Two brothers and their father. A father who has his youngest son fake abuse from his mother so that he can take them away from their mother and move from Kansas to New Mexico. Two brothers who have been physically and psychologically abused by their father to the point where they understand why he beat their mother, she's useless, lazy, and can't keep a job. But as their father spirals out of control and the abuse ramps up, they must figure a way out. Their mother can't, or won't, help and as always, they have to rely on themselves to somehow keep their sanity and wits about them while their father becomes someone they don't even recognize. When you have nowhere else to go, how much will you endure?

This book is written through the eyes of the youngest son. His loyalty to his brother and his father is steadfast and strong. But we see him start to break as his father becomes a monster he doesn't like anymore and pits him against his brother. At twelve years of age, his susceptibility to guilt and manipulation has his heart and his head at war with each other. It's an extremely well written book that is somber but gives you the understanding of what him and his brother go through as the abuse gets worse and worse. I was left scratching my head a bit at the ending. I needed something a little bit more. For a debut novel, it is fantastic. I think I understand where the author was going, why it was written the way it is and why it leaves off the way it does. Somehow I needed to still know more. I have more questions still in my head... which may have been the author's goal.
3 1/2 stars for this debut novel.

I thought the ending left you hanging. Loved the book but not the way it ended
Thank you for allowing me to read it

What do you do when the people you are supposed to trust and rely on most in this world, let you down? When those people are your parents and when you give them unconditional love and get the exact opposite in return? One of the Boys by Daniel Magariel is a fictional story about a dysfunctional family and mental and physical abuse. It is a heartbreaker.

In One of the Boys, a mother and father's relationship breaks down and the father takes off with his two young sons, leaving Kansas for New Mexico. The father, is abusive, manipulative and narcissistic. He also happens to be an addict. The worst of the worst. The father does the most unimaginable things to his two young sons. He mentally and physically abuses both of them. In one instance, he beats one - ties his hands behind his back, dragging him facedown across the carpet because he called his mother. In his father's mind, his elder son, is a traitor for doing so. He works to pit the boys against each other and constantly tells them that he forgives them for their behavior. [How despicable is that? His telling them he forgives them?]. The boys are young... and they seemingly have no way out and no one to turn to. They are left to fend for themselves. Even when they ask for help, help never comes. It is this that left me with a weight on my shoulders, heart heavy, empty inside. Help hardly ever comes. This I know.

As children, sufferers of abuse often ask for help and it never comes or it comes too late. And in adulthood, survivors of abuse often have a very hard time asking for help. It is like pulling teeth or something. Even after years of therapy, it is still something I struggle with. Yet still I try. I know its not just me. But I also know that every child, every sufferer, every survivor, deals with things differently... Oddly enough, I wasn't sure how I would feel reading this book, yet I wanted to read it after seeing the reviews. I tend to gravitate towards biographies and memoirs related to this subject. Perhaps because through all of the pain and anguish, there are stories of survival and strength. And that is what I cling to.

The author, of this fictional story, Daniel Magariel, did a stellar job in describing the boys feelings, their angst and their conflicted feelings towards both parents but especially their father. He described the guilt they feel in a way that felt palpable. One of the Boys is a harrowing, heartbreaking novel that reads like a memoir. Everything about this novel is tragic. It is not for the faint of heart. It is however, a novel that will make you feel. You will feel a myriad of emotions. It will make you angry.. it will make you cry and it will make you believe in the power of brothers. Whatever you feel, know that you are not alone. If you chose to read this, we are in it together. And if you are a sufferer or a survivor of mental or physical abuse, keep asking for help. It gets easier. Promise.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Scribner and Daniel Magariel for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 3/5/17.
*Will be published on Amazon on 3/14/17.

The boys were confused, they don’t know who to trust or what the truth any more. All they knew was that they wanted to be together. It was the stronger one, the one who could drive their message in, that won and in this novel, it is the father who comes out the winner. Unfortunately, it was the boys who lose.

This was a short novel but it had all the feels and the power of a very long story. It was like sliding down a long tunnel, the story becoming more desperate the more that I read. I saw his boys, his own children being held captive by their father, a man who was strict and out-of-control most of the time. His own selfish pleasures took center stage while his boys paid the price. The father played the boys against each other, for he was always the winner, for he had to be, there was no other way.

This novel was shocking but it is reality. To think this occurs behind closed doors and no one knows, is mind-blowing. The author holds nothing back as this story comes at us full-force and shows us the power that one adult figure can do over innocent children. It’s a powerful story, one that you cannot walk away from without being changed. 4.5 stars

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Scribner in exchange for an honest review.

Ugh. This little novel (less than 200 pages long) ripped my heart out. So powerful. I can't stop thinking about it. "One of the Boys" by Daniel Magariel is the most brutally honest, heart-wrenching, and yet tender story about 2 teenaged boys, uncovering a troubling secret about the father they love and trust. This may not be for everyone but it opened my eyes.

