One of the Boys

by Daniel Magariel

A riveting and emotionally harrowing debut about two young brothers and their physically and psychologically abusive father—One of the Boys is 160 perfect, stunning pages by a major new talent.

The three of them—a twelve-year-old boy, his older brother, their father—have won the war: the father’s term for his bitter divorce and custody battle. They leave their Kansas home and drive through the night to Albuquerque, eager to begin again, united by the thrilling possibility of carving out a new life together. The boys go to school, join basketball teams, make friends. Meanwhile their father works from home, smoking cheap cigars to hide another smell. But soon the little missteps—the dead-eyed absentmindedness, the late night noises, the comings and goings of increasingly odd characters—become sinister, and the boys find themselves watching their father change, grow erratic, then violent.

Set in the sublimely stark landscape of suburban New Mexico and a cramped apartment shut tight to the world, One of the Boys conveys with stunning prose and chilling clarity a young boy’s struggle to hold onto the dangerous pieces of his shattered family. Harrowing and beautiful, Daniel Magariel’s masterful debut is a story of survival: two foxhole-weary brothers banding together to protect each other from the father they once trusted, but no longer recognize. With the emotional core of A Little Life and the compact power of We the Animals, One of the Boys is among the most moving and remarkable debut novels you’ll ever read.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Adult Fiction, Adult, Realistic Fiction, Novels

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 14, 2017

About the author

Daniel Magariel is an author from Kansas City. His work has appeared in Granta, Lit Hub, Salt Hill, Stop Smiling, and Issue Magazine, among others. One of the Boys, his first novel, was a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice and Amazon Best Book of 2017, and was published in twelve countries. He has a BA from Columbia University, as well as an MFA from Syracuse University, where he was a Cornelia Carhart Fellow. He currently lives in New York with his wife.

Reviews

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do when the people you are supposed to trust and rely on most in this world, let you down? When those people are your parents and when you give them unconditional love and get the exact opposite in return? One of the Boys by Daniel Magariel is a fictional story about a dysfunctional family and mental and physical abuse. It is a heartbreaker.

In One of the Boys, a mother and father's relationship breaks down and the father takes off with his two young sons, leaving Kansas for New Mexico. The father, is abusive, manipulative and narcissistic. He also happens to be an addict. The worst of the worst. The father does the most unimaginable things to his two young sons. He mentally and physically abuses both of them. In one instance, he beats one - ties his hands behind his back, dragging him facedown across the carpet because he called his mother. In his father's mind, his elder son, is a traitor for doing so. He works to pit the boys against each other and constantly tells them that he forgives them for their behavior. [How despicable is that? His telling them he forgives them?]. The boys are young... and they seemingly have no way out and no one to turn to. They are left to fend for themselves. Even when they ask for help, help never comes. It is this that left me with a weight on my shoulders, heart heavy, empty inside. Help hardly ever comes. This I know.

As children, sufferers of abuse often ask for help and it never comes or it comes too late. And in adulthood, survivors of abuse often have a very hard time asking for help. It is like pulling teeth or something. Even after years of therapy, it is still something I struggle with. Yet still I try. I know its not just me. But I also know that every child, every sufferer, every survivor, deals with things differently... Oddly enough, I wasn't sure how I would feel reading this book, yet I wanted to read it after seeing the reviews. I tend to gravitate towards biographies and memoirs related to this subject. Perhaps because through all of the pain and anguish, there are stories of survival and strength. And that is what I cling to.

The author, of this fictional story, Daniel Magariel, did a stellar job in describing the boys feelings, their angst and their conflicted feelings towards both parents but especially their father. He described the guilt they feel in a way that felt palpable. One of the Boys is a harrowing, heartbreaking novel that reads like a memoir. Everything about this novel is tragic. It is not for the faint of heart. It is however, a novel that will make you feel. You will feel a myriad of emotions. It will make you angry.. it will make you cry and it will make you believe in the power of brothers. Whatever you feel, know that you are not alone. If you chose to read this, we are in it together. And if you are a sufferer or a survivor of mental or physical abuse, keep asking for help. It gets easier. Promise.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Scribner and Daniel Magariel for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 3/5/17.
*Will be published on Amazon on 3/14/17.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

When hiking with my husband today, he asked me...."why do you read 'Debbie-Downer' SAD STORIES about CHILDREN....with mentally disturbed, extremely abusive dysfunctional parents?"
I attempted to answer my Paul's question. I read stories like this to better understand how children cope and function -given their situations. What are the different choices children make?
There are many children in the United States who are at risk of exposure to domestic violence. Children in abusive homes observe, see, hear, and are aware of the tension in their home. Children who are exposed to battering become fearful and anxious. They are always on guard....waiting and watching for the next event to occur. They never know what will trigger an abuse.....therefore they never feel safe. They are worried for themselves- and their siblings - and may feel powerless and worthless.

In "One of the Boys", Daniel Magariel, wrote a story about two brothers who basically are manipulated by their father to collaborate with him - LIE FOR THE BETTER GOOD -
to take their father's side during their parents divorce.

Jolly good-old-fun dad---JUST ONE OF THE BOYS, DAD --- becomes nastier and nastier as the story continues.
It's never a healthy BOYS CLUB when the leader ( the boy's father), is abusive, has an addiction problem, is unstable, with violent outbursts.

A Disturbing Excerpt:
"Liar!" he screamed. And he let me have it. He whipped me again and again, all over, not caring where the belt found flesh, yelling the entire time, "After all I'd done for you. I gave up my life to protect you. I saved you from your mother. I should have drowned you both at birth. I should've smothered you with a fucking pillow. This is how you repay me? Where's the other bag, you ungrateful shit? Where's my fucking money? Give me what's mine."

