It’s difficult to figure out quite how to describe The Boyhood of Cain. It’s not so much that the book is especially avante garde—its writing aims at clarity rather than innovation, and its plot, being a year in the life of a boy named Daniel, is not unusual—yet the very normalcy of The Boyhood of Cain, its simple yet moving account of a child on the precipice of adolescence, does not fit in the common narrative boxes of books today.
Amherst slips in many signs that Daniel is almost certainly gay. However, the book is preoccupied with only the very beginnings of his self-discovery of this, Amherst’s interests seem to lie less in gay identity per se, and more in the general complexities of late-childhood psychology.
A closely-observed, well-written account of a child growing up, I found The Boyhood of Cain to be an unexpected pleasure. I would recommend it to readers who are looking for something quiet, thoughtful, and at times beautiful to tide them over into the next day.

As the synopsis says this is a novel about a very intelligent boy who struggles to find his place in the world during his childhood/boyhood.
A “square peg in a round hole”situation except the square peg thinks the other shape should change so he can fit.
I can’t bring myself to hate Daniel’s character because he’s very tortured by his nature; he feels a lot of shame for the way he acts and thinks but it’s his nature to act and think that way.
The adults in his life are often cruel and his peers are either indifferent or spurn him. Phillip is his only “friend” but that’s out of pity and his beloved teacher is a weirdo. Not to mention is family situation. Not really a surprise he’s not well adjusted…
I didn’t get much out of this book but I think it’ll enlighten someone who can relate to Daniel.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for the Advanced Review Copy.

a very classic English coming of age story that fits neatly with the rest while having a spark all its own. There was such tenderness toward the protagonist without over-polishing his edges. This was a quiet book, but a sweet one, and the cover is absolutely beyond gorgeous.

"𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵? 𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩?"
“𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵.”
“𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵. 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘴.

Like Samantha Harvey’s Orbital but on earth and through the eyes of a precocious child. Adolescence as mood piece. You have to understand that life starts for yourself once you stop blaming everything on your parents. Strokes of brilliance, here and there, with a cutthroat end, but shimmers off into a big question mark.

A great novel, capturing the effervescence of youth and emotional turmoil of growing up. The characters are all dimensional, expressive, and entirely human, Flawed and relatable. The writing was strong and carried me through the story gracefully.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spent a cozy and drizzling Saturday afternoon doing what i LOVE; sipping on iced coffee and reading THE BOYHOOD OF CAIN, thank you to the team @riverheadbooks for sending me this #arc #gifted

Tender coming of each story of a young boy who moves into a rural life with his family, which they are not at all prepared for. Daniel is intelligent, creative and very misunderstood by the people around him. when Philip, a young boy arrives, he believes him his rival however- he can’t seem to fight the urge to want to be near him. When they are both taking under the wing of a charismatic school teacher Daniel discovers that he might not be the only one who is special, which leads him down a path of potential betrayal and loss.

Though this was a quiet novel, I found myself very drawn to the main character. He was full of questions and inquisitive of who he was as a person, and who he might become being a young queer adolescent is never easy and I love that all those insecurities that I faced myself and those questions I was engulfed with were so well represented in this book. I was also a creative boy who loved to paint and draw and sit out of physical education (lol) and wondering if a boy might like you at that age was the biggest risk you could ever possibly take (spoiler it hardly ever was the case 😭😫) either way k enjoyed being taken off to a quiet countryside in this moody yet well crafted literary book. This book would sit nicely next to call me by your name, open heaven, young mungo etc (if you liked those, this had a similar vibe.) as always- really enjoyed the lgtbq+ representation and protagonist story. out February 2025 💙

I’m laughing in this photo cause I seldom wear beanies, but when I do, I look awful lol. Hope you check this book out! XO

Overall, I liked the story and the themes presented. The author's writing style really stood out in this novel. Will be recommending to friends!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was very well done, it reminded me a lot of call me by your name, and that kind of hazy, summer feeling. The prose was well done and the characters well developed

A thoughtful, honest, novel, the Boyhood of Cain is a splendid offering in the tradition of novels like Shuggie Bain and Jamie O'Niells, At Swim, Two Boys.


Following the childhood of Daniel, a painfully awkward, English boy from a dysfunctional family, this novel combines raw and searing emotion with contemplative and insightful pacing. The book manages to describe universally relatable elements of adolescence with a deft touch while also fully capturing the uniquely painful experience of growing up as an outsider.

Daniel is a wonderfully complex character. He’s shy but ambitious, he’s constantly torn between trying to live up to his internal ideals and longing for the charmed life of his schoolmates. At times he is unlikable, petty, shellfish, as we all are at times, and when growing up, especially.

Although the plot is what some would consider mundane, the author really taps into the overpowering scale of even quotidian events seen through a thoughtful child’s eyes. Teachers are fickle and powerful gods, friendships are sources of refuge but also fertile ground for jealousy, and our parents don’t always live up to our ideal of being a caregiver. While reading I felt emotionally invested in the nuances of Daniel’s life, but more strikingly I felt I was experiencing it, living it through the pages.


Immediately gripping, and wonderfully readable, I enjoyed every minute of this book and wished the end didn’t come quite so soon.

This almost feels as if it's a combination of a queer male version of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Dead Poet's Society, and Shuggie Bain. It's also wholly different from all of those things and can handle its own in a battle of emotion and beautiful prose.

The story of a young boy entering adolescence amidst the backdrop of the English countryside. Dealing with puberty, peers at his prep-school, teachers, and his family that is slowly unraveling. In the short span of this novel, Daniel faces so much and is made to go through so much. I wanted to sit with him, listen to his pondering and give him the space to ask all of his big questions. I wanted to hug him. To tell him that he was worthy of friendship and companionship. I wanted to tell him that his questions were important. That he wasn't annoying or needy or any of those things that he was often told made him unworthy of being known and loved.

I think my deep connection to Daniel could be chocked up to the fact that I saw so much of little me in the boy. And I almost don't want the literary fiction mob to get their hands on the novel when it publishes. Partly because I want to gatekeep it. Partly because I will want to defend Daniel vehemently if anyone tries to say something bad about the novel.

This one comes out in late February, 2025. I'm so thankful that Riverhead provided me the opportunity to read a copy early in exchange for an honest review. The story was beautiful. The characters and setting were beautiful. The cover! My goodness that cover. All of the allusion and imagery and symbolism. It's difficult to believe that this is Amherst's debut. It makes me all the more excited to see what else he produces in the future.