D’eux, on ne sait rien. Pas de prénom. Pas d’âge. Rien. Ce qui leur arrive pourrait être l’histoire de n’importe quel gamin et je pense que c’est ce que l’auteur a voulu faire passer. Le thème de ce roman clairement annoncé dès le résumé, est la violence parentale. Daniel Magariel se charge de nous rappeler que cette violence n’a pas besoin d’être physique. Qu’elle peut également causer autant de dégâts quand elle est psychologique. Vraiment. Jamais je n’avais réellement pensé à cela mais ce roman me l’a vraiment montré. One of the boys n’est pas une histoire de survie normale. C’est surtout l’apprentissage de la survie. Une prise de conscience. Une leçon.

A story of a mentally ill, drug-addicted father who takes his two sons away from their mother, this was a tough book for me. As a former teacher, I understand tragedy surrounding a dysfunctional family. I have seen children with bruises, angry-at-everything students, and I have met with some 'interesting' parents. I could see the great sorrow in this family as well as the effects of drugs and mental illness, yet I also saw great anger. My problem with this book was two-fold. First, I did not find the writing admirable; lots of choppy sentences and repetitive beginnings of sentences with little variety. Perhaps that was the author's intent; however, I found it unappealing. Secondly, I found little in these static characters to admire, to cheer for, to wonder about, or to even like even a little bit. None of the characters seemed to grow or change, creating little tension in the book. I was, to be honest, thankful it was so short as it was just one chapter after another of a crummy life for the two boys, leaving one with no hope for their future. I don't need a picture perfect ending, all tied up in a bow; I love complex, frustrating endings that make me think. This one just left me with a 'meh' feeling.

One of the Boys By Daniel Magariel

In this small compact volume there is such violence and the father plays his twelve year old son against his brother. I think the writing is strong with razor sharp prose. I felt sad for these two boys for they are at the tender age of identifying with their same sex parent. While reading this I am thinking how these two boys are bound to grow up and mistreat and disrespect women. The author was successful at getting his point across.

Thank you to Net Galley, Daniel Magariel and Scribner for providing me with my digital copy for a fair and honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this title. I have mixed feelings about this one- in my mind, it's 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for the "challenge" factor. It was a difficult read emotionally, but well done overall.

This debut novel from Daniel Magariel is powerful and disturbing, definitely not for those that are easily disturbed by domestic violence and abuse. The story is gripping and heartbreaking, but the important thing to remember is that this is real life for some families. There are many children that are subjected to emotional and physical abuse at the hands of one or both parents. The first person narrator is twelve years old, and none of the characters are given names. He tells the story with startling imagery and depictions of torment the boys endure as they try to just survive day to day. I highly recommend this book. I received this as a free ARC from Scribner on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It is not at all easy to get inside the mind of a twelve year old boy, especially one who has experienced brutal physical and psychological abuse from his parents. Daniel Magariel writes a short novel about two boys and a father who takes the boys from their mother in Kansas City and moves them to New Mexico. The narrative is filled with the details of what a drug addled man does to his two sons. It is unimaginable and horrible and yet I couldn't stop reading. I'm sure that the horrible life these children led for a time in a dark apartment without anyone's help is something that happens. DM's courage to form it into a novel is to be admired.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Scribner (March 14th 2017).

This one hit a little too close to home for me. Excellently written.

Boy oh boy, did this book have me going. If I have to put up with the dad, I don't even want to be one of the boys. Uh, huh, no how, no way. This man was an absolute psycho and that's on a good day.

There is no way you can put this book down. You have to know what's going to happen next. It's like a train wreck. You know you shouldn't look. Your not supposed to look. However, you have to, you just have to, you can't help it. This book is like that. The author has you in his grips and he's not going to let you go. No friggin' way, he's got you trapped. There's lots of things going on in your mind, your thinking, "surely not". Yet you keep reading, just to see, did he? You keep reading, and "oh no, he didn't", but yes, he did.

This is one book of 2017 that I soon won't forget whether I want to or not. Kudos to the author for such a memorable, thrilling, despicable (in a good way) book.

Thanks to Scribner for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

One of the Boys addresses themes of drug abuse, physical and mental abuse. It delivers immense feelings of hopelessness, hope and then hopelessness again- all through the eyes of a child and his brother who look up to their undeserving father and would do anything for his love. The prose in this novel appears effortless and effective as every word and thought and action is pulsing with human weakness, lies, the death of innocence. The whole environment is described so well I could smell the stench of stale air and cigarettes and hangovers, and feel the misery of this “dungeon”, I was living the life the boys were living.

Having said all of the above, it’s no wonder I cannot see how this can become someone’s favorite book in the sense that they would want to read this again. Or in the sense that they somehow treasure it. One of the Boys packs a punch, for sure, but it doesn’t offer any balance- this story is just a long string of misery. Personally, the ending left me with dark thoughts, and even though real life sometimes really isn’t anything but piss&sh*t, I would have liked to have finished on a higher note. But that’s just my opinion. It has an open ending with no real conclusion which in turn discounts any progress for any of the characters. Nothing got better and nothing got worse. Rating: 2 Goodreads stars- It was OK.

