The Heart's Invisible Furies: John Boyne

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There are other clear influences at work here too. The book is dedicated to John Irving, the American author who also specialises in the richly told stories of entire and varied lives [in one scene, Cyril is reading a Dutch translation of Irving's most famous work, The World According to Garp]. There are some moments of real bleakness and sadness that literally brought me to tears. However, this isn’t a depressing novel. It’s full of heart and made me laugh out loud on several occasions. Most felt the author excelled at character development, particularly concerning the main character: GREAT DISCUSSION BOOK .....BECAUSE YOU'LL miss this novel so much when it ends - you'll be excited to talk about it with other people! I can't wait!!!

So it's my last review of 2017, and my year in books has ended pretty much as it began with an excellent 5 star read. John Boyne is a truly gifted writer and 'The Heart's Invisible Furies' is simply mesmerising. The vulgarity of it all,” she said. “Popularity. Readers. I can’t bear it. I knew Charles would destroy my career in the end.” The story follows him to Amsterdam where he finds happiness, then to New York where the Aids crisis is spreading panic and homophobia. And I was just completely taken with all the characters. As with the opening quote, none of them are merely heroes or villains. They are not neat and they make mistakes, sometimes horrendous ones that will challenge your ability to love them, but I, at least, found it easy to forgive them for being so painfully human. What happens toward the end of the New York chapters will come as no surprise, and yet that doesn't make it hurt any less. NetGalley and Crown Publishing provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!How do you anchor yourself in that situation? Who or what do you latch on to? For Cyril, it is Julian Woodbead, a childhood friend who seems to have everything Cyril doesn't - confidence, glamour, the freedom to be himself. Cyril loves him with a passion and intensity that isn't reciprocated. This friendship snakes its way through Cyril's life, at times leaving him sad, angry, frustrated and jealous. I was 16 in 1987. I can remember one particular day coming home from school and a news report said Aids was like the plague and was going to kill everybody. As we travel with Cyril through the decades, the novel covers not only his major life events but also world events such as the AIDS crisis and 9/11 along with the ongoing prejudice against gay men.Cyril just wants to find somewhere he can truly fit in and be happy. The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne Review: My Opinion John Boyne’s The Heart’s Invisible Furies opens in 1945 in a small, conservative village in West Cork, Ireland. Instead of a nostalgic introduction to Boyne’s homeland of sweeping cliffs and vibrant greenery, the novel begins inside a church where Father James Monroe denounces pregnant 16-year-old Catherine Goggin as a whore, before banishing her from the Parish. Adopted as a baby to peculiar parents (to say the least) Cyril is often reminded he is not a real Avery; but even treated as an outsider in his own home, he just seems to go with the flow.....until his hormones reach explosion level, that is, and he seeks help to decipher why he seems to like boys.

Apparently this is some sort of family saga and I'm always down for a little bit of drama and all the feels. Growing up gay in Ireland was a terrible trial for Boyne. He spoke of the struggle through his teens and 20s while publicising his last novel, The History of Loneliness, which looked at the issue of clerical abuse through the life of a ‘good’ priest.As you can see, I loved this novel and it seems the year started very well. I hope it will continue in the same manner. The novel follows the life story of Cyril Avery, a gay, Irish, illegitimate adoptee. After his teenage unwed mother realises she can’t look after him, Cyril is adopted by The Averys, an affluent yet eccentric couple who never let Cyril forget he isn’t a “real Avery”. We follow Cyril’s life throughout the years, as he floats from country to country, anchored only by his friendship with the enigmatic Julian. With strange parental guidance and no emotional support to speak of, a sexually frustrated young Cyril resorts to the confessional, and (OMG) that does not go too well either. The writing is so effective here, I could almost feel the.....um fallout. It's not only a FAVORITE-FAVORITE....It makes my top 10 BEST BOOKS in at least the last 5 or 6 years!!!! PHENOMENAL- long - lush perfectly escapist read!!!!