So, how do children cope with a nasty drug addicted father with frightening behaviors? ....and an absent mother?
I think the point of this novel is -- we don't know. We don't know the long term effects. I suspect there will be lifetime emotional and psychological scars. It's possible the children may grow to ally themselves with the abuser. And ... these children are learning that violence is an effective way to resolve conflicts.
However... I'll tell you while reading this novel ... I witness such 'sweetness' in these young teen boys. They were still at the age of wanting to please and protect their father -- even when they themselves have been hurt.

This is a one-sitting read. A short novel - ( or novella) -Its a sad story. Anyone who is sensitive to reading about physical abuse might need to pass on reading this book. At the same time... I like to believe the readers who 'do' choose to read this story are very compassionate- sensitive - empathic -caring people to begin with....and can handle this novel with maturity.
The author took great care with this subject. The punch-reality is important to read about. Our emotions are kept at bay enough - still feel the impact - yet we don't fall apart ourselves.
A novel like this invites us - in a subtle way - to be a person who will make a difference when needed. Our fight for what is right is heightened!!!
The ending of this story alone is meaty for a valuable book discussion.

Thank You Scribner, NetGalley, and Daniel Magariel.


This novel will be released in March, 2017.

[Larry H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Particularly when we're young, we'd do anything if we thought it would make our parents happy. For the 12-year-old narrator of Daniel Magariel's bleak, tremendously affecting novel One of the Boys , that means siding with his father and older brother in their parents' bitter divorce, even if he needs to embellish the truth a bit to make his mother look more dangerous.

"This is your brother for life. You are his last line of defense."

After they've been able to emerge victorious from "the war," their father's term for the divorce, they leave their Kansas home and drive to Albuquerque. The prospect of a new life, just the three of them, is an exciting one. But as they start to get immersed in their new routines, making friends, and, in the case of the older brother, excelling at sports, things start to change. Their father's moods become more erratic. Although he is ostensibly working from home, he doesn't seem to be working much, instead spending hours, even days locked in his room. And his cigars don't hide the chemical smell that permeates their cramped apartment.

The boys are unsure of what to do, whether they made the right decision to ally with their father. He starts to become paranoid, starts coming and going at odd hours, disappearing at times and leaving the boys with no money; at other times there are other strange people in the house with him. While at times he rebounds and acts like the father they remember, more often than not he lashes out, trying to turn brother against brother in a test of loyalty to him.

Does their father really have their best interests at heart, as he says he does? Should they continue to trust him, or should they try to go back to Kansas and be with their mother? Will she understand what happened during the divorce? And how bad will this get?

One of the Boys packs a real punch, accurately conveying the hurt, fear, and hope that these boys feel as they realize they're stuck in the middle of a battle much larger than themselves. What do you do when the person who says they love you, who convinces you you're better off with them, turns out not to be what they say they are? This is a bleak but well-written book with a tremendous amount of tension, as you don't know what's going to happen and who will break first.

This book is troubling, perhaps even more so when you realize there are children trapped in these same battles all over the world. Magariel has tremendous storytelling talent, and it's amazing that he was able to create such sympathetic characters without giving them names. I look forward to seeing what comes next in his career.

NetGalley and Scribner provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....

[Angela M]

What was I thinking when I read this book while on vacation and most of it while on on the beach? I knew from the description and from a few friend reviews that this would be a tough read. As I was reading I wondered why I even requested a review copy of it. I kept reading even though I was gut punched most of the way . Why? Because there was something about these two young boys that made me want to climb into the pages and rescue them. I had to know what would happen to them. The truth of the matter is, when I finished this book, I really didn't know and perhaps that was the hardest thing about it .

I'm not going to rate it. If I give it 1 or 2 stars that would mean for me that I didn't get anything out of this and I did - a view of a sad and horrible reality of the world that some children live in. If I rate it 3 or 4 or 5 stars that would mean I liked it or loved it and I can't say that I did . Not all books are meant for everyone and if I'm honest with myself this was probably one of those that was not for me, but yet I kept reading. It does though say something about the writing and about the way the author depicts these characters that I did keep reading until the end. There are reviews of this book that will give you more than I'm able to talk about. You should read them to decide if this one is for you.


I received an advanced copy of this book from Scribner through NetGalley.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A difficult read, so heartbreaking, these kind of books make me so angry and sad, some people just really should never be parents. Wanting to be part of his elder brother and father, the younger boy exaggerates what his mother did to him so that his father is awarded custody. What happens is not pretty, drugs, cruelty, physical and psychological. These two boys who only wanted to love and be loved by their father.

I guess the fact that the author wrote this so convincingly that she made me angry, shows how effective the writing was. So many children live like this, so many people turn a blind eye that I think books like this are important if they foster awareness. Shock someone into doing something, noticing something and reporting it, so though this book is heartbreaking it is also relevant.

So a tough book but a short book with a big message.

ARC from Netgalley.

[Esil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what makes reading fiction worthwhile, especially when a novel hits as hard as One of the Boys. It’s a short book, but it’s dark, harsh and painful. The story opens with the 12 year old narrator leaving Kansas with his older brother and father. They are leaving the boys’ mother, their father seemingly manipulating them into thinking he is the more competent loving parent. No such luck. The book focuses on the narrator’s tight and tense relationship with his abusive, addicted, irrational, paranoid father, and the brothers’ ineffective attempts to free themselves emotionally and physically. It’s not a book about what happens. It’s a book about the dynamics in these twisted relationships, and emotions a twelve year old should never have to experience. So why read One of the Boys? It’s well done, it feels real, and it gives voice to an unfortunate reality for many kids. But this is not a book for the faint of heart or for those who look for escapism in their fiction. I can only read such books in small doses, but I do recognize their importance. For those who don’t like graphic violence, there is violence but the focus is more on emotional abuse than physical violence. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Family is all we have,” my father said.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Family is all we have.”

