Wow—The Elements completely blew me away. I’ve read and loved John Boyne’s past work, but this might be his most powerful novel yet. It follows four characters whose lives are deeply affected by one man’s actions, each from a totally different angle: a mother haunted by guilt, a rising soccer star whose secrets are about to come out, a surgeon trying to keep the past buried, and a father taking a road trip with his son that changes everything. The way their stories connect is subtle at first, but when it all clicks—wow. I couldn’t put it down.

What I loved most is how real and human these characters felt. None of them are perfect, but Boyne writes them with so much empathy that you can't help but care. The themes—guilt, complicity, redemption—are heavy, but the pacing is great and the writing is beautiful without being overly complicated. If you enjoy novels that explore messy relationships, tough questions, and emotional depth, I highly recommend this one. It’s the kind of book that sticks with you.

John Boyne is one of my favorite authors, and he just keeps getting better and better. The Elements is everything I want in a book - it's a page-turner with fascinating characters, meaty with plenty to think about, and crafted so skillfully that I don't know how he manages to do it. In short, read it! The book tells four intertwined stories represented by the four elements and each relates to healing from unthinkable experiences. It's a wonderful book - I highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Elements by John Boyne.

I LOVE Boyne, he has not disappointed me once.

This book gets five stars, but I want to be clear, that doesn't mean that I think everyone should read it. It's got hard stuff in it, like, REALLY hard stuff. Every chapter, every new story has been plagued with some sort of abuse. And that's his point, he's demonstrating how the sludge of abuse and harm has far-reaching consequences and victimizes people who aren't even close to the epicenter of that specific harm. The writing style is genius and unique and SO captivating, even with the difficult content.

Having been a fan of John Boyne for years, I was beyond thrilled to receive an early edition of his latest. As in his other books, he approaches his subject with depth and humanity and not a little humor, but overall with a seriousness that the subject demands. Four interlocked novellas with four distinct protagonists present a history of sexual abuse with an unconventional slant. Yes, there is the familiar situation of an older man preying on young women, but also the woman who rapes teenage boys as a distorted method of revenge. What Boyne has managed to provide are reasons without doling out sympathy, and the reader is more aware of the long terms effects of these crimes on not just the victims, but also those associated with them. I cannot recommend this book highly enough with the caveat that it is powerful and pulls no punches.

Water, Earth, Fire, Air weaves together four distinct stories, each tied to one of the titular elements. These narratives are intricately interwoven in unexpected ways. The novel delves into the painful realities of sexual assault and the overwhelming guilt that accompanies it, all through the perspectives of four different characters. It’s raw, challenging, and difficult to read at times, but undeniably powerful.

I particularly appreciated how the book explores gender roles in the context of sexual assault. It also examines the various roles people play in these situations — the enabler, the accomplice, the perpetrator, and the victim — and challenges how each of these roles is defined and understood.

I definitely recommend this one! Especially for fans of Oprah's Book Club selections!

“The Elements” by John Boyne is a devastating and brilliantly written group of four novellas that deal with the brutal topic of sexual abuse. As a warning for anyone sensitive to this issue these characters and stories may not be for you. That being said, it’s hard to put this book down. These four stories are interconnected and the theme of generational trauma inflicted upon perpetrator to victim so compelling that it forces the reader to focus on how we treat each other and the role of community and its inability to take action.
This novel is important as it forces you to think about the subject matter. I commend the author for always tackling these difficult subjects with such spectacular writing and insight.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

WATER. When Vanessa Carvin arrives on a remote island off of Ireland, the first thing she does is change her name to Willow Hale. A new start in her self exile, a way of escaping her life and the viscous gossip that has tormented her for the past year. Her husband (ex) is in prison, her eldest daughter has passed away and her youngest will not send more than a one word text message. The question of guilt lies heavy on her heart, self punishment - her solution. FIRE. Freya is a well known surgeon who specializes in burns. She is a role model and mentor with a dark buried past. Raised on her own due to a dangerously negligent mother and barely there grandmother - Freya has had to fend for herself as far back as she can remember. When the reader learns the chilling truth of her bizarre and dangerous behavior outside of work it is hard to comprehend how Freya became this way. EARTH. Features two famous footballers caught up in sexual assault charges. They are good looking, popular and surrounded by boys will be boys attitudes. Since Evan left the small Irish island he grew up on he has excelled to attain the dreams of his father while secretly and quietly hiding his sexuality and lifelong desire to be a painter. In a short span of time this story manages to cover difficult topics and ethical dilemmas. How far would you go to save yourself? AIR. Aaron is on a long flight with his 15 year old son Emmett. After all these years living in Sidney, Australia, he is heading back to where it all began. No-one is expecting them, in fact Rebecca will be quite shocked to see them. But it is important for his son and somehow Aaron just knows it is the right thing to do. As they fly across the world he slowly reveals his painful past, and can finally imagine a new future. Four novellas. All FIVE stars!!! DO NOT MISS THIS!!!!!

This is in Boyne’s classic style. It deals with some light themes, some very dark themes, with humanity and humor.

I’m a Boyne fan. There’s a smooth capability to his storytelling that’s usually seductive and often gripping. Those skills are visible here, but hitched to a rather histrionic loop of narrative that visits sexual abuse in a manner that’s often seems way over the top. The villains are so villainous that there’s more than a touch of melodrama to the proceedings. And that undermines the integrity of tackling such a grave subject - child sexual abuse, and lifelong trauma.
Also, the format, of connected lives and stories is a tad too neat and tidy. The plot machinery is too close to the surface. And the book is VERY long.
Having said all that, I did read it all, so that says something. But it’s not his best work.

