What readers think of The Heart's Invisible Furies, plus links to write your own review.

John Boyne dedicates this sprawling novel to John Irving and that, in my opinion, is no accident. John Irving's works are characterized by two key themes: the absent parent who looms large in his/her offspring's life, and the role of predetermination merged with coincidence. Both these themes are in ample display here.

The book opens with a bang: a teenage girl is humiliated, emotionally abused, and cast out of the church when her pregnancy is revealed. That girl is Cyril Avery's unknown birth mother, who appears intermittently in his life. Adopted by a wealthy and eccentric Dublin couple who insist that his stay in a "tenancy" and that he is "not really an Avery", Cyril is adrift both at home and in the broader Irish theocracy.

Attracted to a charismatic and girl-chasing friend Julian Woodbead, Cyril – who is gay – learns early on to lead a shadow life, suppressing desires and trying to figure out where he belongs.

Yet this novel – bawdy and comedic in parts, poignant and searing in others – is not just a depiction of Cyril's struggles, but also the struggles of Ireland. As Cyril evolves from self-loathing, denial and crippling shame, so does his country, which rejects the scandalous, hypocritical and abusive church structure in favor of a more accepting and equalitarian stance.

I was totally engrossed in this redemptive book and in awe of how John Boyne merged a sense of comedic bravado with heartfelt fury at how the church attempted to destroy the lives of those who stepped outside the lines of its orthodoxy.

Two things in closing: this is not a "gay book". It is a human book and a redemptive one at that, which is must reading for anyone who is traveling the journey to self-acceptance. And, while coincidence plays a heavy role, those who appreciate Irving will recognize how predetermination can impact our individual stories.

As an American Irish Catholic man, I was drawn to the book after reading the publisher's summary and wasn't disappointed! The story covers 40-years in the 70-year life of the narrator - Cyril Avery spanning from Dublin / West Cork, Amsterdam and New York. Contained in the story are familiar themes -- the rigidity of the Catholic Church and the hypocrisy of church leaders especially priests fathering children yet denouncing their relationship and the mothers. The author develops each character and we feel as if we knew each of them.

The books also covers the familiar topics of the IRA and the AIDS epidemic. Less frequently covered is the story of the life of gay men in Ireland during the second half of the 20th century or the friendship between a gay and straight man. The author captures their emotions brilliantly.

I laughed, I cried, and most of all I loved the book!

This is the autobiography of a fictional character, Cyril Avery. Born out of wedlock in 1945 to an Irish teenager who was drummed out of the parish by her priest, Cyril is adopted by an upper class couple who constantly remind him that he is not "a real Avery." But this is not the only thing that sets him apart from the other boys: he realizes at an early ago that he is homosexual and obsessed with Julian, the son of his father's barrister. Cyril's story becomes the struggle of so many young men forced to closet their sexual identity in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. When he leaves repressive Ireland for Amsterdam, he finds true love for the first time--but, alas, when the AIDS epidemic hits, renewed bigotry against gays disrupts his life yet again. His story manages to end end on a higher but rather contrived note with the acceptance of newly-found family.

I almost gave up on this novel about halfway through, when it seemed to lose all its humor and became a gay coming of age story, but I stuck with it. Boyne is attempting something rather epic here, letting one man's story stand in for the history of homosexuality over the last five decades and in several locations. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. He also strives to bring the characters full circle: unknowingly, Cyril keeps running across his birth mother, and the figure of Julian, his first crush, makes several reappearances. An interesting effort, if not always successful.

In a novel covering the course of one man's lifetime, the author weaves together both history and societal prejudices using a mixture of humor and sadness. While I found many of the characters overdrawn, I enjoyed the book, and the clever way Boyne both set up and tied the storyline together.

This is the third book that I have read by John Boyne. (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Crippen) The Heart's Invisible Furies covers a wide range of episodes: violence, hatred, and intolerance as the author tells what it is like to be gay in a repressed society. It is a highly readable account that includes significant moments in history from the 1966 IRA bombing in Dublin to the recent referendum to permit same-sex marriage in Ireland. The book makes for a convincing portrayal of a diverse society with gripping scenes and it is a memorable experience following the life of the main character.

John Boyne throws the reader in headfirst in "The Heart's Invisible Furies." We immediately meet Catherine Goggins, a 16 year old Irish girl who's expecting a baby. She is in the process of being verbally assaulted and physically thrown out of the Catholic church by a priest while her family looks on. We are simultaneously meeting our protagonist--Cyril--who's in vitro.

From there, Boyne checks in with Cyril at seven year intervals. We watch him grow from a child being raised by very peculiar adoptive parents to a young man struggling with his sexual identity to an old man happy with who he's become. Cyril's story takes lots of twists and turns, many of which will cause readers to shake their heads and be thankful society has made some strides towards accepting people for who they are. The price of bigotry is way too high.

Weighing in at 550 pages, "The Heart's Invisible Furies" looked a bit daunting at first. But I found myself galloping through it, eager to find out what would happen next. While Boyne might have wrapped things up a bit too neatly, the story is well worth immersing yourself in.

John Boyne has written a very readable novel with a remarkable protagonist, Cyril Avery. Cyril lives with shame/hidden conflicts related to his sexuality for his first 28 years of life and the first half of the novel. The second half of the story follows Cyril as he learns to live openly as a gay man and the joys and conflicts he encounters.Throughout his life's story, Cyril is often lonely and isolated; but he always likable to the reader, even when he makes poor decisions. I see Cyril's character as symbolic of the changing attitudes and eventual acceptance (for the most part) of homosexuality in Ireland, Europe and the US. Although I enjoyed the read, many themes were repetitive and too long. I think the novel would have been improved with tighter editing.

This was OK. If you like John Irving, it might be down your alley.