The "war" is over. The divorce is settled and the custody battle is won. A father takes his two sons away from their home in Kansas to start a new life in New Mexico. It's them against the world! He promises the boys a better life, but his behavior becomes more erratic as they get situated in their new home. He's quick to minimize any missteps and the boys accept his explanations. The sense of danger escalates as their world gradually becomes more insular and the boys are forced to participate in their father's strange activities.

"'There is virtue in sticking it out, in staying put, in building the stamina necessary to endure anything. We can take it. Can’t we take it? Can’t we?'”

The story is told from the perspective of the youngest son, age twelve. The father's narcissism and manipulations are evident from the beginning, but the boys idolize him and follow his lead. He keeps them in line by appealing to their desire to be "one of the boys" and a dependable family member. His sons are willing to go through immense suffering in order to meet his standards. The psychological abuse escalates into physical abuse and the illusion of the father they thought they knew dissipates. Despite his bad behavior, the boys continue to feel a sense of duty towards him and maintain hope that he'll change. The way these children can't help but care for their father makes it even more painful to watch him take advantage of their innate trust. The two boys are forced to become adults when the parents who are supposed to protect them continuously fall short. Every time the brothers attempt to improve their situation, they are thwarted by their unpredictable parents.

I didn't want his kindness. His cruelty was less confusing.

One of the Boys is a one-sitting read, but it's a gut-punch of a book. It struck a similar chord in me as Did You Ever Have a Family. It seemed deeply personal and I felt so much anxiety for the characters. The exhaustion the boys feel by the end is palpable. My favorite passage is when the boy reveals a dream he had about his father in a candlelit hallway (Chapter 10). In the dream, his father directs him to paint over the cracks that are lit up by the candles. When daylight comes, the patchy paint job only serves to highlight the damage to the wall.

Life in the desert is found in the testimony of small changes. It is nearly a secret.

What does it mean to be "one of the boys"? One of the Boys exposes the dark side of widely accepted concepts. The boys' father repeatedly espouses the virtues of masculinity and family. Admirable values, like being there for your family, can be distorted and used as tactics to normalize abuse and make a child incapable of speaking out. This story shows how a child's unconditional love for their parents can be used to take advantage of them. We see how gradually an abusive situation can take hold and the myriad of ways an adult can betray their child's trust. It's a quick read, but by no means an easy one.


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I received this book for free from Netgalley and Scribner in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The publication date is March 14, 2017.

[Alex.andthebooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

To jest naprawdę dobra książka! Już od pierwszych stron przesycona niepokojem, niezwykle absorbująca. Ukazana w niej relacja ojciec-synowie pełna jest manipulacji, parentyfikacji i brutalności.

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

“I thought you were one of the boys.”

Being one of the boys is a pretty simple task. Choose the right side in “the war.” What war, you might ask? The war between mother and father. Pick dad and you pick strength – fun – a new start in a new location – a chance to be one of the boys with him and your brother. Pick mom and you’re weak – nothing – less than nothing. It’s not until your new life starts that you begin to see what started the war to begin with. Dad’s volatile temperament, his inability to focus on his job at times, and the worst thing of all – the strange chemical smells that come out of his bedroom when he locks himself in there, sometimes for days at a time “smoking cigars.”

I’m pretty sure I read this wrong. Okay that’s a lie. I know I read this wrong. It was supposed to make me feel all the feels and it didn’t. That’s alright, though, because . . . .



And this time I’m blaming everyone in my household being sick as the problem instead of my lack of heart. Here’s an image of what I experienced this weekend. First with the husband . . . .



Then with the oldest boy . . . .



Then the baby of the family . . . .



Before finally succumbing to my own symptoms while at work . . . .



In addition to all that, here’s the deal: I would totally market this as young adult. Although it deals with some super serious mature storylines, I’m all about pushing the envelope. My (upper) middle schooler is currently reading an “award winning” recommendation from the school district. So is his teacher’s FOURTH GRADE son. It probably goes without saying my (not a voluntary reader to begin with) kid is hating every second of this experience. One of the Boys has a lot of things that might keep him interested: it’s short (remember, not a big reader), it’s contemporary and it deals with adult subject matter (drug use and child abuse). The thing that works for me when it comes to books I like discussing with the kid is the “book clubby” nature that generates conversation. Why do the characters not have names? What does he think was really up with the mom? Why does he think the boys chose dad in “the war”? Was dad healthy before they moved away from Kansas? Does he think the kids did anything wrong ever – either back in Kansas or in New Mexico? Why does he think they never tried to get away or tell someone about what was happening? Would HE tell someone what was happening if this was his life? THIS is the type of outcome I want to have after my kid finishes a book. Not to mention his privileged little hiney could stand a dose of “not everyone has it so good” every once in a while. If you’re like me, you might want your kid to read this one too. If you’re not like me I have a bunch of generic, vanilla recommendations from the school I can give you : )

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in a giveaway! (Thank you, Scribner)

Ugh. This little novel (less than 200 pages long) ripped my heart out. So powerful. I can't stop thinking about it. "One of the Boys" by Daniel Magariel is the most brutally honest, heart-wrenching, and yet tender story about 2 teenaged boys, uncovering a troubling secret about the father they love and trust the most (setting: Albuquerque, New Mexico. mid-'90s). This book might be upsetting for some people who are especially sensitive to abuse. The father in this novel is a monster. He is physically, emotionally, and verbally abusive to his sons (and that's not even his deep dark secret). The youngest son, who's 12 years-old narrators the story. What makes this novel so unique is no names are given for the 3 main characters. It kind of bothered me at first but I quickly got over it after the first chapter. This story is so gripping and I felt a profound connection with the characters. I feel like I can't even write a proper review for this book without giving too much away. I was completely stunned and captivated by how this book made me feel. I cried a few times. Beautifully written even though the subject matter is anything but beautiful. This book is scheduled to be released March 14, 2017. I applaud Daniel Magariel for pulling no punches. I don't know if this book is based on personal experience but either way, he's got a ballsy and vivid imagination. This is his debut novel and wow...what a debut! I am blown away. This book is going to stay with me for a while, I can tell. A sucker-punch to the gut!

