The Heart's Invisible Furies

A Novel

By: John Boyne

Narrated by: Stephen Hogan

Named Book of the Month Club's Book of the Year, 2017

Selected one of New York Times Readers’ Favorite Books of 2017

Winner of the 2018 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award

From the beloved New York Times best-selling author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a sweeping, heartfelt saga about the course of one man's life, beginning and ending in post-war Ireland.

Cyril Avery is not a real Avery - or at least, that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn't a real Avery, then who is he?

Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead. At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from - and over his many years, will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country, and much more.

In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit.

©2017 John Boyne (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Boyne, who has a wonderful gift for characterization, does a splendid job of weaving these various lives together in ways that are richly dramatic, sometimes surprising, and always compelling...Often quite funny, the story nevertheless has its sadness, sometimes approaching tragedy. Utterly captivating and not to be missed." (Booklist)

"With quick strokes and bitter humor, Boyne's opening scene encapsulates the Irish church's hypocrisy...Boyne continues his crusading ways with the quiet keening of this painful, affecting novel." (Kirkus)

"Narrator Stephen Hogan's performance of the twists and turns of Cyril's struggle is dramatic, life affirming, and inspiring.... It's a coming-of-age tale delivered by Hogan in a sensitive narration. Listeners looking for both hearty laughs and gentle tears will enjoy Cyril's journey." (AudioFile)

TEN STARS!

I honestly do not have the words to describe how magnificent this story is, or how exceptional the narration is! Legitimately speechless.

Beautiful writing with unexpected humor and superb performance.

Well developed characters living through difficult times in recent history. I couldn't wait to find out how they all moved on through their lives but didn't want it to end.

Narration has become more and more important to me as I make my way through life with Audible. I can't listen to books, no matter how well written or highly recommended they are, if the reader doesn't "get" the characters and the rhythm right. Stephen Hogan is masterful. A great performance altogether.

Outstanding!!!!

This book meant so much to me! I truly felt as though I was on the journey of Cyril's life with him. The humor and wit of the character's verbal exchanges at times made me laugh out loud. Excellent choice of reader. He truly became the voice of Cyril. Loved it and was sad to see it end.

Fully alive

This is one of the most fully alive novels I have ever experienced—yes, I mean experienced. Luscious and generous, an odyssey of Cyril Avery, an emblematic character experiencing a gay man’s challenges in Ireland and America through the mid twentieth century. Then finding his birth mother late in his middle year’s., a woman who also faced her own challenges from the Catholic Church in Ireland to single motherhood. This novel embraces so many themes. Beautifully written. Laugh out loud. Heart wrenching. Maddening. Bittersweet. Take the time to absorb this book. The Audible performance is pitch perfect as well and brings the story to life. One of the best performances I have used.

Wonderful audiobook

A little slow at the start but stick with it. It's worth it!!! I will remember this one

One of the best books ever.

What I loved: the glittering wit, the epic plot, the narrator’s ability to perform all the voices of the incredible characters. Wow. I will certainly listen to this again.

Lovely saga

The narrator is great, which upped this review from 4 to 5, however, the story itself and the characters throughout are also wonderful. This is a well-written peek into Ireland’s history, the struggles of a gay man, and acceptance.

One you cannot miss!

Such a lovely tale of sorrow, love, and friendship. It captures the absurdities of humanity as well as the timeless beauty of it. I laughed and cried so many times. John Boyne can’t write a bad book.

Ring of Truth

Although fictional, this novel has such a ring of truth that I had to double-check to make sure it was not an autobiography. This book was captivating and engaging. It is hard to believe that such feelings were prevalent as recently as the time of this novel. For me the very best moment of the book was when Cyril realized that he was happy; he really deserved it, and that he achieved it made me wish he were a real person.

Strange!

I was going to give up on it after an hour or so but I wanted to know what happened next! It held me till the end. Seems kind of funny to realize how homosexuality was viewed back in the day, especially in very Catholic Ireland.