Grab a bottle of wine and read One of the Boys. Just...wow.

One of the Boys is narrated by an unnamed twelve-year-old boy, who is currently moving to New Mexico with his father and older brother. They have just been through a bitter custody battle, in which the boy was manipulated into accusing his mother of abuse – mostly physical, but also hints of sexual abuse as well. At first, readers might believe that the mother is to blame for losing her boys, but as time goes on, we realize that the father is a master manipulator, who treated the custody agreement as a war to be won.

As time passes in Albuquerque, the boys’ father reveals himself for what he truly is – an abusive alcoholic and drug addict. The older brother begins missing school to help dad with his paperwork so they can afford to pay rent, and the younger boy is woken up in the middle of the night by his father’s bouts of paranoia – he is told to “be my eyes”, and watch out the window for imaginary threats to the family.

Life with their father gets progressively worse for the boys, as he begins to bring home women and other unsavory characters, alternated with days spent locked in his bedroom with his addictions. He is erratic and violent, and increasingly abusive to the boys. It is difficult to read, but necessary in that it gives a voice to the many children that are in this situation, with no way to escape. It shows how easily childhood abuse can be hidden, but it is slowly revealed to us as the boy begins to figure out that his dad is not actually a hero with his sons’ best interests at heart – he is a dangerous addict who continually puts his own needs before those of his children.

The story is fast-paced, although nothing really happens – just a repeated view of the endless cycle of abuse. There is never a moment of peace, which makes it feel like being fully immersed in the boys’ experience. I do feel that the book is an awkward length – it would have been better as either a tightly-woven short story, or as a more fleshed-out novel. In any case, the novella manages to showcase the disturbing reality of child abuse, which is more common than we may think. The immediacy of the story made it seem like it may be based on the experiences of the author, but the fact that the characters are unnamed makes them universal – instead of individuals, they become simply “one of the boys.”

I received this book from Scribner Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What was I thinking when I read this book while on vacation and most of it while on on the beach? I knew from the description and from a few friend reviews that this would be a tough read. As I was reading I wondered why I even requested a review copy of it. I kept reading even though I was gut punched most of the way . Why? Because there was something about these two young boys that made me want to climb into the pages and rescue them. I had to know what would happen to them. The truth of the matter is, when I finished this book, I really didn't know and perhaps that was the hardest thing about it .

I'm not going to rate it. If I give it 1 or 2 stars that would mean for me that I didn't get anything out of this and I did - a view of a sad and horrible reality of the world that some children live in. If I rate it 3 or 4 or 5 stars that would mean I liked it or loved it and I can't say that I did . Not all books are meant for everyone and if I'm honest with myself this was probably one of those that was not for me, but yet I kept reading. It does though say something about the writing and about the way the author depicts these characters that I did keep reading until the end. There are reviews of this book that will give you more than I'm able to talk about. You should read them to decide if this one is for you.


I received an advanced copy of this book from Scribner through NetGalley.

A difficult read, so heartbreaking, these kind of books make me so angry and sad, some people just really should never be parents. Wanting to be part of his elder brother and father, the younger boy exaggerates what his mother did to him so that his father is awarded custody. What happens is not pretty, drugs, cruelty, physical and psychological. These two boys who only wanted to love and be loved by their father.

I guess the fact that the author wrote this so convincingly that she made me angry, shows how effective the writing was. So many children live like this, so many people turn a blind eye that I think books like this are important if they foster awareness. Shock someone into doing something, noticing something and reporting it, so though this book is heartbreaking it is also relevant.

So a tough book but book with a big message.

ARC from Netgalley.

This was quite a short book at only 176 pages but it really packed a punch.
Following his parents' bitter divorce, the unnamed 12-year-old narrator moves with his father and older brother from Kansas to New Mexico. Dad promises a fresh start, a better life, to be "one of the boys". But the teenage boys soon find roles are reversed when they are forced to take on parental responsibilities, earn money, and look not only after themselves but also their father. When their father spirals down into an abyss of drugs, the boys' lives become marked by horrific physical and emotional abuse. Trying to look for a way out but continuously manipulated by their father to remain one of the boys and the mantra that "family is all we have", the boys toe the line.
Although this was a very bleak, harrowing and heartbreaking story, it was well worth reading and a stunning debut by Daniel Magariel. He depicted the sons' conflicted feelings towards their father and mother brilliantly!
I received an ARC via NetGalley.