[Claire Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the Boys packs a huge emotional punch. This is the unflinching story of an abusive father and his two sons after he takes them away from their mother, told using wonderfully stark prose. I was particularly affected by how the younger son begins to copy his father in believing that his mother deserved the beatings she received. It was heartbreaking to to see him continually hope that even after every broken promise his father would change. I read this book in one gulp, gripping the pages and willing the boys to escape. Only wish it could have been longer.
www.clairefuller.co.uk

[Grace (BURTSBOOKS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the Boys is a very heavy, hard-hitting story about emotional and physical abuse that left my heart aching for every child that has ever had to go through such horrors at the hands of a parent, or anybody.

This book packed a big emotional punch into a very short amount of pages and I am very impressed with Magariel's storytelling. The writing was clear and concise and just overall well done. It feels like a weird thing to say about a book focused on such a sensitive topic but this book was extremely well done in every aspect of it. I highly recommend.

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μιας και κοτζάμ Τζορτζ Σόντερς εκθείασε το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, είπα να το αγοράσω και να το διαβάσω δίχως χρονοτριβές. Εντάξει, δεν αγόρασα και γουρούνι στο σακί, διάβασα πρώτα και διάφορες άλλες κριτικές, ενώ φυσικά και η όλη θεματολογία δεν απέχει και τόσο από τα αναγνωστικά μου γούστα. Ιδιαίτερο βιβλίο, μικρό σε μέγεθος αλλά γεμάτο εικόνες και συναισθήματα, που αγγίζει με έντονο τρόπο θέματα όπως η οικογένεια, ο χωρισμός δυο γονέων, ο όλος "πόλεμος" που ακολουθεί για την κηδεμονία των παιδιών, η ανδρική ταυτότητα, οι αδελφικές σχέσεις, αλλά και ο εθισμός. Ο συγγραφέας καταφέρνει να αποτυπώσει τον πόνο, το φόβο, αλλά και την ελπίδα των παιδιών, που είναι τα θύματα σ'ένα οποιοδήποτε διαζύγιο. Το βιβλίο είναι σίγουρα κάπως στενάχωρο, με μουντή και "κλειστοφοβική" ατμόσφαιρα, όμως λέει κάποιες αλήθειες, ενώ θα έλεγα ότι είναι πολύ καλογραμμένο και ευκολοδιάβαστο (αν και ίσως λιγάκι... δυσκολοχώνευτο, λόγω αυτών που συμβαίνουν). Προτείνεται.

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a short book at only 176 pages but it really packed a punch.
Following his parents' bitter divorce, the unnamed 12-year-old narrator moves with his father and older brother from Kansas to New Mexico. Dad promises a fresh start, a better life, to be "one of the boys". But the teenage boys soon find roles are reversed when they are forced to take on parental responsibilities, earn money, and look not only after themselves but also their father. When their father spirals down into an abyss of drugs, the boys' lives become marked by horrific physical and emotional abuse. Trying to look for a way out but continuously manipulated by their father to remain one of the boys and the mantra that "family is all we have", the boys toe the line.
Although this was a very bleak, harrowing and heartbreaking story, it was well worth reading and a stunning debut by Daniel Magariel. He depicted the sons' conflicted feelings towards their father and mother brilliantly!
I received an ARC via NetGalley.

[Kyriaki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* γιατί το βρήκα λίγο αδιάφορο.......
δεν ήταν κακό, είχε καλή γραφή χωρίς όμως να είναι κάτι ιδιαίτερο και είχε και κάποιες καλές στιγμές, αλλά δεν ήταν ούτε τόσο έντονο ή δυνατό όσο περίμενα ή ήθελα.......πολύ πιθανό μέσα στις επόμενες μέρες να ξεχαστεί.....

[Tomasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Krótka książka o toksycznej męskości, dysfunkcyjnej rodzinie oraz przemocy, fizycznej i psychicznej w stosunku do najbliższych. Podobała mi się kreacja postaci ojca i opis jego zachowań i manipulacji- po zastanowieniu w sumie nieczęsto w literaturze spotykałem taką perspektywę. Ciekawa powieść, choć do moim ulubieńcem raczej nie zostanie.

[Katerina Charisi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Σα να λέμε: Τι πουλάει; Οι δυσλειτουργικές οικογένειες. Ας βάλουμε ένα διαζύγιο, μια μάνα βλήτο, έναν πατέρα Τζακ Τόρανς και δυο έφηβα αγόρια που δεν έχουν ποτέ ακούσει ότι υπάρχουν κι άλλοι ενήλικες σ' αυτόν τον κόσμο και θα μπορούσαν να έχουν γλυτώσει τις 100 σελίδες από αυτές.

