Author: John Boyne
Year published: 2017
Category: Adult fiction
Pages: 592
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location: (my 2025 Google Reading map): Ireland, the Netherlands, and the US (NY)
Summary: Cyril Avery is not a real Avery -- or at least, that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn't a real Avery, then who is he?
Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead. At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from - and over his many years, will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country, and much more.
Review: My in-person book group had a difficult time choosing a book this month. All the suggestions were just too... deep, sad, and serious. Then one member mentioned she'd like to re-read this book, and we were all in. I've read two previous Boyne novels: Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Boy at the Top of the Mountain (links to my reviews). I am so glad she spoke up, as this audiobook pulled me in from the start.
This book is funny, perceptive, interesting, and a really good read/listen. Having Cyril narrate from the very beginning, before he was even born, was a fun way to hear his backstory and to have consistency in the perspective and storyline. There are so many characters whose lives are intertwined over the decades (1940s to 2010s): family, friends, and enemies.
In some ways, all the main characters are flawed. I suppose we all are, which makes it realistic. The inter-relationships, the secrets, the bad behavior, and the good get mixed up to create a funny and poignant family/community drama. I can't say much about the details without giving away secrets that get revealed, but when certain characters interacted, I so hoped the numerous truths would be revealed. Over and over. And there was a ton of satisfaction for me by the end.
I really enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator's voices helped me know who was speaking and made me feel like they contributed to my understanding of their personalities. I laughed, had moments when I was stunned, and others where I was sad. I love a book that accesses most of my emotions.
Challenges for which this counts:
- Literary Escapes--Netherlands
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