This novel is all at the same time captivating, thought-provoking, maddening, humorous, poignant, and informative. With dialog that brings an Irish lilt to the page, the first person narrative has an immediacy that makes the reader feel what the main character Cyril is going through. In seven year intervals (like the British UP documentary series) Cyril's life is portrayed, from the year of his birth through to his present in 2015. The extreme hypocracy of the Catholic Church and legal system of Ireland, the absolute abhorence of homosexuality during the 1950's and 60's, the tragedy of love unrequited or lost, and the final resolutions for Cyril are brought to life by Boyne by his skillful prose that demonstrates fondness for his characters.

This book is at once witty, sad, touching, and uplifting. Highly recommended!

“Why do they hate us so much anyway?” I asked after a lengthy pause. “If they’re not queer themselves, then what does it matter to them if someone else is?”
“I remember a friend of mine once telling me that we hate what we fear in ourselves,” she said with a shrug. “Perhaps that has something to do with it.”

Wow, this book. What an unassuming cover for such an ambitious, powerhouse of a book, blending themes of feminism, homosexuality, religious bigotry and “morality,” patriotism, and redemption. It’s a sweeping saga in the vein of Colleen McCullough’s 1977 classic The Thorn Birds , and even more recently reminiscent of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko (review here).

The Heart's Invisible Furies tells the story of Cyril Avery, born in Ireland in 1945 to a teenage girl out of wedlock and raised by a couple who kept insisting he was not a “real” Avery, seeing as he was adopted. Never feeling like he truly belonged anywhere, Cyril struggled for his entire life to be happy, especially as having to come to terms with being a homosexual man in a highly conservative and religious Ireland, where the very nature of homosexuality was reviled and even illegal.

My heart broke for Cyril constantly. Not only could he not express who he truly was, but he had no role model to look up to that could guide him on his journey of self-discovery. He was alone, and because of that, he made mistakes. A lot of mistakes. But that didn’t make him any less sympathetic of a character. He tried his best to stay true to himself, even if he hurt people along the way. He made mistakes, but he eventually learned from them and grew into a better person as a result.

I thought it interesting that the author chose to separate the narrative in seven-year chunks. On one hand, it sometimes felt slightly disjointed because, as a reader, I was so immersed in the story of Cyril as a fourteen-year-old boy that it was a little disconcerting to turn the page and he was twenty-one years old, and so on. However, it also provided a means for the reader to step back for a moment and process all that happened, even to grieve, especially when a section ended with an emotional kick in the gut. We see the characters move on, so we must move on as well.

This book was also filled with coincidences that, though they weren’t immediately believable – like the fact that Cyril and his mother kept innocuously meeting at the fringes of their lives – also didn’t particularly stick out. Were some of the chance meetings and events that occurred highly unlikely? Yes, of course, but these things can happen in real life, albeit rarely. And maybe it was because the themes of this book were so heavy that it distracted the reader from these seemingly unlikely coincidences that at the same time felt completely natural. Honestly, if that’s the worst thing about this book, then I’m not complaining.

Well, that, and the author’s utter disregard for the Oxford comma. But I digress.

The Heart's Invisible Furies was a beautiful story by John Boyne. Sad, yes: it was utterly heartbreaking. But it was also hilarious and filled with a sense of hope for a better world.

"But the way my mother told it, he wasn’t necessarily the villain of the piece. Maybe there were no villains in my mother’s story at all. Just men and women, trying to do their best by each other. And failing."

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.

Be still my heart! I've never read John Boyne before and was so excited to see that the dedication for this book is to John Irving (whom I love). It's clear Boyne loves him too because this book reads so much like one of his. It's twisted and funny and emotional. It's long and gay and populated with bigoted and small-minded turds I loved to hate. It's wonderful.

This was an incredible story. This may be my new favorite for the year. I have read a couple of books by this author, but usually it's YA fiction centered on WWII. His YA books are normally horrifying. This is adult fiction, so don't expect him to hold anything back. This tells the story of Cyril and what it was like to grow up in Ireland as a homosexual. But it is also about the church being unforgiving and what popular opinion can do to someone's reputation. It also deals with prejudice and so many other things. This story is really well written and it is compelling. I had a hard time putting it down. I was actually late to a party because I HAD to finish. I'm not going to give all of the details. This book will probably make you cry at least once. Regardless of that fact, I definitely recommend this one.

I enjoyed The Heart's Invisible Furies but tended to skim through pages that didn't seem relevant.