Δεν πείθει μετά τα πρώτα δυο κεφάλαια και απλά περιμένεις να διαβάσεις - όχι το τι θα γίνει παρακάτω, αλλά τις εξηγήσεις που δεν έρχονται ποτέ. Έτσι και στο βιβλίο "ένα παιδί που το έλεγαν αυτό", βιβλίο στο οποίο έγινε σάλος για τα ψέματά του και που ο συγγραφέας του πλάσαρε σαν αληθινή ιστορία (τη δική του κιόλας), βλέπουμε συμπεριφορές και πράξεις από το πουθενά και μένεις με την αίσθηση ότι απλά κάτι έπρεπε να γραφτεί για να υπάρξει βιβλίο και μάλιστα βιβλίο με αρκετή βία και δράμα ώστε να πουλήσει.

Στο One of the boys απορείς με τα ίδια πράγματα: Τα παιδιά πηγαίνουν στο σχολείο, κάνουν πολλές και αδικαιολόγητες απουσίες (δεν κάνει εντύπωση σε κανέναν;), κακοποιούνται και φαίνεται (δεν κάνει εντύπωση σε κανέναν;) και διάφορα άλλα σημεία που δε θε θέλω να τα πω λόγω spoiler και γιατί δεν του αξίζει και τόση ανάλυση.

Υποτιμά τη νοημοσύνη του αναγνώστη(κι ας μην ισχυρίζεται κανείς ότι είναι αληθινή ιστορία, δεν είναι εκεί το θέμα) κι είναι τόσο αλαζονικό και άσχετο που προσβάλλει όλους αυτούς που έχουν υπάρξει πραγματικά θύματα ενδοοικογενειακής βίας.

[maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Disclaimer: An ARC of One Of The Boys by Daniel Magariel was provided to me by Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinion any way.

--

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

One Of The Boys is one of those books that punches you right in the face. It puts things into perspective as it explores the lives of two young brothers as they struggle with their unfortunate family situation. While One Of The Boys was a quick read, it was truly memorable and heart-wrenching.

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What I Liked

Quick and fast paced. I’m sure I could have read this book in one sitting if I was able to devote the time to doing so. It was super quick and fast paced, not only in physical page length but also in the way that the story was told. There was never a dull or quiet moment throughout the entire book.

The harsh reality. Not all families are perfect. I love how raw One Of The Boys was. It explored a family dynamic that is probably more common than we think, but that we never really read about too often. It really puts things into perspective, that there are real life children that are living through situations like those found throughout this book.

The family dynamic. While the situation these kids are going through is absolutely terrible, One Of The Boys explores that maybe these kids don’t see their situation the same way that those outside of the family see it. These kids grew up believing that their father was their hero. He convinced them that he was. They couldn’t see that what he was doing was terrible. They were brainwashed. It was interesting as a reader to look in on this family and to learn why and how people in terrible relationships or family situations don’t realize it.

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What I Didn’t Like

Lost in the time jumps. There were moments throughout the novel that flashed back to earlier moments in the boys’ lives, but the transitions into these stories were very abrupt. There were a few times when I had to back track for a second to see if I had missed something before it clicked that we were learning about a past memory that they boys had. While I enjoyed learning about their past, I wish there was a better distinction between past and present.

More detail? As mentioned, I loved how fast paced this story was. However, there were times that I wished for just a little more detail. I’m not sure exactly how to describe it, but overall it just felt like there was a little something that was missing.

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Overall, One Of The Boys will definitely be a story that I remember for a long time. It was quick and raw, but also dark and eye-opening. I’m eager to read whatever Daniel Magariel releases next!

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Initial post reading thoughts:

One Of The Boys was a super fast paced read. It was dark and could be disturbing at times. I'm still not too sure how I feel about the writing style. There were moments that flashed back to the past, but they happened so quickly and unannounced that I didn't realize the reason that I was confused was because there had been a time jump.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yikes!! “One of the Boys” is a raw novel that the reader must beware. This is a powerful story of young boys who live under the terror of a drug-addict father. This is a mercifully short novel that packs a punch. Author Daniel Magariel uses an unnamed ten-year old narrator to tell the story of manipulation, abuse, and confusion.

The narrator just wants to be one of the boys. His father uses his insecurity to manipulate and mind control. What Magariel does is show how easily it is to influence a young and anxious mind. It’s a creepy and unsettling read that shows how abused kids stick with their abusive parent. It’s also a story of survival and how children can be innocent in one way and savvy in others. It’s a story that has the reader feeling what it would be like to be in that situation.

I highly recommend the novel when you are in the mood. It’s an amazing read that is gut-wrenching and shocking.

[Lela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad, well-written novel

I read this today from afternoon to late evening to early morning. There were interruptions which made me impatient. I knew I would read it in one go. It is a story of unbelievable cruelty and abuse by a father whose paranoia, anger, abusive nature, the ability to manipulate his two sons, and his spiraling drug use nearly destroys them all. Told by the younger son, it covers the time the 3 of them left behind their wife\mother & their badly broken family to move to New Mexico from Kansas. A heartbreaking, extremely well- written novel about a very difficult subject.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

Narrated by a twelve-year old boy, One of the Boys is the story of a shattered family. Emotional and absolutely riveting, Daniel Magariel’s debut novel immerses you into the mind of a child who simply wants to join his father and older brother on their plan of starting a new life away from their mother. There’s nothing more important for our unnamed narrator than to be one of the boys. Winning the war was only the first step to starting over in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Things however are not what they seem when the psychological and physical abuse by the father are about to become a routine ordeal for these children. The story presents us the evolution of two kids as they try to adapt to their new situation, overcome the new challenges of a motherless life and please a father who’s habits become much more evident and destructive. One of the Boys has become one of those short yet mesmerizing books of the year. With an ending that had us in awe, we can definitely say that this novel is one that should be read with caution.

