Boyhood

by David Keenan

Boyhood opens in 1979 with the abduction of a young boy outside a Glasgow football ground. Nine years later, the boy's brother, Aaron Murray, is on the cusp of that moment when adolescence becomes adulthood. His own journey of grief and recovery has been guided by an angel, 'The Precious Gift' - perhaps imagined, perhaps real - who has blessed Aaron with redemptive, messianic powers. These have enabled him to see through the past and present, joining the dots between a vast array of characters; ballerinas, soldiers, poets, burlesque dancers, East End gangsters and the Vampire of Derry over five decades, all tied up in each other's fate.

As Aaron's visions span cities and decades, from wartime Paris to the Troubles in the 1970s, Mexico City in the 1980s to - of course - Glasgow, Boyhood builds to an extraordinary, intense, climactic moment of redemption.

A book of great joy, of laughter in the face of horror and delight in storytelling by the beloved and critically acclaimed author of This Is Memorial Device, Boyhood is a hymn to the resilience of youth, to the brave dreams of artists and lovers and a love letter to Glasgow - a city where magic happens.

Genres: Fiction

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 9, 2026

About the author

David Keenan is an author and critic based in Glasgow, Scotland. He has been a regular contributor to The Wire magazine for the past twenty years. His debut novel, This Is Memorial Device, was published by Faber in 2017.

Reviews

[Don McKinlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Keenan’s books leave me exhausted
Which is a VERY GOOD THING
Boyhood is a deeply wonderful book with so many threads that it’s hard to imagine one brain pulling it all together, and it leaves me with the feeling that I might’ve missed a few connections along the way so I feel that one day I’ll need to go back and check all over again

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keenan is a genius.

[Jonathan Pool · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read multiple articles reflecting on the nature of the novel, and of experimental writing, and pushing the form. The Goldsmiths College in London has an annual prize celebrating literary pioneers, mavericks, and one-offs.

Then there’s David Keenan.

Boyhood is the third (fourth if you include the Towers) of his that I’ve read. The style is inimitable. The onrush of subject matter covered, the raw energy. He really is a force of nature, and I believe his writing style is getting better as he produces more work. And he’s not a man who needs time to hone his craft over years, or even months. The outpouring of ideas, and multiplicity of narrative tangents is breathtaking, and exhausting.

I’m cautious about writing a review which sets out to explain this writer’s intent. Keenan is big on immersion in the immediate moment of reading rather than cerebral unpacking.

That said,

• Mindy Sparrow is the most wonderful portrayal of innocence, and naivete. Attractive looking, attractive personality; game for unplanned adventures and driven by the laudable desire to astonish. I love the idea of young people travelling across the world freed from the shackles of convention. Would I be relaxed if my daughter took Mindy’s bohemian approach literally… no.

• The Ruffs, the Bollands, Andrew Lethal (Thomas Pynchon would approve of Keenan’s names). These local gangsters are funny rather than frightening. Its stylistically Guy Ritchie’s Snatch and Lock Stock. Allotments, horses, sledgehammers

• Joseph Noth. For all Keenan’s knockabout malarky, and cast of unconventional characters, he also writes with great feel for history, poetry, and literature. The Noth storyline, from 1938, provides a hard core bringing together the disparate strands of the novel. Keenan is fascinated by the idea of “anabasis” - A journey to the interior, and back again. Keenan also never misses the chance to introduce “diorama” (even in his online name tag). Anabasis, and diorama. Somewhere in the mix I have to believe that keenan wants to present his own view of how everything connects. Other people choose religion; so each to their own.

Keenan is always a scream to read.
I laughed out loud “You could have shampooed a buffalo” . No context provided by me here (its on page 75)

I’m due to hear Keenan speak about Boyhood soon. Can’t wait. It will be like storm chasing. Do I dare ask him about AI?
I think not. Keenan is an unabashedly sexual writer, and this AI is an acronym for a type of pleasure taking that seems to appeal to a significant number of Keenan’s characters!

Terrific read to shake up my rather more conventional reading tastes.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

A disparate cast of characters. Who is dreaming whom? Is boyhood eternal or is it coming to an end? Do we have guardian angels watching over us? What's all that got to do with a Georgian air hostess? And are we journeying to the interior, or back again, or going up? And what can we see from the view at the top of the pagoda? And is it a good idea to feed horses microdoses of LSD?

And why is Andrew Lethal, who works for Glasgow Council, obsessing about Mayan hieroglyphs when he should be approving planning applications!?

I think part of the genius of David Keenan is that the book retains mystery and yet just enough of its internal logic is revealed so that you think you understand enough to keep on going, that something is being revealed to you, personally, by the author.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no idea what I have just read! I can’t say it’s enjoyable but definitely an interesting read. Drifting into the surreal at times, this book delves on themes of PTSD, grief, friendship as it tracks the journeys of the multiple characters through various times. I can’t tell you how it ended, or what it’s about but can say it was well written and very graphic at times and has given me lots to mull over in its aftermath!

[David Peat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable book - lots of threads - some loosely (and other closely) related. Amazing stories wrapped into an a starburst of ideas and a unique world view. Loved every word!

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won't read a better novel this year.