This is a dark, sad, disturbing tale that's carefully and lovingly written to show the perils of not understanding that it's not always the best to get what you think you want. I'm grateful to Scribner for the ARC which allowed me to experience Magariel's prose. This is an ugly subject and a short book but it's worth your time.

This debut novel, though short, packs a very powerful punch! The story is told through the voice of a 12-year old boy. Following the bitter divorce of his parents, his father, having won custody, takes the boy and his older brother to Albuquerque, NM to start a new life. The idea of a new beginning, and being "one of the boys" is very exciting to the young boy. His older brother starts school, and is happy. All seems well. But as time goes on, the father (who works from home) becomes more unstable, emotionally, physically & psychologically abusive and controlling as he falls deeper into drugs and drink. The boys try to keep life as normal as possible, with the older brother taking on a job to feed the family & help pay the bills. They try to protect each other, while the father tries to drive them apart. All of the characters remain unnamed throughout the story, which at first seemed odd, but actually works well, as being nameless allows the reader to envision any & all nationalities and cultures. Abuse, unfortunately, knows no limits.

A very good read from a very promising new author. I look forward to reading Daniel Magariel's future books.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me to read and review an e-copy of this book!

Starkly real, the story of two brothers and their father, dealing with divorce and the ensuing custody battle. With a family relocation to New Mexico, it seems as if they are turning a new corner in their lives. But as their father changes, turning to violence, the brothers support and hold each other together.

Scribner and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of One Of The Boys. This is my honest opinion of the book.

After a bitter divorce and custody battle, a father takes his two sons to the southwest to begin their lives anew. The 12 year old narrator of this story was made to lie and exaggerate a fight with his mother, at the behest of his father, in order to stay with his brother. As time passes, the boy and his brother are exposed to the wrongness of life with their father. The violence, the drugs, and the unpredictability of their father's behavior forces the boys to live in terror. When will the cycle of violence end?

One Of The Boys shows the horrific side of drugs and the effect that they have on the rest of the family. The characters are nameless, but their actions and the terror that they feel seem real. The author does a good job of highlighting the abuse that they boys suffer through, but there is neither a satisfactory ending nor is there complete character development. One Of The Boys seems to be more about the shock value the story provides, which leaves the book very one sided. The biggest missed opportunity here is that the author did not take the opportunity to teach or give a moral for the story. The boys suffered and, basically, the story was over. For these reasons, I would not recommend One Of The Boys to other readers.

What a horrifying and sad story. The narrative is very realistic and compelling, the writing good. The characters are believable and the boys are certainly sympathetic. I felt no compassion whatsoever for the parents. The father is a horrible, abusive addict and the mother is weak and self-indulgent.

I hate to think there are people who live like this, children who have to endure this type of life. But I know there are. This book portrays the bleak reality all too well. Haunting

One of the Boys by Daniel Magariel (debut)
Publisher: Scribner
Release Date: March 14, 2017
Length: 176 pages

Single Sentence Summary: Two brothers must rely on each other when the father who fought for their custody fails to be the man they believed in.

Primary Characters: None of the characters in this book are ever spoken of by name, making it a little difficult to talk about. The narrator of the story is the younger, 12-year old son. He’s anxious to have the new life promised by his father. His brother is 15, about to enter 9th grade and a little more world weary. Their father is a weak man, used to getting his own way no matter the cost.

Synopsis: After the war for custody is won, two brothers and their father leave Kansas for a new life in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Right from the start there is a sense of uneasiness around their father. He meets with strangers in bars, works from home, but seems to do very little, and there’s often strange smells coming from his bedroom. The brothers watch helplessly as their father becomes more and more unstable, and then the verbal abuse and physical violence begin. With no one else to turn to, the brothers must lookout for each other.

Review: Sometimes a book can be painful to read. Sometimes the things that happen in a story sicken you. Sometimes you want to wrap your arms around characters and carry them to safety. One of the Boys is such a book. As much as it’s terrifying, horrific, and raw, it’s also gripping, real, and hopeful. I’d love to sit down with author Daniel Magariel and pick his brain about the evolution of his debut novel. I’d love to know what happens next.

