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The Heart's Invisible Furies

John Boyne

Start date: June 1, 2019

Finish date: June 30, 2019

Discussion: Monthly Bonus Reads

Why we're reading this: June Bonus Read- Gay Pride

"June 28th 1969- LGBT Pride Month 2019. June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transge…more
[close] June Bonus Read- Gay Pride

"June 28th 1969- LGBT Pride Month 2019. June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month. The month has been recognized since 1970, one year after the Stonewall Rebellion which took place on June 28th 1969, commemorating the impact the riots had had on society."

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

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What Members Thought

Jan 13, 2018 Ann Marie (Lit·Wit·Wine·Dine) rated it it was amazing

I knew I had to read The Heart’s Invisible Furies when I saw it on so many “Best of 2017” lists. The endorsement of several of my favorite bloggers who often have tastes similar to my was enough to convince me to insert this 582 page book smack into the middle of my already jam-packed reading schedule. A few of those include Renee at It's Book Talk , Sarah at Sarah's Book Shelves , and Susie at Novel Visits. I’m happy say I do not regret for one moment the fews days following that I felt compell I knew I had to read The Heart’s Invisible Furies when I saw it on so many “Best of 2017” lists. The endorsement of several of my favorite bloggers who often have tastes similar to my was enough to convince me to insert this 582 page book smack into the middle of my already jam-packed reading schedule. A few of those include Renee at It's Book Talk , Sarah at Sarah's Book Shelves , and Susie at Novel Visits. I’m happy say I do not regret for one moment the fews days following that I felt compelled to read and review an entire book in the same day just to stay on schedule. This book proved to be one of the best, if not THE best that I’ve ever read.

In addition to the above, there are many reviews out there so I’m going to focus mostly on my experience with the book and what I felt were the highlights. I agree with the sentiments of so many others in repeating that the story was rich, unique, beautifully written and full of well-drawn characters to love (or not). Even in the lightest moments in this book, there was a heaviness in my heart that may have dissipated but never completely went away.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies if full of heartbreak, longing, and even humor – one of the most emotive books I’ve ever read. From the very beginning, where Cyril’s unwed, teenage mother is cast out of her church and her home, I was so drawn in that I never wanted to put this book down. It was a page-turner for sure, but not for the reasons one would normally think. Rather than flipping through at the edge of my seat because I couldn’t wait to see what happens next, I found myself simply unable to leave Cyril. I felt very connected to his character. I needed to see him through.

This book takes a hard look at many social issues from what is, at best the intolerance of and at worst, the abuse of power of the Catholic Church in Ireland to the HIV/AIDS crisis in 1980’s New York City. The unbelievable difficulty/impossibility of living openly as a gay man in Ireland in times considered “modern” where one of the things I found most heartbreaking.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies could also be primer on how to write all manner of highly nuanced family dynamics. There are too many examples to name but I was most struck by the complete rejection faced by many of the characters due to pretty much anything having to do with sex – if you had it, if you were thinking about having it, if you wanted to have it with the “wrong sort” of person, even if you were abused, you faced immeasurable pain and rejection from the very people you depended on most for love and support. The weight of shame was crushing. I’m gutted to think that in many parts of the world, including here in the U.S., there are still people who are unable to live openly without fear of rejection and violence.

I was amazed at the way John Boyne was able to weave together historically accurate renderings of the times with a series of unlikely events and coincidences in a way that felt absolutely authentic. Not once did I scoff at any of the improbabilities in the story. This, for me, is one of the hallmarks of a true classic.

Prior to having read The Heart’s Invisible Furies, the only book I’d read by John Boyne was The House of Special Purpose which I can also recommend. I’m now keen to read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next. ...more

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Apr 03, 2018 Suzy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: listened-to, diane-buddyread, audio-faves, found-family, goodreads-discoveries, over-500pp