If there’s one thing you learn in life it’s that children rhymes with innocence no matter what. Their young age offers them the opportunity to see life without the corrupted lens of experience. Their action speaks true to their heart and everything they do either comes from trial and error, from what they see or from what they are told to do. It’s this last element that is the most dangerous one as it obliges children to follow a leader and the ability to protest does not come without a fight. One of the Boys does an impeccable job in showing us the darker side of a coming of age story of kids who are trying hard to please their father and perpetuate the hate towards a mother forged by their father. Is the hate justified? It’s as they grow up with their father that they slowly wonder about their past, their actions and the harsh words that were once spoken deliberately towards their mother. It’s during these moments where they ponder their current condition and the life they want to have that things become a lot more contentious for each child and for the dynamic within the family. Antagonizing the mother and showing manipulative behavior are some of the most disturbing elements you find in Daniel Magariel’s debut novel. While the father struggles to remain coherent with himself, his desire to offer his children a new and beautiful life struggles to take life. His words say one thing and his actions say another.

This heart-breaking story isn’t only filled with darkness. Even if around every corner something depressingly heartbreaking occurs, it is the glimpse into the little rays of hope that shines through the events that has us holding on to this book tight throughout the ruthless moments. The optimism that can emanate through these characters and that get vulgarized through the words of children make us want to believe that change is possible and good things will happen if they continue to believe in their father’s words. That’s where the innocence of a twelve-year-old child kicks in. This inability to see between the lines and to fight back against their father, the only adult who they can turn to, become an anchor to a life filled with no steps forward, and plenty of steps backward. Not having a mother figure does do incredible damage when the father is incapable of showing proper parental skills. It’s even more tragic when you see these children show immense courage during times where you’d imagine anyone would break and crumble. It’s even more harrowing when you see the kids compensate for the mistakes and lack of presence of the father by taking care of his business and acknowledge the phases he goes through in a routinely manner. There are times where you’ll want to shove this book deep inside your closet and never find out if things will get better. However, One of the Boys is a story that you’ll want to gulp in a single shot. It’s only later that you’ll find yourself regretting doing so as the awful and haunting events that happen throughout the book become far too demoralizing.

There’s an emotional punch to every sentence in this book. There’s nothing truly complex in the writing as you’d wish when your narrator is a twelve-year-old, but there was still something certainly unusually powerful in the style. At times I found myself amazed by the writing to the point that I felt tethered to the story told and just couldn’t stop hurrying up for more details and progress. However, there also came moments where it hit me that the narrator had a voice that didn’t feel young, but rather lyrical, poetic and adult. This honestly took away the narrator’s ability to completely immerse me in the story, even if there were good chunks of the book where I was absorbed by the writing style and couldn’t believe what was being told. If Daniel Magariel had written it with a little more looseness in the vocabulary and the structure, I would’ve probably ended up tearing up at the ending that was delivered. In fact, One of the Boys has a rather open ending that leaves the readers the choice to decide what really happened. I absolutely loved the epilogue as well, as it adds elements to ponder in regards to the ending that was conveyed.

One of the Boys is not an easy read. It is a beautiful yet horrifying story of abuse and growth. With a father who turned his children against their mother to get custody over them, you quickly enter a fictional world filled with promises and lies. Slowly getting the fuller picture, the children start to see the true face of a father who tries miserably to hide his weaknesses and his despicable habits. Set in a dysfunctional family, the story brings to light the darkness that two children try to fight in their own innocent, yet courageous ways. It’s their coping mechanisms and their attitudes in front of the events that unfold that makes this story so devastating. Daniel Magariel’s debut novel is a short, yet incredibly compelling prose that warrants your attention. However, tread lightly. It is a novel filled with smoke and mirrors that aren’t easily discernible through the eyes of children. Watching these children grow under such conditions of abuse and insecurity can be quite the ride.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me an Advance Copy for review!

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
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Such a devastating portrayal of a dysfunctional family. Daniel Magariel's debut novel is one that simply could not be put done. No. That's a lie. It had moments so dark, twisted and heart-breaking that I just had to gently put the book away to take in what I had just read. Told through the eyes of a 12 year old youngster, this book will strike you from every angle and leave you in an emotional wreck.

This is a sad, sad story.

P.S. Full review to come closer to release date

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Cody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Release Date: 03.14.2017

One of the Boys is a brutal read — more brutal than I expected. I'm a fan of horror; I am relatively well-versed in the genre, yet I was shocked by the sheer nastiness of this short novel. Is that a pro or a con, its nastiness? Perhaps a pro (to an extent), though it does go way over the top.

A father has divorced his wife and won custody of his two teenage sons. They move to New Mexico in start of a new life. Daddy has a hard drug addiction, though, and it's from that specific plot point Daniel Magariel draws most of this story's horror.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't deeply disappointed in this novel. Based on the synopsis, I was expecting this to be one of my favorite reads of the year . . . or, at least, I planned to enjoy the journey. I really didn't. The story is pulled in too many directions; it suffers from multiple personalities. It tries being a horrific tale about drug abuse, and it also wants to be a travelogue and a coming-of-age tale and a Hallmark-esque look at fathers and sons. Maybe it could have worked, but none of these ideas mesh very well. One of the Boys feels like three or four different stories combined into one. As well, the reader is given no time to develop affection or sympathy for the characters, especially the father; that is so necessary in good horror fiction. The scares don't pack a punch because there is a sense that these aren't real people. They are not creations in which readers can invest hope or love. They just aren't very relatable or drawn well. They feel like cardboard cutouts; the boys' father feels like a cartoon villain.

