The Boy

by Naeem Murr

Who is the boy? And whose body lies beneath a sheet of blue tarpaulin in the basement of a derelict brewery? The discovery of a chilling diary sends Sean Kennedy, once a foster father to the boy, on a desperate search to unlock the secrets of his tragic past and to learn the truth about the boy's part in the disintegration of Sean's family. The boy's compelling and protean personality (he is Devon to the keepers of the Boys' Home, Alex to the Fatman with whom he lives, Priestly to the young rent-boy who reveres him, and Durwood to Sean's daughter) arches over this disturbing novel and is mirrored in the lives of all the people Sean encounters. From these different perspectives we witness the boy's many incarnations, which reflect, aggravate, and distort the desires of those around him, involving these characters irrevocably in his own mysterious intentions. The boy keeps just beyond Sean's reach, then draws him into a final encounter that is both poignant and brutal. This first novel is a penetrating study of innocence and malice ineluctably bound. With his protean sexuality and personality, the boy insinuates himself into the lives of those he encounters. We witness how he feeds their deepest desires, nourishes their greatest needs, and involves them irrevocably in his own intentions. Winner of the Lambda Literary Foundation's Editors' Choice Award for 1998!

Genres: Fiction, Gay, LGBT, Literary Fiction, Thriller

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Naeem Murrʼs first novel, The Boy, was a New York Times Notable Book. Another novel, The Genius of the Sea, was published in 2003. His latest, The Perfect Man, was awarded The Commonwealth Writersʼ Prize for the Best Book of Europe and South Asia, and was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. His work has been translated into eight languages. He has received many awards for his writing, most recently a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Pen Beyond Margins Award. He has been a writer-in-residence at the University of Missouri, Western Michigan, and Northwestern University, among others. Born and brought up in London, he has lived in America since his early twenties, and currently resides in Chicago.

Photo: copyright Alan Cross.

Reviews

[Michael Conlon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as The Perfect Man, which was excellent. A little chopy at the end. Not a bad read, but certainly not a must read.

[Darrin Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing novel -- shimmering, gorgeous prose describing doomed, tragic characters. The sentences here just leave you breathless.

[Jahir Guzmán · Rating 3 out of 5]

En realidad 3.5
La historia desde el principio es atrapante.
Toca temas delicados (relaciones de adultos con menores, incesto, infidelidad, trastornos psicológicos y de identidad) con una naturalidad alarmante.
La prosa del autor es exquisita, con momentos reflexivos y poéticos, creando un ambiente melancólico, crudo y oscuro. Sin embargo, considero que faltó indagar más en el chico, que esa parte de él la cual enamoraba a todos lo hiciera con el lector.
No me gustó el final, lo sentí un tanto forzado y abrupto y hacía que la historia perdiera realismo.

[☕Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ratings (1 to 5)
Writing: 4.5
Plot: 4
Characters: 4
Emotional impact: 4.5
Overall rating: 4.25

[Melora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read another Murr book a year or so ago ("The Perfect Man"), so when I saw this one in a used bookstore, I grabbed it. Much like his other novel, this one is a page-turner, building suspense about the mystery that you hope will be solved at the end. It's also a train wreck, with horribly dysfunctional characters, some becoming more horrifying and bizarre as the novel progresses. I felt sorry for some of these characters, while others literally gave me nightmares while I was reading this book.

The actual boy in this novel is really something, and I don't want to ruin this book by saying too much about him, other than to admit that he was the source of most of my nightmares about this novel. Unlike "The Perfect Man," the children are NOT the most sympathetic characters in this book.

And just when you think the book has ended and the author has tied up the loose ends, re-read the 1st chapter. It will mess with your head, for sure, and it made me think I needed to re-read the whole novel. I think I will be pondering this novel for awhile, as well as recommending it to others.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gets 3 stars from me only because the writing is spectacular. For those who can appreciate how beautifully a sentence can be put together, they will appreciate the writing skills of the author. The story itself was different and interesting and sad.