I have to start off by saying that this is the best book I have read so far in 2017. It's a relatively long one, at 580 pages; a book that you don't want to rush through, and are sorry when you're finished with it. The book tells the story of Cyril Avery's life in Ireland, from the circumstances of his birth in 1945, to the end of his life in 2015. Each chapter jumps ahead seven years from the chapter before, which I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, as I read I wanted more details about the years in between each chapter; on the other hand, that would have made for a very, very long book!

Cyril does not have an easy life. Given up for adoption as an infant, he is raised by a strange and distant couple who constantly remind him that he's "not a real Avery". Realizing as a teen that he's gay, Cyril has to navigate his young adult years in a country where being a homosexual in the 1950's is an actual crime. Eventually forced to leave Ireland so that he can life a life as his true self, he spends decades away from a country that, in spite of its prejudices, he still loves and considers home.

As we follow Cyril's life through the story, we see world events through his eyes as he experiences them. From the aftermath of World War II, to the AIDS epidemic, September 11th, and the legalization of gay marriage in Ireland, we see Cyril having to navigate a rapidly changing and sometimes cruel world. As I read, I found myself rooting for him to find love, to find family, and to find himself.

ALL. THE. LOVE. I finished this book last Saturday night and as I sit down today, Thursday, I'm still at a loss for words on how best to review this. The blurb is actually one of the best I've read because it captures the idea of the story without giving away any of the magic of what you'll truly encounter when you open the pages and become an accomplice in the journey of Cyril Avery's life. I say accomplice when what I really mean is friend. Every once in awhile a book comes along and allows me to connect with a character on a such a deep level, being privy to their thoughts, heartbreak and happiness, that when I turn the last page it's like saying goodbye to a dear friend. THIS is that kind of book and Cyril is that kind of character. 

When I started reading this gem all I knew was that it was a heartfelt saga...that's it...and I'm so glad I went in not knowing anything and having read no reviews because everything was a surprise and believe me, there are twists and surprises throughout the seven decades that this book takes place. What I will tell you is that we first get to meet Cyril when he's about age 7 and he's living with his adoptive parents Maude and Charles. Now, believe me when I say these are some of the most eccentric characters I've come across in quite a long time! As a parent myself, I was shocked at some of the things they said to little Cyril...how many times can a kid hear "your not a real Avery" before it seeps into their whole being? Cyril, however, took everything in stride and while he grew up wondering who he was if he wasn't a real Avery, he also knew that he was luckier than some as he had a warm house, clothes and an education. Here's the weird thing about the family dynamics of Maude, Charles, and Cyril...oftentimes it was quite funny and I laughed out loud on several occasions at the wittiness of Cyril and the cluelessness of Maude. 

The story is narrated by Cyril throughout and it's broken up into seven year intervals spanning 70 years so we have a long time to get to know Cyril as well as his friends, loves, coworkers and acquaintances, and what I especially loved about this was that people we may have known in passing, often return again to Cyril's life,  whether attributed to fate or coincidence...who knows. Cyril's journey also takes us not only to Ireland, but also Amsterdam and New York City which I for one love when I get to travel to various locations in my stories!

I'm going to finish by saying, how John Boyne handled the ending was just brilliant. I  loved everything about it as I cried my eyes out. In fact, I loved every single thing about this story and I can't remember the last time I finished a book and felt the need to start over again right away. This book has EVERYTHING...drama, happiness, sadness, hope, and humor. It is epic and unforgettable. I've already ordered a hardcover copy for my favorites bookshelf where it will sit (until its first re-read) so I can pass by it daily and smile.

Cyril Avery is not a real Avery, as his adoptive father likes to point out as often as possible. Born to an unmarried mother in rural Ireland in 1945, Cyril is brought to live with Charles and Maude Avery in Dublin. While they provide a comfortable home and good schooling for Cyril, every other aspect of his childhood is unconventional and Cyril is often left to his own devices. The novel checks in on Cyril every seven years, and introduces the reader to a host of memorable characters, including Cyril’s birth mother, his best friend, his ex-wife (left at the reception), and his partner Bastiaan. I found this plot device to be very interesting, and looked forward to meeting Cyril wherever he was in seven years’ time. Boyne’s novel contained so many elements that I look for in an engaging read: interesting but flawed characters, reflections on the human condition, and witty banter. I laughed out loud often, but also felt moved to tears at times. My only complaint is that the ending felt too neatly resolved. For a book that was so adept at portraying life’s messy emotions and disappointments, having such a tidy end seemed unrealistic and a bit forced. Even so, I will be recommending this book to many, especially readers who enjoyed Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life, Chris Cleave’s Everyone Brave is Forgiven and Colm Tóibín’s Brooklyn.

