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.

An incredible debut. Raw and Honest. I couldn't put it down.

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.

I've finished reading but I still don't know the name of the protagonist.

This book is a heartbreak. At 12-year old, he experienced a lot. He was traumatized and abused yet he still love his father so much and wants his approval. He wants to prove that he is "one of the boys". Almost every page ripped my heart. Reading how he was abused and hurt was hard. But reading how he's father asked for their forgiveness after what he did was the hardest. I will certainly recommend this novel to my friends.

Congratulations Daniel Magariel for this wonderful story. I really enjoyed reading it though it broke my heart.

The need for acceptance by your own family sets the emotional tone for Daniel Magariel's debut novel set in the mid-1990s.. Two teen-age boys (the 12-year-old is the narrator) are forced to side with their father in an ugly custody battle with lies flying in both directions. The pair thought living with their dad was the right thing to do, but they quickly find his drug-fueled anger and mood swings directed at them. Physical, verbal and emotional abuses play out behind the closed curtains in a cramped New Mexico apartment. The three main characters are nameless, yet that just adds to the mystery and secrets. They could be anyone - your neighbor, a friend or your co-worker. The gutsy writing style adds an extra punch to life's knock-downs behind closed doors.

I have very mixed feelings about this short novel (really more like a novella). I was pulled into the story from the very beginning and found myself empathizing with the main protagonist, a young boy with an abusive father. However, I found that the book offered very little in terms of resolution. I wanted to know how the story ended, even if it was not happy. I think the author may have aimed for this, but I'm not sure.

Overall, it the author presents a compelling picture of the tenacity of a child's love, even in the face of abuse. The child longs for the love of his father, even when that "love" is quite destructive. This was heart-wrending for me as a reader, but again, I think the author meant it to be so.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing a complementary e-ARC of this book.

Really enjoyed this book had me gripped and I was totally emersed in the storylin. Great characters and overall good book. Sad in places and really made you think. Great read.