For myself, I didn't really like the book. Too many metaphors and descriptions and filler for me. I felt that the "mystery" wasn't much of a mystery as it was easy to figure out. Even though I felt the mystery was easy to figure out, the book was written in such a way that I felt mildly stupid after reading it. As if I had missed much of the story because of the intricate writing. Maybe the mystery wasn't so easy to figure out after all and I completely missed the mark. I went back through parts of the book to see if I could piece together what I felt I was missing, but wasn't able to. I have to wonder if that is the point...that after reading the book you are suppose to feel dark and depressed and confused and a little dumb. If so...kudos

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shocking, twisted story told in delicate, lovely language. This book was filled with conflicting textures, which added to the mere pleasure of the thrilling story. What a creative, talented author--will definitely read more by him.

[Nicholas Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admire the intensity of the writing and imagery, but having a somewhat literal mind, I always ask what is behind something, and I wonder what prompted the author to write this book. Was it personal experience of some sort, stories he heard from others, the atmosphere of London, or a deeper awareness? Evil and exploitation tend to be of a casual, crude and random kind, as much neglect as abuse, as recorded in a rash of autobiographical books published in the 1980s and after, not the sort of alien quality in the book. Everybody has probably run into a person who is obsessive and/or disturbed yet fully or even more than averagely functional. There are people without empathy, psychopaths, ruthless and paranoid control freaks who sometimes become leaders of countries, controlling partners, the casually cruel who personify the 'banality of evil' identified by Arendt, but I am not sure what sort of person the 'boy' represents. Clearly there is a sexual and sensual element. Is it a warning of how this can lead to degradation, where fortunately most people have other distractions? Is it a fantasy about a fantasist? Is it an allegory about a decent person (Sean) searching for an icon of human goodness that always eludes? Or is it just a work of art? What is it really about? Maybe I am asking for too much. Unlike non-fiction that draws from evidence outside itself, pure fiction can be its own justification.

[Joey Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's good. Insanely dark.

Initially found some of it kind of overwrought (which is really rich coming from the guy who just read Moby Dick), but then there's some payoff at the end helps the plot and theme stuff smoothly bolt into place, but some of the STYLE stuff, too. That's cool.

To that end: it reads smooth as butter, which is probably good because, again: insanely dark.

And yeah, at the end of day, I have to applaud how neatly all of the seemingly disparate story lines end up clicking together, and how elegantly the book doles out information--or rather, how elegantly it withholds information at key areas without ever making you feel like it's being unfair to you.

[Deena B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small but potent book by a truly gifted author.
Told in the perspective of various people who have been affected by The Boy. And he made a deep and lasting impression on everyone he met.
Diabolical, dark, and extremely well written. A bit patchy, though. I'd give it a 3 star, but for the beautiful way this author writes, I up it to a 4 star.

[June Meehan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The boy holds the key to everyone's deepest desires and needs, ultimately their happiness. He is manipulative and evil and addictive. He has wisdom far beyond what is realistic for a child or teen and knows how to use his knowledge to his advantage, to hurt people who want to be close to him, to exercise his power over them.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had beautiful prose. Compared to the masters of this genre like DEnnis Cooper or Poppi Z Brite or even poor Jt LeRoy it was very tame. And leaving aside any comparisons, what did this book have to say? Very little that I was able to ascertain.

[Jim Elkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could have been good, is almost good, but rumbles along with such a loud machinery of drama and suspense that the pathos is inaudible. The weight of conventional narrative ensures it is not "disturbing," "heartbreaking," "chilling," "dark," or "powerful."

[Hermy Jayme · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot was very intriguing. Could've been good considering how every page is filled with beautiful metaphors and analogies that you almost want to drown into them. But aside from that, there's nothing much in it really. It's not even much of a thriller to be honest.

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in one day. Loved it.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I very much liked The Perfect Man and looked at the library for Murr's latest book (not available) - so picked up this one.

Well written - but VERY dark.

[Kristenkay28 · Rating 1 out of 5]

that was some sick, but interesting stuff

[Annette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ummm...bizarre. Morbid. The book could have been cut in half if it weren't for all those annoying metaphores and analogies. Ugh.

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A VERY disturbing read.

[Tiffini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very dark, disquieting and disturbingly effective debut novel. I found his writing extraordinary and cerebral. I look forward to reading more by this author.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morbid. Disturbing. Suspenseful but the storyline itself was almost entirely poetic. Need I say more? One of the most messed up books that I read in a long time

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an amazing book! What a wonderful dark story! Highly recommend!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing; beautifully written.

[Abhishek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disgusting, beautiful and sharp.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, dreary, rich setting, brilliantly written.

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