I loved this book! Mostly about homosexuality, and a bit about Catholicism, beginning in the 1940s in Dublin and going through current times in the US. It is written so well the reader easily becomes fully immersed in the stories, characters, their dialogue, and settings. Each section begins a new 7 year period and characters enter each other's lives without realizing their connection. It really keeps you on your toes intellectually.

In 1945 in a small Irish village, Catherine Goggins, sixteen years old and pregnant, is first shamed in church by the local priest and then thrown out. The priest himself, it will be discovered has fathered two illegitimate children.

Forced to leave for her ‘sin’, Catherine heads to Dublin where she is taken in by a gay couple. Eventually, they too are ‘punished’ for their ‘sin’. Catherine goes into labour during this violence and gives birth to a son, Cyril. He is adopted by a couple who never cease reminding him that he is not really one of them. As a result, Cyril is a shy lonely boy who even at seven realizes that there is something different about him. But then, he meets another boy, Julian, witty and handsome, and Cyril is charmed and infatuated. He is one of two passionate relationships Cyril will have as he recounts the story of his life and how it is affected by the often violent upheavals and changing mores in Ireland and the world from his birth into the 21st c.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by author John Boyne is a beautifully written, sometimes poignant even sad, frequently humorous, occasionally violent and often angry tale about growing up gay in Ireland before the Marriage Equality referendum in 2015. It is written in intervals of seven years and recounts both big and small events in the country, the world, and his life – a murder, a bombing, his marriage to Julian’s sister, the rise of Aids, 9/11. Sometimes these events have great impact and sometimes they are just background for what is happening in his life but he never loses track of their importance and the influence they have in moving Ireland from a Theocracy or on his own attempts to accept being gay in a society that, for most of his life, has condemned it as a sin. This is a fascinating story full of interesting and often quirky characters, coincidences that would do Dickens proud, a black comedy that kept me reading long into the night.

4.5

Thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to tread this book in exchange for an honest review

I received an Advanced Reading Copy of John Boyne's The Heart's Invisible Furies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Cyril Avery is the adopted son of two middle class Irish parents, growing up in conservative Ireland. Gay, in love with his best friend, but clandestinely finding sexual adventure in the dark alleys and parks of Dublin, Cyril keeps his secrets from his closest friends, embarrassed and afraid of legal repercussions. Eventually, however, he must come to terms with who he is and in doing so devastate all those around him.

John Boyne has given us a powerful story of love and loss, sweeping us across historical eras, from the dark and puritanical 1950s to the gay marriage referendum that legalized same-sex unions in Ireland. At once poignant and devastating, Boyne gives us an emotionally powerful book that delves deep into the pain and suffering that came along with being gay in post-war Ireland. The writing is beautiful and the characters are complex and sympathetic, maybe to a fault.

So while I strongly recommend this book and others have as well (Michael Kindness from Books on the Nightstand gave it a glowing review and Liberty Hardy certainly gushed over it this week in her podcast All The Books), I felt that it fell short in replicating the power of the author Boyne is trying to emulate, John Irving. Boyne goes as far as dedicating the book to Irving but it does not quite rise to the level of a Prayer for Owen Meany or The Cider House Rule, either in emotional power or in quality of prose. The absurdist elements are a little too absurd, the connecting dots that tie the story together fit a little too perfectly, the reader is able to see what is coming a mile away. This does not take away from Boyne putting out an incredibly important and powerful novel, just that it doesn't necessarily accomplish as much as the likes of Hardy suggest.

Either way, this book has tons of buzz and will get heaps of readers from those who already love Boyne's previous works and those convinced by Kindness's and Hardy's very powerful voice in the world of book recommendation. It's a worthy read and hopefully will find a readership as bowled over as they were.

This book is seriously amazing! One of the best books of 2017 for sure. It's hard to put down. Don't be surprised if you read it all in one sitting! BE READY TO CRY. This novel deals with human emotions and real life situations in a raw yet delicate manner. I won't be surprised if this book is made into a movie. Soon.
I don't want to spoil anything other than it is set in Ireland before some of us were born- because this is definitely one of those books that you enjoy the most without knowing much going in.
Fantastic!

I didn't think I'd ever come across a 5-star book ever again, and now Boyne has gone and spoiled me. This was so indescribable.I worry if I can even make a proper review.

First, this was the fictional biography of Cyril Avery, adopted since a baby from a teenage mother exiled from home with no way to provide for two to a rich but nonconventional couple in Dublin. Since little, he had been told the truth about his origins—he wasn't a real Avery, he like a tenant in the house, expected to move out at eighteen. He was never abused but starved for love when he met Julian Woodbead, with whom he'd construct a complex relationship close to that of a brother despite Cyril's wish that they were something else.