Magariel wisely chose the younger brother as the narrator for One of the Boys. Coming from a family that could be the poster child for dysfunction, this boy had already seen so much. Yet, he was still innocent enough to have unfailing loyalty toward his father, even at the expense of his mother. In the opening chapter both boys helped their father frame their mother for child abuse, giving their father full custody. They’d long been primed for a life of just the boys, and with that, life might have been great. But it wasn’t.

A fresh start in a new city was the promise. The reality was a gut-punch, yet something secretly feared. The father these boys loved didn’t just dabble in drugs, he was a junkie, with meth his drug of choice. As with many addicts, there was little room in their father’s life for anything else. The best he could offer his sons was a Pavlovian version of love: alternating warmth and caring with beatings and cruelty.

“Never before, though, had he handled either of us boys so violently. Until now his brutality had been reserved for her.”

“He was confused and frightened. He didn’t understand what I was doing. He bit his lip to make it stop quivering. I loosened my grip, then let go of him completely. We’d hurt him. He’d cried for help. I was horrified by what we’d done.”

While reading One of the Boys there were many times I cringed with its harsh realities, but others where I whispered, “Thank God.” There is no doubt this is a disturbing story, but disturbing stories are often some of the best. That is definitely the case here. This slim book will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page. Grade: A-

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a hard read, but a good one. Magariel tells the story of two boys, brothers who are faced with living in dire situations. The story is told from the point of view of the younger brother. None of the characters are named. The novel follows the two boys and their father after the father wins custody of them from their mother. Faced with living alone with their father, who has pressured both of them to support him so they can be "one of the boys". Their father is not an altogether stable man, and he is physically and verbally abusive (so, trigger warnings for these and drug use).

While the information I provided about their father is freely available in the synopsis, the cracks in their family show slowly. From the beginning, you do have a pervasive sense of something being not quite right. When the cracks start to show and widen and deepen, you know that you were right about the family situation, but don't feel any sort of triumph at predicting it. This novel shows what it is like when abuse pervades every aspect of your being as a child. The physical and verbal abuse was tough to read, but I was even less prepared for the parts where the boys joined their father in the way he treated their mother. It hit home how much their father's behavior had shaped their lives and personalities thus far.

The story had its ups and downs. There were times that broke my heart. There were times that gave me hope. Through it all, I could NOT put this book down. It's a quick read at about 176 pages, but the story will stay with you. It carries weight and gave me a lot to think about, particularly in regard to other adults in the boys' lives who don't really feature in the novel. Though they aren't well-defined characters like everyone else, I couldn't stop thinking about how there were warning signs that these people should've seen. Help that could've been given. It also led me to think about abuse in the larger context of our world and how sadly it has become a pervasive part of our society.

A thought-provoking short novel, One of the Boys is an extremely well-written take on family and situations of abuse children sometimes find themselves in. The prose is good, and the book is hard to put down. Just be forewarned that it's not an easy read, and if abuse of any kind or drug abuse is a trigger for you, just know that those things are in here. If you're looking for a literary fiction read and don't mind the difficult subject matter, I highly recommend this book.

Note: I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

" I did not want him to hit me. I did not want him to have to hit me." - One of the Boys
Reading "One of the Boys" by Daniel Magriel is a lesson in the power of parental love over children. In 176 beautifully written pages, Magriel explores the vulnerability and limits of such a crucial relationship. Between drugs, divorce, and abuse the relationships between "the boys" in this novel are pushed to the limits. Overwhelming, shocking, and heartbreaking, " One of the Boys" explores how meaning and stability are defined in our relationships and within ourselves.
Well paced, quick read


The action and character development start incredibly quickly in "One of the Boys". Hardly five minutes into reading, and I was already reeling from the emotions and dynamic between the characters. During one of the first scenes of the book, the father convinces the older brother to hit the younger so that they can falsify a report to the police that their mother was physically abusing them. It was shocking. Told from the perspective of the 12 year old brother, I was so concerned for the characters that i was immediately pulled into the story. And at only 176 pages, this book took me a little over two hours to read- this story is absolutely worth that time invested. I am incredibly impressed by the author, Daniel Magriel, and will not hesitate to read his future novels.


