A review by duckoffimreading
The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

5.0

This is a long read but worth it. Opening in 1945 in rural Ireland, John Boyne weaves a lifelong tale of unusual family structures, heartbreaking bigotry, and ultimately love. Cyril Avery is the central character and knows from an early age that he is gay but tragically lives in a world where he cannot be who he wants to be without risking his safety. Reading this book made me rethink my overall opinion of Ireland and while very progressive today, Heart's Invisible Furies highlights the darker, Catholic dominated days. Boyne's character development is rich across the board. Cyril's Irish banter is self deprecating but innocently sarcastic and I found myself laughing out loud in some places. This is an epic story, spanning Cyril's birth to death. It isn't a happy story per say, but I did find myself sympathizing with the main character and in the end there is strong closure for Cyril.