The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne (first published in 2017 by Transworld publishers)
The story begins in an Ireland ruled by the Catholic Church in 1945, when an unwed, pregnant 16 year old is publicly and literally kicked out of the church and has to make her own way in the world.She gives her baby boy up for adoption and thus begins the fascinating and traumatic life of Cyril Avery, a shy, complex and highly likeable character.
The plot is gripping though somewhat improbable, with quite a few unbelievable coincidences.
However, this doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the book, which is testimony to the author’s talent. I could have done without the epilogue though, which I thought was entirely unnecessary and somewhat baffling.
The writing style is very reminiscent of John Irving and contains lots of frank conversations, sexual encounters and humour. However, the book does have a strong underlying message about prejudice and intolerance.
If you enjoy a really good, gripping, humorous story with a worthwhile message, I would highly recommend this book.
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WATCH: The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne