Review: The Heart's Invisible Furies

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As a member of an online book club, everyone was absolutely raving about this book, and I felt that I jumped on the band wagon a little later than everyone else...but what the heck does that matter if the book is as brilliant as this one?

If I'm honest, I've only read one other John Boyne book "The Boy In The Striped Pajamas" which literally had me sobbing on a packed commuter train at the end, so my expectations from Mr B were high...he didn't disappoint.

It's 1945 in a small West Cork town called Goleen, where a young, single, pregnant woman, Catherine Goggin is literally kicked out of the parish by an evil, vindictive priest. Heading on a bus to Dublin, with just her growing bump and a few pennies in her pocket, she befriends Sean MacIntyre who offers her shelter with him and his friend Jack Smoot.

One dark rainy evening, when Catherine is 9 months pregnant, a man forces his way into their flat looking for Sean, and to his (and Catherine's) surprise they find Sean and Jack together in bed. The man is Sean's father, who had travelled up to Dublin from Cork on the suspicion that his son was gay. He then proceeded to beat his own son to death, threw Catherine down a set of stairs and leaving Jack for dead. Catherine then goes into labour and Cyril is born. Being a young single woman living in Catholic, conservative Ireland, Catherine gives her son up for adoption in the hope that he has a better life.

And there begins the story, and I'm not going to spoil it any more for you because I think it's only fair that you fall in love with the characters for yourself, and you honestly will.

I love the way that the story is told through the eyes of Cyril right from the start - even as an unborn baby -pure magic.

I think this has become my favourite book of all time, and I described it to my nephew as an Irish version of "Tales Of The City" which I think is iconic.

If you only read one book this year - I urge you to buy, beg or borrow a copy, and I promise you won't be disappointed.

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