This is a heavy, introspective novel that looks at guilt, trauma, and the long-term impact of the roles people play in each other’s lives. The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, and each one adds a layer of complexity that makes you reflect on what it really means to take responsibility—or avoid it. It’s not an easy read emotionally, but the writing is strong and the characters feel painfully real. It stays with you even after you finished the book. I definitely recommend it.

The four storylines intertwined worked well. This isn't usually my favorite kind of story structure, but if anyone is capable, it is John Boyne. I also liked that all four perspectives felt like different people--not any easy feat to accomplish. I loved The Heart's Invisible Furies, it was one of my favorite books of all time. I was very excited to read this one and it didn't disappoint whatsoever. Sexual abuse is always a very difficult topic for me to read, but it is extremely necessary that we talk about it.

I have been wanting to read Boyne's novels since I first found out about them. They were published in England individually over the last few years but never made it here to the US. Now that I've read it, I think having them published all together is actually so much more powerful than reading them one by one, a year apart.

This was an incredibly powerful read. Boyne's ability to create three-dimensional characters is incredible. In 170 or so pages, the reader gets to know the characters so deeply well that it can evoke all sorts of emotions. I loved how there's always a tie-in from story to story, I loved how the lens changes with each story and you're experiencing a totally different perspective and you feel frustration, sorrow, anger, despair and so much more for each character at different times. I love how much these stories stretch your mind and show you that people are complex, stories are complex, we are all flawed in ways big and small.

It makes you think about your own boundaries with what's forgivable and what's not. About grief and it's lasting impact. About trauma and it's ability to stain all that comes after it. About forgiveness. And I love that the last story brings everything back full cycle.

Boyne is an incredibly talented author. These are hard stories to read, all of them. And they are also really really powerful.

with gratitude to netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

This is not an easy book to read. There is a lot of trauma regarding sexual abuse. The book is divided into 4 parts that are loosely connected.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I have been a John Boyne fan for years, anxiously awaiting his next novel. This one did not disappoint!! Wonderful characters, eventually intertwined. Don't miss this one!!

I am so disappointed in this book. I am such a fan of John Boyne's writing and the writing here is not the problem for me. I loved the first of the four novellas. But the second and third went off the rails. I do not have trouble with, and often adore, an unlikeable narrator, but I could not stand being in the heads of these child abusers. I also thought the story lines were quite predictable. And while I understand the social issues addressed, I found the treatment overly simple.

I feel bad giving a book about sexual abuse a 5, but it deserves it.
I requested an ARC from Netgalley as soon as I heard there was a new John Boyne. Between that and starting it, I started to think "short stories? About child molesters and rapists? Nope." I'm happy I didn't listen to myself.
The book is more than a collection of short stories, they are all connected in many ways. The first one feels especially alienating- "oh, it's a short story, about sexual abuse, AND she's on a remote island to be alone??" And yet, the beauty and soul of the writing pulls one in, making me almost breathless at its beauty. It is not a quick read because you want to read and savor every word, but it doesn't matter because you are incapsulated in it, you want to stay longer. When she finally gets ready to depart the island, you're not ready to leave it or her.
I thought he got lucky with that first story, but even with the shifts each new story demands, Boyne held me in his thrall. The characters of other stories come back to say hello and the characters of future stories make appearance you don't realize until later.
It's not all sunshine and roses. The book is about child molesters and rapists. But they are also clearly the villains. He makes a couple of them sympathetic but doesn't feel bad about destroying them. At some point in the 4th book, an author talks about what makes a good story and he clearly believes it. Everyone gets the ending they deserve.
You can't put too much thought into the logistics of the stories, you just have to go with it. In story A, a character is aged 20ish and in story B, which takes place 5 years later, her future husband is seen as a 14 year old when in fact he should be married to the story A character. And if you do the math, the technology in the first story doesn't work. But really- who cares? I guess the fact I'm thinking about the book so much to notice these inconsistencies shows how it affected it. With the exception of the bad people (although one of them you feel bad for), it is characters who are flawed but trying for better and I felt better about spending time with them.
I am so happy I got to read this beautiful book so early. I had bad book hangover, everything I tried seemed written by a toddler.

Absolutely breathtaking!
John Boyne has always been a master at building a world that causes the reader to use all of their senses. The Elements collection reminds us just how connected we all are, and how our lives can be set on a course by the actions of a stranger. Spanning decades, Boyne weaves together these four tragically flawed characters. The itch of “how did we get here?” kept pestering me until the very end.
Will be one of my top books of 2025

John Boyne's The Heart's Invisible Furies is one of my favorite novels of all time. I tell people about it constantly, especially if sweeping historical fiction is their thing. The Elements, though spectacular, took me by surprise. The writing that is quintessentially John Boyne is there, and he does a spectacular job at finding the distinct voices for all of his characters as the different sections switch POV throughout the book. But I don't know if I've just come to expect the same reading experience as I had while reading The Heart's Invisible Furies or not, but I know that if that's the case then that isn't fair to the author. I will give this one another chance, but the experience of reading it was just okay for me this time.

I love Boyne and have fallen in love with his morally gray characters and depth of emotive writing. He returns with these strengths in The Elements. Through all the various characters and the way they dealt with and reacted to trauma was sad, inspiring, and thought-provoking.

Loved the format of this one with the overlapping characters and stories. Very dark though! There was a lot of monologuing from characters that was doing a lot of work or felt more cinematic. Definitely a book that lets you sit with the dark characters and thoughts. Good ending though!