“One of the Boys,” the debut novel by Daniel Magariel, is the disturbing tale of an abusive father and a passive mother and how their two sons mature in this environment. The tale begins in Kansas and winds to Albuquerque with dark twists and turns along the way. A 12-year-old boy narrates the story of how he and his brother ride the up and down rollercoaster of life with a drug addicted father and a mother who lost custody of the boys in a divorce settlement.
This is a powerful, moving story. It will definitely keep you entertained. The sad reality is that the story of drug dependence and parental abuse happens every day in every city in our land.
If you are looking for a new, short book by a new author this is the one for you. It is beautifully written, has crisp dialogue, and touches every nerve in your psyche.

3.5 stars. Probably would've been four if there was a little more to the ending and the epilogue wasn't included.

If you're not ok with reading about abuse, do not read this book.

One of the Boys is the story of two young brothers and their emotionally, verbally, and physically abusive father. He refers to the divorce as "The War," manipulates his sons to turn against their mother to an extreme point, and sucks every bit of good out of their lives.

The book is a short one at 176 pages but packs a lot inside. We often think of abuse in a general way and this book pushed beyond that, getting into the very real, very harsh intricacies and details of abuse in all its forms. It's length is not a detriment. So much is in here, yet it's still a clear and simple read, that you're almost relieved for the boys when the book finally ends.

It's a powerful little read. I didn't realize until I finished it and went back to look it up that none of the three main characters were given names. Somehow that makes it more powerful. Ruminating on themes of love, loyalty, and survival, One of the Boys is a simple and straight forward read that still manages to punch you in the gut more than a few times.

The hope felt by a child being abused by parents can be an incredibly damaging thing when it propels that child to keep going back in the hope that next time, things might be different.

And this is what I found hardest to cope with whilst reading Daniel Magariel's novel, One Of the Boys. Even though the story is fiction, child abuse is a harsh fact of life and I'm sure I won't be the first reader to identify a little too closely with the narrator who, along with his brother, allies himself with a violent, drug-addicted father in order to save himself.

This is a painful story and hard-won because of its difficult subject matter.. In exploring how this family is constructed via a custody battle where the truth is warped, from the go we as readers know that no good is going to come of a situation where the 'war' of which the father speaks, is waged through his children who are used a human shields, bargaining chip and literal punch bags.

We are party to the damage wreaked when children love people who are not worthy of love and respect. The language is especially restrained during the most extreme moments of fear, intimidation and pain. It's almost as if the author is holding out on us in the same way as the father holds out on his boys when it comes to decent, loving parenting, not wanting us to be distracted from the terror.

This story packs one hell of a wallop. I'd certainly advise caution if you are a victim of poor parenting. It's still haunting me now but I don't regret reading it.

“One of the Boys” by Daniel Magariel
Publisher: Scribner
Pub. Date: March, 14, 2017

A debut novel that is short enough to be called a novella about two young brothers and their abusive parents. The blurb states “abusive father” though I felt that the mother is just as abusive in her own way, and every bit as heartbreaking in her interaction with her sons. The title comes from the expression that the brothers are siding with the father against the mother during their parents’ contentious, bitter divorce. The father leaves his wife and moves to a new state taking his sons with him, no females allowed.

The story is well written (with a fascinating epilogue that I cannot share for it would be a spoiler.) The tale is narrated by the younger, 12 year old brother, who is always trying to please his impossible to please alcoholic and cocaine addicted father. The author, Daniel Magariel, does a good job with his narrator showing how the sweet scenes read sweeter than they actually are, simply because they are so rare in this father and son story. A young boy’s hero worship of his dad should not be connected with fear, manipulation and brutality. The father’s addictions pronounce his paranoia and what usually follows is very hard to read for it contains scenes of extreme psychological and physical abuse. The boys do try to run away to their mother, but she betrays them.

As a onetime social worker, I know that the expression “blood is thicker than water” does not apply in abusive families. I don’t think of this book as entertainment. I feel that the author is writing to educate his readers. As always, when reading a story of abuse I wonder how the author found the material, and hope it is not from their own experiences but suspect that it is. If I am guessing correctly, I hope the non-fictional child in the book is now an adult freed from the hopelessness of drug infested parents. I also hope that in real life, someone younger than me is inspired by Magariel’s words to reach out to help children at risk. I think it would be a fair to state that this novel will remind you of a more violent version of “This Boy’s Life,” the memoir by Tobias Wolff. I hope “Boys” has as much commercial success to bring awareness and intervention for abused children.

It's easy for a story about abuse to be black & white. But a victim of abuse doesn't always see it that way, so why should that always be how it's portrayed? In this case, the story was expertly nuanced: it was still emotionally-charged, but not overwrought. It’s so easy to see how someone, especially a child, can get caught up in cycles of confusion and obfuscation that blur the lines of evil versus not-as-bad, and of reality.

I found myself rooting so hard for the main character and his brother, turning the pages to see if and how they'd get through the next setback. The story was heartbreaking and hopeful, and I highly recommend it.

One of the Boys is a brutal account of one mans decline into drug addiction and the devastating consequences on his two sons. At less than 200 pages it is a short read, at times a difficult read. I read this book in a day but it's still on my mind. I gave it 4 stars as I wouldn't recommend it to some people.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.