Play Book Tag discussion

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne - 4 stars

PBT comments: This book fits the "life" tag as it's about the entire life of a gay man in Ireland over the period of 70 years. Many of you have probably read it, but this is my first time reading John Boyne's work.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies is a sweeping saga, mostly set in Dublin, covering multiple generations of an unconventional family over a period of seventy years. It is the story of protagonist Cyril Avery, who is born in 1945 to an unwed mother and adopted by a distant self-absorbed couple. We follow his life as he matures, discovers his homosexuality, and leads a closeted life. In these years, homosexuality is illegal so he must conduct his sexual liaisons in secret. He develops a crush on Julian Woodbead, a childhood acquaintance who becomes a friend and the subject of his unrequited love. Cyril tries to convince himself to lead a so-called “normal” life by dating various women. He suffers, makes mistakes, and pays the price, endearing himself to reader in the process. It provides insight into the challenges of growing up gay in a disapproving society. This book’s timeless themes include the search for identity, the longing for acceptance, the need to develop a sense of home and family, and the desire to love and be loved.

The writing is superb, especially the dialogue, which provides laugh-out-loud humor to offset the abundant episodes of trauma, bigotry, and violent acts. Weighty topics are addressed, such as hate crimes, sex trafficking, and the AIDS epidemic. The story is structured in seven-year increments, during which Cyril experiences significant life events. The main characters are well-developed, especially Cyril and his birth mother, Catherine, whose story forms a subordinate plotline.

Boyne includes hard-hitting social commentary on the Catholic church and Irish social history as he confronts the homophobia and sexism of the mid-twentieth century. Cyril’s life mirrors the social changes being made in Ireland over the course of decades, moving from a time dominated by religion-dominated viewpoints and illegality to the passage of the marriage equality referendum, which parallels Cyril’s journey toward self-acceptance. It is filled with historical references, notable people, IRA violence, sexual content, and political and financial corruption.

It is an ambitious undertaking, though not without a few issues. It includes several stereotypical secondary characters, is a bit repetitious in places, and the primary narrative is carried by numerous unlikely coincidences. The epilogue, for a reason I could not discern, is written in a completely different style than the rest of the book. It is a lengthy book that occasionally indulges in superfluous side-stories.

Overall, I found this book engaging and look forward to reading more of this author’s work. Recommended to those that enjoy multi-generational family sagas and journeys of self-discovery.

Link to My Review

I agree with the unlikely coincidences, but I just liked it so damn much that I decided to embrace them. Thanks for your great review Joy.

Hmm...I was thinking it was a must read for me, but I OD'd on multi-generational family sagas and really avoid them these days.

Susie wrote: "I agree with the unlikely coincidences, but I just liked it so damn much that I decided to embrace them. Thanks for your great review Joy."

Thanks, Susie, and I agree it's easy to like this book!

Booknblues wrote: "Hmm...I was thinking it was a must read for me, but I OD'd on multi-generational family sagas and really avoid them these days."

If it helps any, the focus is primarily on Cyril. Since it covers 70 years, it's multi-generational by definition.

BnB, I feel sure that you will give it a 4 at the least.

What a wonderful book this was! Well worth it, BnB!

Booknblues wrote: "Hmm...I was thinking it was a must read for me, but I OD'd on multi-generational family sagas and really avoid them these days."

I wouldn't really call this multi-generational. It tells the story of one many through his whole life, but does not tell the in-depth stories of the generations above or below him. Obviously people of other generations are characters in the story, but the book does not string together characters of different generations into an inter-linked story.

If that sways you at all....I also think that you would enjoy it....

I have this now from the library, but I doubt I will get to it this month-the tower of books on my night-stand is ridiculous! Will probably return it and go back on the wait list-*heavy sigh*-I really want to read it. And guess what finally made it back to the library-
Yes-A Ladder to the Sky-of course, when I have no time to read it!

I also commented on some "big coincidences" in my review, but I still rated it 4.5 and it made my favourites last year. Going on memory, I thought I had rated it 5 stars, and didn't recall the coincidences!

In some interviews about the book, the author mentions the coincidences. And his comment was essentially "why not?".

Not sure if that helps or hurts, but at least he was aware while he was writing.

Thanks for the info, Sue. It does help, actually.

I don't want to belabor the point about coincidences, since I liked this book very much. It's just something that kept it from 5-stars in my rating scale. My view is that if a book is attempting to present realism (which this one appears to be), I prefer it not to rely on too many coincidences. Just personal taste.

Wonderful review! I loved this book so much.

Rachel wrote: "Wonderful review! I loved this book so much."
Rachel, thank you! So glad you enjoyed it too!