The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
John Boyne never fails to blow me away. Anything he writes is phenomenal. This book was no exception. I doubt that I can come anywhere close to describing how much I enjoyed this book, but I will try.
Meet Cyril Avery. He is the illegitimate son born to a teenager in Dublin, Ireland. She is shamed by the entire village where she resides. Thrown out of her parents’ house and shunned by the entire community, Cyril is put up for adoption. Charles, an extremely wealthy good-for-nothing except chasing women, adopts Cyril. Charles’ wife, Maud is a reclusive novelist whose greatest fear is writing a book that is successful thereby bringing attention is brought to her. His adoptive father, Charles, basically ignores Cyril except when he is reminding him that he is adopted. Not a true member of the family.
Charles has an attorney who has a son that befriends Cyril at the age of seven. Julian Woodbead is also seven, but is much worldlier than Cyril. Cyril and Julian are lifetime friends.
The book follows Cyril from his birth and moves in intervals several years apart through his life. It was thought provoking for me and reminded me that everyone at one time or the other in their lives pretend to be someone they are not. Most of the time they do this because of self-loathing or fear.
This book brought many emotions for me. I felt pain, loss religion, and prejudice among several others. Simply put, John Boyne never fails me. He is one author that I always look to when I want a good book where the characters are developed and the descriptions are vivid.
If you have not read The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne, you have missed a great read. I’ve read several really good books in 2019, but this one remains my favorite.
About the Author
John Boyne was born in Ireland in 1971 and is the author of seven novels for adults and three for children. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas won two Irish Book Awards, was shortlisted for the British Book Award, reached no.1 on the New York Times Bestseller List and was made into an award-winning Miramax feature film. His novels are published in over 45 languages. He lives in Dublin.
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