The book covers most of Cyril's life, from when his mother is told to leave her town and family still carrying him inside her. But Boyne chose an interesting way to accomplish this. Instead of going from important fact to important fact, he showed Cyril's life every seven years or so. I think the most noticeable consequence of this was the small question he'd create with each passage of time—but what happened right after that event he was telling us? This would always make sure I read the next period as soon as possible, waiting for Cyril to update us on that.

The same way we met Cyril every seven years, it was lovely to meet again some characters you thought you'd never see another time.

I believe the title is a reference to the Greek Goddesses, the Furies, who hounded and punished people for their evil deeds. And the book makes sure to tell us the beginning and the punishment each character happens to come across for their actions. Including Cyril himself. I'm not good at this but I would love to read a deeper analysis.

But it's not all about misfortunes. In fact, any friend to whom I've mentioned this story would have thought this is primarily a humor book. From narration to dialogues and even more the characters, there wasn't a part that didn't make me laugh. To be honest, despite so many unfortunate happenings, I only cried while reading the final page—because the scene was just so overwhelmingly beautiful. Now I'd chuckle and laugh out loud a little too much for a serious story.

Julian does the most unexpected things, which leave us and Cyril speechless all the time. And the Averies! They were terrible parents and still my favorite characters. Even though they were present in many of the scenes, they still managed to leave their mark in much of what Cyril did—like his insistence on others call the couple his adoptive parents.

The repeating theme of the book is homosexuality. I can't opine but from the view of a heterosexual, but I don't doubt Boyne treated it with the seriousness and completeness this deserved. Now, if the theme doesn't make you feel comfortable, I suggest you skip the reading. Boyne is known for his subtlety and it was indeed subliminal in the beginning. After a point, however, he left no room for ambiguity of the importance of this to the main plot. It is the main plot. (Sometimes I even wondered if someone could have met so many obvious homosexuals back then without being out and looking for them; I really hadn't until ten years ago.)

With that said, there's no doubt this is perfect for book clubs or buddy reads.

This was my second Boyne book and I was hesitant. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas being my first made me think I'd never enjoy as much anything he may write. I'm glad I was so wrong. They're almost different books but I still found in this some of the marks that defines TBITSP in my mind.

The book was long—I had a shock when I opened it in my Kindle—but the writing was such a pleasure I couldn't put it down. I feel very lucky to have received the chance to review this.

Irish writer John Boyne (author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, as well as other adult books) has written his masterpiece. He tells the story of Cyril Avery from birth to the end of his life, as we see the world change from 1945 through 2015; and my oh my, how the world changes when one is an Irish-Catholic gay man. Boyne shows us his native land with all its faults and favors: schools and villages run by cruel priests, the sexual repression of an entire nation, and the family ties that are torn apart by religious law. Yet, within these very difficult themes and historical perspective, Boyne also creates some farcical happenings; at times, I felt as if I was reading an Irish-Catholic version of Catch 22, and found myself laughing aloud at the most outrageous conversations. Cyril is not a perfect hero in the least; he can be cowardly, selfish, and all-around mediocre at times. However, he has moments of clarity as well as bravery that show the authentic maturing of a boy into a fully developed human being. We travel with Cyril to Amsterdam and the idea of an open life as a gay man, as well as to NYC as we see the AIDS epidemic explode and the subsequent bigotry towards gay men as thousands die and fear instills itself in the population. This is a long book - think Donna Tartt and The Goldfinch (yep, the one that won the Pulitzer - this book is equally as good) and A Little Life (more laughter in Heart, but also a few tears). Brilliant writing, clever use of farce and humor, and a story that tugs deeply at the very essence of what makes us human. This is a seriously brilliant book.

I have not read Boyne's work before, but decided to give it a shot. I love historical fiction, particularly set in Ireland. However, once we go into the narrative of Cyril's young life, I immediately got bogged down with the negativity. It may be that some day I can come back to this and read it in a better state of mind. However, I couldn't get past the 100 page mark this time around.

A cleverly constructed novel with a unique passage of time between chapters, written by the author of the Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Chapters progress in seven-year increments, beginning in 1945 in very Catholic Ireland, after the fall of Hitler, and ending with a 2015 NYC-based epilogue.

The single most important character, the guy I felt sorry for, despised and then loved, Cyril Avery, is a privileged boy living with morally challenged step-parents, Maude and Charles. Maude’s way of dealing with Charles was to “treat him like an ottoman, of no use to anyone but worth having around.” The same can be said for what she thought of Cyril. What a dysfunctional world Cyril grew up in, one in which his step-parents would constantly remind him that he was adopted and not really their son. He was never to call them mother or father.

