Henry is a boy who talks about his childhood, family and friends. We Henry in various stages of his life.
It is hard to feel any sympathy for Henry. One of his friends is Donny, whose father dropped dead in a motel room with another woman. How Henry talks about this and how he wants his dear friend to suffer is shocking. As the story progresses we see Henry's family, and relationship with his husband Lenny and their adopted son Toby.
The book is slow, the writing felt stiff and I found it hard to get into the story. The story is written across no more than 200 pages, yet what was supposed to be a relaxing evening read had spread over three monotonous days.

This is the story of a life, Henry’s life, which begins in his younger years, but follows his life in the years that come to pass. The people he loves, and those who love him in return, the loss of a loved one, his marriage, and the children who follow, as well as the years that come to pass.

This is a relatively short novel, but it is filled with so much love, perhaps a bit of pain, but who doesn’t get through life without that? Henry is determined to hold on to the things that truly matter, in order to feel as though he has lived his life on his own terms, and has lived his life true to his plans, to leave this life with no regrets.


Pub Date: 20 Aug 2024

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Atmosphere Press

"Henry's Version" follows Henry from when he was a young boy - falling in love with the boy down the street - to getting married to Leonard & adopting their son, and later on meets his grandchild, all the while trying to navigate the meaning of life.
It was an enjoyable book, loved the writing style, & how the chapters where divided into the 3 stages of Henry's life. I hate to say that I liked and disliked Henry at some parts of the book, although I think that was the author's intention. I also expected something different at the end, it just fell flat.

Thank you Atmosphere Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Henry’s Version was a wonderful story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I kept reading until the very last page.