The writing here is capable, meaning there are no grammar errors or obvious inconsistencies; the character work is decent, which is noteworthy for a debuting novelist. And it is short, clocking in at 176 pages — as the synopsis points out — meaning the read itself is relatively painless. I didn't dig this story, but I don't feel like too much of my time was wasted.

This is really just a wasted opportunity, which is quite unfortunate. I was rooting for this one and was ecstatic when Netgalley granted my request for an ARC. I will continue watching this author, for I am curious what he will release next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for the free ARC, which was given in exchange for an honest review.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

If One of The Boys was a theatrical play, it would be performed in one act. Indeed, it should be read in one sitting (it’s only about 160 pages) so that its intensity can build, uninterrupted.

There are only three main characters in this narrative: the 12-year-old narrator, his slightly older brother, and their father. All three remain nameless. The narrator is manipulated into betraying his mother to become “one of the boys” – to take off with the other “boys” to New Mexico after a very contentious custody battle. The sense of adventure is palpable.

But it is not long before the seemingly charismatic father becomes erratic and dangerous. Emotionally and physically, he transforms, as a result of his extreme drug addiction. The boys are victimized and manipulated into turning on each other. And gradually, they realize the truth about their parents and what they can expect from them.

The prose is laconic yet page-turning It covers the same ground as, say, Tobias Wolff’s harrowing This Boy’s Life or Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina, and others that focus on child abuse.

[hopeforbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Nasz chłopak” Daniela Magariela opowiada historię ojca, który wygrał trudny rozwód oraz prawo do wyłącznej opieki nad dziećmi. Wraz z dwójką synów postanawia wyjechać do Nowego Meksyku, aby tam rozpocząć nowe życie. Początkowo są oni pełni nadziei, jednak z czasem zachowanie ojca zaczyna robić się niepokojące.

Całą historię poznajemy z perspektywy najmłodszego syna, któremu ciężko odnaleźć się w nowej sytuacji i próbach zaimponowania ojcu. Całkiem niewinnie zapowiadająca się historia okazała się niezwykle smutna i przygnębiająca. Daniel Magariel stworzył bardzo intensywną i dosadną lekturę o próbie normalności, przemocy i uzależnieniu, która trzyma w napięciu aż do samego końca.

Mimo niewielkiej objętości, jest to bardzo niewygodna i niepokojąca lektura, która wzbudziła we mnie wiele emocji. Perspektywa dziecka jeszcze mocniej uwypukla nadzieję, ale i cierpienie. Początkowo miałam problem z umiejscowieniem epilogu w czasie, ale po kilku rozmowach, ułożyłam sobie to w głowie i doceniłam tę historię jeszcze bardziej. Jestem pod tym większym wrażeniem, że jest to debiut autora!

„Nasz chłopak” to mocna i intensywna lektura, którą zdecydowanie warto się zainteresować!

[Eric Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was deeply moved reading Daniel Magariel debut novel “One of the Boys” by the way he presents an intense domestic situation of a boy living with his older brother and domineering father. He learns about what it means to join in with this cult of masculinity: its benefits and its pitfalls. There’s an exquisitely played out tension between his desire for validation from the men in his life and his desire to supersede or reject them. He and his brother choose to live with his mother over his father because “our loyalty had always been to our dad. He was stronger. We feared him. He needed us. His approval always meant so much more than hers – it filled me up.” The way in which they creatively expunge their mother from their lives is truly horrifying. His father continues to act badly becoming a habitual drug user, bullying people who oppose him and physically abusing his boys. What’s especially tragic about this is how the boy narrator learns that “My father would get away with this for a lifetime – the arrogance, the self-regard, the lack of consequences.” Boys see how abominably and brashly men can act without being taken to task for it and the result is that many of those boys grow into men who act the same.

Read my full review of One of the Boys by Daniel Magariel on LonesomeReader

[Jessica Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short, claustrophobic novel about two brothers and their abusive father is one of those books you can easily read in one sitting, consumed by the mounting tension and unease.

It's narrated by the 12-year-old brother, the youngest of the two, and begins with his father manipulating him into framing his mother so that the three guys can flee to New Mexico and start over.

From there, things just get worse and worse. Their father, who starts off subtly manipulatively, gradually becomes more erratic and violent, while his sons struggle to protect each other from this person they once trusted.

It's a brutal story about psychological and physical abuse and the devastating toll it takes on one shattered family. I flew right through it.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fast read and deeply affecting.

Written simply and clear, it perfectly shows siblings secret language and bond with each other; the charisma of an abusive father; and the heartbreak and anger you have at a powerless mother both scared and enamored of him....

It moved me since I had known so much of this life, luckily the drugs had been steroids instead of crack and pot- but being captive in a house where someone hugs you and hits you later fills one with shame, rage and confusion.

This book was also funny at times- the ballsack laying on a couch comes to mind- it's a dark humor but sometimes cuts like sun rays, brightening dull, tense corners.

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I can deal with the fact she’s never been much of a wife to me. But the terrible mother she’s been to you? That has burned me for years. Don’t you remember what I was like when you were young? Before the war?” War was the word he used for divorce.

It is a war, this ripping of the boys from their mother, the psychological warfare, the lies, the setting up of one parent through the guidance of another. Their father is losing his grip on reality. He is drug addicted, paranoid and brutally abusive, the ‘one of the boys’ old attitudes about toughening up his sons. It is dark, disturbing and horrible what they go through. There is fear and hero worship of daddy here, a brotherhood that refuses to be separate. The youngest brother does not want to be left behind, he is a man too! He wants to go with them, even if it requires disturbing lies.