Cyril befriends Julian, a character who will come in and out of Cyril’s world throughout the book, forbidden attractions of the two young men propel them in different directions that will cause painful repercussions as time goes by.

“For all the luxury to which we were accustomed, we were both denied love, and this deficiency would be scorched into our future lives like an ill-considered tattoo inscribed on the buttocks after a drunken night out, leading each of us inevitably toward isolation and disaster.”

Although I cringed at Cyril’s behavior over the years, a teenager obsessed with his ‘thing’, his reckless homosexual connections in his 20’s into his 30’s, the major focus on sexual experiences, I admired the man Cyril eventually came to be. The author’s depiction of his growth was expertly done. The smattering of historic events, the snappy back and forth dialogue between characters were nice touches.

Cyril’s character becomes more sympathetic as the story heads into the height of the AIDS epidemic in which he finally finds mutual love with a doctor dedicated to treating AIDS patients. Cyril becomes a volunteer at the hospital, visiting the dying souls. This particular part of the story just about broke my heart.

*will add additional online reviews upon publication.

I cannot say enough positive things about this book. It's been a long time since I've read something that I could truly gush over - I mean it, I could go on and on about how much I loved the characters, the setting, the story. All of it! It sheds a touching light on the life of a relatively typical man named Cyril Avery who just so happens to be surrounded by atypical people and situations.

Cyril was born in 1945 to Catherine Goggin, a sixteen-year-old young woman in Ireland, but he doesn't learn this for a long time. Denounced as a "whore" by a priest, Catherine flees her small town to Dublin, where she gives birth and hands her newborn son to a nun. Cyril grows up with the Avery family, a couple who are perfectly adept at giving him food and shelter but otherwise view him more as a tenant than a son. Still, life isn't bad, but over the course of time he confronts his sexual identity, and he learns how tough it can be to be a gay man in a very conservative Ireland.

There is so much to say about this book. I wanted to cry at some points, but then not long afterwards, I'd laugh out loud. The characters are one-of-a-kind, and I loved watching everybody develop and change over time. I definitely recommend this one!

An absorbing "coming to life" story of rejection, loathing, and finally to acceptance and love, for who we are and born to be. Though the author is writing about serious issues--homophobia in Ireland, he does so with humor, grace, and love. Beautiful book!

Scrappymags 3-word review: Amazing. Heart-breaking. Heart-warming.

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Shortest summary ever: Cyril Avery's life is told in 7-year increments from the time he is born to a teenaged, unwed mother scandalized ala The Scarlet Letter-style, through his rocky and confusing formative years and into old age. His life has never been easy as he struggles to find his place in post WWII Ireland. Issues of societal discrimination, feminism, love, hate... all wrapped up in this gem of a novel. 

What’s good under the hood: Can I verbally swoon here? Easily the best of 2017. And I don't mean ONE of, I mean - THE. BEST. PERIOD.  

It warmed and broke my heart at the same time, in a mere matter of pages. I don't want to give any spoilers, but for instance themes of discrimination - I've read multitudes of books with this theme lately (it's prevalent in society, thus prevalent in literature), but it wasn't "that" book - it's unable to be labeled as it touches on so many themes - love, hatred, redemption, cruelty, kindness... and with moments of humor peppered throughout. Keep reading. Just as I was brimming with happiness, I was crying the ugly cry minutes later. Such is life, they say. The epitome of "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away" in novel form (ugh my parochial education rears its ugly head, which according to this book is VERY appropo). This is THAT book that gave me all the feels, plus ones I didn't know I had. The writing is rich, a blanket wrapped around the body in a sweeping saga. Let the length of the book intimidate no one!! It moves like the wind... right through your soul. Every damn page, it's that good. It rightly nails the human experience eloquently, poignently and with grace. I want to fly to wherever John Boyne, say nothing, hug him, walk away and fly home.

What’s bad or made me mad: Nothing except for the fact that Ireland doesn't sound as great as I thought it would be. 

Recommend to:

Everyone (and I rarely say that)
Bookclubs - tons to talk about
A must-read for any historical fiction fan
Best-seller readers - don't be intimidated by the length. This book reads FAST.
Avoid if: 

You're touchy about Irish Catholicism (it doesn't paint it in a positive light)
Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing and the author for an advanced copy, making me swoon, for the puffy eyes and smiles, and for feeling all the feelings of what it means to be... HUMAN.