Ah, John Boyne. I know that I will never be disappointed picking up one of his books. He is a great storyteller and his books, the ones which are specifically focused on Ireland, seem to have the most depth and the most feeling. Is this just coincidence? I don’t think so. I think Ireland is important, because out of the four books by Boyne I’ve read, the most intense for me as a reader have both been set in Ireland: this one and A History of Loneliness.
But let’s focus on this one, which tells the story of Cyril Avery from his childhood to his end, his life being a varied one at that. It begins with the background of his mother, an unmarried teenager who is disowned by her family and thrown out of her village. This is done in a humiliating way by the parish priest, in church, in front of the congregation. Boyne is keen to highlight the shortcomings of the Catholic Church and there is a lot of invective in the book against the tight binds that the Church demanded of people whilst exercising hypocrisy at every turn.
But Cyril’s mother is a determined soul and gets on the bus to Dublin where she gives birth and gives Cyril away for adoption. Cyril not knowing who his mother is, is a thread that permeates the book and a source of suspense as their worlds collide without them knowing but you, as the reader, are fully aware.
Cyril’s adopted life is unorthodox but lacking hardship. It changes when he meets Julian and falls in love with him, starting an obsession which rules a vast part of his life. Unfortunately, Julian, who becomes his best friend, does not share the same feelings so Cyril keeps it secret. However, it’s inevitable that it will come out. We follow Cyril as he tries to find some semblance of a normal life as a homosexual in a society that recoils from it, finding it abhorrent. Evidence of this is found throughout the book, manifesting itself in violence and ignorance, especially in relation to AIDS and its discovery in the 1980s.
So does Cyril find love? Maybe…but you need to read his story which is full of humour, struggle, family, love. One of highs and lows but most of all, humanity. It shows the best of people and the worst.
Great book.
Scuffed Granny 