad of seven years, and is taught to stress to others that he is the adopted son of Roger and Maud. This is the year that young Cyril will meet Julian, who will become his friend, his roommate, and the first boy that Cyril loves. Both Julian’s parents and Cyril’s adoptive parents are fairly well off. Cyril’s adopted mother is an author of some fame, not that she seeks fame, she can’t abide the thought of it.

Through Cyril we follow the changes that have since taken place in regard to sexuality, in Ireland and to some extent in the world. Ireland transforms over the years, becomes less of a theocracy, more tolerant, more attuned to civil rights, in a sense, Ireland's own "coming-of-age" tale. We follow Cyril from Dublin to Amsterdam, to New York, and eventually back to Ireland again, covering more than the struggle for gay rights; this also touches on the topic of sexual slavery, and more.

This story is the coming-of-age account of one boy-to-man, struggling with who he is and where or even if he belongs anywhere in this world, the shame he carries with him, the fear of being “found out,” the desire to find a place where he is accepted, most can relate to the feeling of wanting to feel safe and accepted. The people he meets through his life by chance, these wonderful characters help shape him, help him find a way to deal with his feelings of loss, and help lead him to an emotional place of peace.

All these struggles, and yet Boyne manages to include moments of humour, moments of lightness, moments of fun. There are tragic, devastating moments, and anger, balanced by some lovely, inspiring moments. Those commonplace moments of life, as well. Most of all, there’s love, finding love, falling in love, and living in love.

I was completely immersed in these words of Boyne. I laughed, I cried, and I was reminded that sometimes salvation may be found within, but even that requires a journey.

Highly Recommended


Pub Date: 22 Aug 2017

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Crown Publishing / Hogarth

I'm not sure at this moment if I plan on writing a full review for the Literary Hoarders website, but for now this was what was posted to my Goodreads:

Sigh. Oh John Boyne, I feel as though you kind of let me down here! This was a beautiful story, and from the start I was drawn right in. A wonderful story about Cyril Avery and his quest to find happiness and identity - said to be an ode to John Irving (and I'm assuming In One Person)

However, Boyne completely cheapened this beautiful tale with the excessive, absurd, ridiculous and annoying over-the-top immature continuous sex-talk. Every single time a man entered the page he was making comments about tits, mickeys, garden hoses, sticking it to women every chance they got. The caricatures of men as over-sexed boys was overdone, excessive and ridiculous. It was as though every man in Ireland saw girls/women as only tits and ass.

I had enough of it as it was on page after page after page - I honestly skipped a 1/4 of the book and finally found that it began to settle down into the wonderful story it started as. The remaining 1/4 of the book featured more of what I anticipated from John Boyne's storytelling powers.

I'm over-analyzing and railing against Boyne in trying to understand why he cheapened his novel in the way he did.