Deep psychological exploration


One of the most impressive aspects of this book for me was just how deeply the main character's emotions were explored and developed throughout the novel. I am so lucky as to have never experienced any of the neglect, emotional and physical abuse, or violence that the main character experiences every day, and so at times, novels portraying that type of abuse are difficult to connect with - this was absolutely not the case while reading " One of the Boys". It was equally fascinating and horrifying to watch as their father emotionally manipulated and then physically abused each of his sons. How he would pit them against each other and themselves to trick them into seeing the situation the way he needed them to see it. One of the most unsettling examples for me to read, was the manipulation directed towards their mother. The father is able to convince the boys that their mother deserves the abuse he gives her. He is able to trick them into thinking that what is happening is deserved, and from there his capacity for evil towards the boys and their mother is boundless.

" I understood my father's frustrations. I shared them. Never before though had he handled either of us boys so violently. Until now his brutality had been reserved for her." -One of the Boys

Reading this book, I felt constantly reminded how quickly children can be molded to a new norm and how that adaptability can be so easily manipulated for evil. For example, their father is able to make the boys believe that being completely neglected is normal, and they adapt- they get jobs, get themselves to school, and survive despite his neglect. He completely warps their expectations for love, so that after a bout of extreme physical or emotional abuse- they are just happy for the small kindnesses doled out afterwards. By the end of "One of the Boys", I was hugging my son a little tighter- and unsettled knowing that there are countless children living this reality.


Things I Struggled With


I really didn't run into very many issues reading " One of the Boys". At times, the father character did wear on me, though. Daniel Magriel, the author, did an excellent job creating someone evil, the kind of evil that unfortunately children experience all too frequently. Granted I know little to nothing about how the legal system works in child custody cases, I did wonder at times, given all of the information provided to us about the father, why these children would've been with him and not in the foster care system. We are told that their father has a history of drug abuse, and given that I am surprised that he would be given full custody. More explanation regarding that would've been helpful.

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“Family is all we have,” my father said.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Family is all we have.”

As 'the war' rages on two brothers decide where their loyalties lie. After their parent's divorce, the brothers decide to join their father in a move to New Mexico, they'll do anything to be 'one of the boys'. In the face of poverty, uncertainty and the pressures of growing up this is a story of the bond between brothers.

This isn't a cheerful or happy read, instead, it's a short novel that focuses on struggle and family loyalty. That said, I struggled to connect or even like the father and son that narrates the novel. Neither of the boys has a name, I took this to show that in life they are deemed unimportant, disposable and lost, this kind of detail really adds to the story, but I fear that it could easily be overlooked. While the main boy, a 12 year old, is our narrator I felt that he was portrayed as having a much younger mindset, I don't know if this was intentional. By the end of the novel, the only character I felt a connection with was his older brother.

I definitely feel that the novel had been written well, however, I would liked to have seen it play out through both of the boys eyes due to their differing ages and attitudes towards the situation. Similarly the novel ends on an incredibly confusing note, in fact I'm not too sure what actually happened, after looking online it seems that a lot of other people were also unclear as to what happens.

I gave the novel 3 stars, there is some brilliant description, to the point that I can clearly see in my head the dingy rooms and wide open road. Magariel is a good writer, but I honestly felt that the novel was too short to really be fully invested, I would have liked more understanding on the ending and more context about what lead the boys to be in this situation.

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with this copy for a fair and honest review.

This book may only be 176 pages long, but I found that to be a good thing! It's a harrowing story of two young boys who following their parents divorce, are left with their incredibly abusive father. Emotional, but also beautifully written. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The main focus of the book lies on the dynamics of the family. Although the reader does not get to know the names of the main character, the father, the mother or the brother, they are portrayed by their feelings and certain characteristics. At first One of the Boys is misleading the reader, having them search for the evil that destroyed the family, finding it in different places until the true evil reveals itself.

In contrast to their parents, the main character, but also the brother to some extent, changed over the course of the book. Except for the abuse and violence, this is a part that can be elaborated on well. In a way I feel like it is important to highlight their strength and growth that made them endure their situation.

While the parents seem to have been the same all along while only hiding their true motivations, a change in the personality of the boys is clearly visible. While the MC can be observed as truly loyal, naive and immature at the beginning of the book, these character traits have changed in a whole other direction. He adopted some behavior from the father, leaving the father in the dark about the loyalty and plans of the boys. In the end it feels as if the boys is broken, corrupted by everything they had to endure, by carrying the weight of responsibility for themselves and their father at a way too early time.

