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.