The adventure isn’t so glamorous. When everything spirals into a deeper seedy darkness, all they have is each other. The brothers watchful of a father who is cruel and addicted, they are exposed to things children shouldn’t be and the novel keeps the reader in a state of fear for the boys. What’s scarier than instability of the person meant to be caring for you? When you are meant to ‘be my eyes’ and ‘look out’ for anything suspicious, forced into a game of drug fueled paranoia- what good can come of it?

The story is a heavy short read, a strong debut and the most frightening take away from it is that there are children that grow up in this seedy lifestyle. Each family is it’s own creature, and some are downright beasts.

Publication Date: March 14, 2017

Scribner

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[Liis · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the Boys addresses themes of drug abuse, physical and mental abuse. It delivers immense feelings of hopelessness, hope and then hopelessness again- all through the eyes of a child and his brother who look up to their undeserving father and would do anything for his love. The prose in this novel appears effortless and effective as every word and thought and action is pulsing with human weakness, lies, the death of innocence. The whole environment is described so well I could smell the stench of stale air and cigarettes and hangovers, and feel the misery of this “dungeon”, I was living the life the boys were living.

Having said all of the above, it’s no wonder I cannot see how this can become someone’s favorite book in the sense that they would want to read this again. Or in the sense that they somehow treasure it. One of the Boys packs a punch, for sure, but it doesn’t offer any balance- this story is just a long string of misery. Personally, the ending left me with dark thoughts, and even though real life sometimes really isn’t anything but piss&shit, I would have liked to have finished on a higher note. But that’s just my opinion. It has an open ending with no real conclusion which in turn discounts any progress for any of the characters. Nothing got better and nothing got worse. Rating: 2 stars- It was OK.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this novel. It's a quick read though it doesn't feel like it (and I mean this in a good way) - the content has much more weight than it's 150ish pages. It's a gorgeously told tale of an apocalyptic family meltdown from a child's point of view.

It's gorgeous because it reminded me of why tiny novels like "The Old Man and the Sea" and "The Great Gatsby" have made such an indelible impression - they get to something real and they do it boldly with carefully chosen words. In fact, exactly the right words. Not one superfluous word in the prose and not one missing either. Apocalyptic because family are the first people we know in this world - they are our world. What happens when your mom or dad don't have your back? Armageddon.

The novel starts off with a bang. The stormy opening scene gets you in the door of the story. It not only gets you in the door, it has you feeling like you are flying by the seat of your pants for the entirety of the novel. The first nine pages set up the story so well. It's riveting. It's so well done. This author wastes no time dropping the reader into the middle of the story. Everything felt real, more like experiencing it than reading about it. Only two chapters in and I felt this novel had already left an indelible impression.

This novel is a real page turner. Though I found myself turning the pages more slowly as I was afraid of what would probably happen next. It's a horror story, a thriller, a dark fairytale with no happy ending in sight because having parents check out on drugs is akin to living with a schizophrenic or someone with dementia: confusing and scary.

The story is plausible and personal and universal all at the same time. The first character one has a sense of is the father. He jumps off the page more than anyone else in the opener. The father is such an indelible character, I swear I could hear his voice (still can) and it's not one of my making. The author made me hear his voice. This is a real person.

The adult reader will see so many red flags that wouldn't have them sticking around for more in real life, but the reader isn't a child with parents like the ones portrayed in the novel. Though, parents like the ones in the novel do exist in real life. That's what makes this story so riveting. It's a real story for someone. A lot of someone's.

There are some great lines such as when the father refers to the divorce as "the war" as in "after the war" and "before the war." There are also some great metaphors as when after doing something over-the-top, the father takes his sons tornado chasing.

And, oh my gawd, when the father asks his sons to "Nivea me," I laughed and then was horrified that I laughed but it was just funny. Especially so because he was such a strongly drawn character. This and other scenes also put you in the shoes of the boys. Their father could be charming and funny and weird, but like most things with someone like that, there's always another shoe in the wings ready to drop without proper notice. The scene in the biker bar where he reminds the kids of his dream in a Spanish prison, Jesus.

There are plenty of little moments that pack a punch like when the father is washing dishes and asks his son about basketball practice. The son answers but notices his dad isn't listening and sees his cheap cigar ashes fall onto the dishes he's washing and watches his dad not notice and rub the ashes into the dishes like a zombie. It's a tiny moment but so powerful.

There was great internal and external dialog throughout the novel. It always felt like it was coming from the characters versus the author shoving words down the characters throats to regurgitate. The dialog felt authentic as hell. One gets each character's sense of humor, which isn't easy to write.

There are some brutal and poignant scenes in this novel such as when one son realizes: "Until now his brutality had been reserved for her [his mom]."

Even when the father recedes physically in the story, his presence is still strongly felt because the author did such a good job drawing him. The reader feels what the boys are feeling as they try to navigate around him, tiptoeing mostly. I even found myself turning the pages more quietly at times.

If I had to choose one word to describe this novel it would be: betrayal. Every character feels betrayed in some way. Betrayal can take so many different forms, from the most brutal to the quiet betrayal one can feel when not saying what one really feels in any one moment. Especially as a child. Imagine the first time you betray yourself by not telling your father what you really feel about him having just beat the shit out of your mom. Instead you say nothing because you want things to go back to normal. A normal that is long gone, six feet under now. The first time any of us lie to ourselves about what we think and feel is the first time we betray ourselves. A betrayal that is often a child's first internal wound.

There are moments that just slayed me like when the father tells one of his sons that he's just like him. The son thinks: I didn't want his kindness. His cruelty was less confusing.

The novel has a great ending. It couldn't have been more perfect, like the light at the end of the tunnel inside a black hole. And then the epilogue circles back and it just hits you like a ton of bricks or a punch in the gut as you read it.

Masterfully done!