I was completely swept up in John Boyne’s novel about one Cyril Avery and his life over the decades starting in 1945. Written in first person (perfect for this book!), we first meet Cyril from the future telling about his birth. Born in Dublin as his unwed mother witnesses an unspeakably violent act against two men who have taken her in after she was thrown out by the church and ostracized by her rural Irish family, we make an immediate connection to his story. Boyne then drops us into Cyril’s l I was completely swept up in John Boyne’s novel about one Cyril Avery and his life over the decades starting in 1945. Written in first person (perfect for this book!), we first meet Cyril from the future telling about his birth. Born in Dublin as his unwed mother witnesses an unspeakably violent act against two men who have taken her in after she was thrown out by the church and ostracized by her rural Irish family, we make an immediate connection to his story. Boyne then drops us into Cyril’s life seven years later where we see him try to make sense of his life with his oddly removed adoptive parents, become aware of his homosexuality and try hard to fit in. We check in with Cyril every seven years thereafter to see where life has taken him, how he comes of age and how he matures. Boyne is also telling us the story of Ireland, especially as it relates to the experience of women and homosexuals. Cyril is born into an Ireland where laws, the church and society see homosexuals as a scourge on society setting up both conflict within Cyril and conflict imposed on him from outside forces. This is brought vividly to life by Boyne, giving him the opportunity to tell one man’s story as well as that of a country moving into the 21st Century.

Boyne writes with humor (especially in the first half of the book), poignancy, pathos and tremendous (melo)dramatic tension. I laughed, my heart pounded, I cried, and I equally wanted to slap Cyril for being such an ass, fuss over him as he healed his wounds and embrace him as he came to acceptance of his life. I also wondered if I connected so strongly to this book because I’m about Cyril’s age and have lived through many of the events and changes that took place during the seven decades of this book. Boyne uses coincidences to further both Cyril’s story and his tale of Ireland and there were times when I rolled my eyes, finding them unbelievable. But then I thought of the coincidences in my own life, some of which might sound made up to people who weren’t there. So, I just decided to let go and roll with the story, which I'm very glad I did. I would say as well that the last part of the book had a few scenes of emotional revelation that went on a little too long, making these parts seem a little tacked on in order for Boyne to make his points. But with that said, the ending was brilliant and the overall feeling I had from this book was one of heart-warming satisfaction. If I were feeling stingy today, I might give this 4 ½ stars, but I’m not so it’s an enthusiastic 5 stars from this reader.

This quote from Laurie Hertzel’s review in our local Startribune newspaper pretty much sums up my feelings:
“Despite these missteps, the book never really flags, and Cyril’s intelligent witty voice takes us all the way through to the end of his life. “The Heart’s Invisible Furies” is a brilliant, moving history of an Irishman, and of modern Ireland itself.”

Endnotes:

I listened to The Heart’s Invisible Furies narrated by Stephen Hogan who brought this beautifully to life, surely enhancing this reader’s experience. This will certainly end up as one of my all-time favorite audiobooks!

This is the second book I’ve read this year that looks at the sweep of history through the life story of one person. The other is Fair and Tender Ladies, which tells the story of Appalachia from 1915 through the mid-1970’s through the life of Ivy Rowe. I would not be surprised that they both end up on my top 10 list for 2018. ...more

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Dec 29, 2021 Colleen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: talk-books, neighborhood-book-club

FIVE HEART STARS!!!!!

Jealousy is an utterly futile emotion.

She understood completely the condition of loneliness and how it undermines us all, forcing us to make choices that we know are wrong for us.

They couldn't see beyond their own suffering. And why, I supposed, should they? ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

May 31, 2018 Heather rated it really liked it

Despite hearing from several trusted bookish friends that this book was incredible, I put off picking it up for quite awhile because it just didn't sound like my kind of book. I think I actually finally picked it up at EXACTLY the right time though because it held my attention the whole time and I absolutely loved this story.

Cyril's character was so wonderful. The story of his life was at times heartbreaking to read but there was also so much happiness at times too. Overall, this was such an in ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 11, 2018 Jordan rated it it was amazing

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in more than seven decades of life, it’s that the world is a completely fucked-up place. You never know what’s around the corner and it’s often something unpleasant.”

A must read! This took me some time to get into. When I first started, I really enjoyed the writing but was fine reading a little bit at a time. Once I got about half way through, I couldn’t stop. The prose is beautiful. The story is heartbreaking, funny, truthful, a testament to real life, all at ...more

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