Even at its short length, this novel manages to create a strong, loyal bond between the reader and the boys. Their struggle creates feelings of discontent and empathy for them. Due to all of these circumstances, this book very deservedly receives 4 out of 5 stars by me.

A young boy will do anything to be "one of the boys"; to be included in the club that his father dominates and his brother is already firmly apart of, even if that means lying about his mother to social services. The brothers favor their father over their mother and move with him to Albuquerque, leaving behind all contact with their mom, but the fun stops there. At first, their father encourages the boys to have their own privacy and freedom. Soon, the brothers realize that their father is a violent addict that begins to abuse them and force them into his world of addiction. While he is horrifically abusive, the boys learn one positive thing from their father- to stick together as brothers, no matter what.

One of the Boys is a very short book, at only 176 pages, and it reads very quickly. The writing is very fluid and easy to read. The stories in the book are not so easy to read but they are very honest. If the book did not say that it was a novel, I would have believed that it was a memoir because the author describes the hopelessness, but also the intense loyalty, that an abusive family often exhibit. The brothers constantly wonder what they can do to make their father happy, in the classic way that children of addicts will often parent their parents. The boys also try to make their life as normal as they can while trying to hide the sins of their father. The characters were not as complex as I would have liked them to be and I was a little confused at the ending but the rest of the book more than made up for that. I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys novels about boys coming of age and who don't mind that some of the book can be quite sad. It is a thought-provoking book that I believe is very important literature.

How do you review a book like One of the Boys. It is heartbreaking, violent, sad and unfortunately truthful as many children live in a world full of addiction and abuse.

It wasn't an easy read, and I'm not sure that I can say I'm glad I read it, but it did give me the insight that we don't really know or understand abuse - why do people stay, why don't they just leave.? I'm grateful that this book didn't provide the answer to these questions, rather showed the struggle and the pain, the love and the fight with no clear answers or sugar coating. Thank you Netgalley for providing this advanced copy and to the author for writing a book that didn't tie up such a serious issue with bow.

One of the Boys is a harrowing tale. When you think you have read or watched pretty much all bad things that could happen to a kid, this little book goes the extra mile.

It is quite a rotten coming-of-age story. There isn't much I can say without spoiling it, but the psychological depth of the characters is palpable and the range of emotions is disturbing.
It was so sad watching those children go from feeling bliss and pride to absolute terror and guilt.
Watching our main character grow and come to realise what was what was quite a bittersweet feeling.

I believe I was not so invested in the tale because the boy did not sound 12. Maybe also because the characters are all nameless? I don't know. I am still mulling over why such ugly things did not move me more.

Also, the ending disappointed me very much. While I am not immune to the beauty of it, I felt it was out of place, especially since there was not a prologue to mimic. I think I would be happier with book finishing in that last chapter before the epilogue. If you're going to leave an open ending, might as well stay true to the tone of the rest of the story.

Alas, One of the Boys is gruesome. I think I will need to take a break or read something lighter after this.

Note: This book will be published in 3 days.


Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

One of the Boys is really a brutal read — more brutal than I expected. I'm a fan of horror; I am relatively well-versed in the genre, yet I was shocked by the sheer nastiness of this short novel.

A father has divorced his wife and won custody of his two teenage sons. They move to New Mexico in start of a new life. Daddy has a hard drug addiction, though, and it's from that specific plot point Daniel Magariel draws most of this story's horror.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't deeply disappointed in this novel. Based on the synopsis, I was expecting this to be one of my favorite reads of the year . . . or, at least, I planned to enjoy the journey. I really didn't. The story is pulled in too many directions; it suffers from multiple personalities. It tries being a horrific tale about drug abuse, and it also wants to be a travelogue and a coming-of-age tale and a Hallmark-esque look at fathers and sons. Maybe it could have worked, but none of these ideas mesh very well. One of the Boys feels like three or four different stories combined into one.

The writing here is capable, meaning there are no grammar errors or obvious inconsistencies; the character work is serviceable, which is noteworthy for a debuting novelist. And it is short, clocking in at 176 pages — as the synopsis points out — meaning the read itself is relatively painless. I didn't dig this story, but I don't feel like too much of my time was wasted.

This is really just a wasted opportunity, which is quite unfortunate. I was rooting for this one and was ecstatic when Netgalley granted my request for an ARC. I will continue watching this author, for I am curious what he will release next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for the free ARC, which was given in exchange for an honest review.