THE HEART'S INVISIBLE FURIES by John Boyne

THE HEART’S INVISIBLE FURIES by John Boyne

Let me just start off by saying that this is NOT a book I would have picked up on my own. The only reason it was even on my radar was because one of my friends was reading it and offered me her copy. And then I had this big beautiful book on my shelf that I was terrified to read because I don’t do 600 page books. ⠀
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And then I kept hearing great things and couldn’t stay away anymore. And let me tell you, my friends: this book deserves all the praise. The plot is masterfully constructed, following our narrator, Cyril, in 7 year increments through his entire life. ENTIRE LIFE. And every moment was necessary to this story. The characters are full of such depth that they had me crying one moment and laughing hysterically the next. This story is witty and a little outrageous but also, somehow, it is so very serious and tremendously sad. ⠀
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I’ve never read a book even remotely like this. John Boyne is an artist. I mean every detail y’all, EVERY BEAUTIFUL DETAIL in this story mattered. It was like completing a jigsaw puzzle of a Monet painting. You need to have a little bit of patience and a lot of time to invest in this book, but the finished product is so freaking incredible.⠀
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Let me end by saying that I’m so glad I took the whole month to read this book. I digested it slowly, allowed the characters to hang around with me for a bit longer than normal, enjoying their company a little more than usual. And now that it’s truly over, I’m going to miss them terribly. ⠀
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CW: this is the story of a gay man from 1945 through 2015 in Ireland, where being gay for the majority of that time was a crime. There is a lot that goes with that (stigma, depression, being condemned by family and your faith, etc.) so keep that in mind when going into this book!