The Heart's Invisible Furies

by John Boyne

a disreputable sort, the type that society should banish to the wilderness, like a leper or an Australian.

They should lock all the Nancy-boys up, if you ask me. Put them out on one of the islands off the west coast where they can do no harm to anyone but each other. But anyway, Cyril, what we were talking about? Oh yes, where do you go to Mass?’

I would be normal if it killed me.

for the first time in my life it occurred to me that I had never given any thought whatsoever to the idea of being a father.

I just know that if she goes to America she’ll end up being raped by a black man and having an abortion.’ ‘Jesus Christ,’ I said, spitting out my tea.

‘So how’s prison life?’ I asked. ‘Everything going all right in here?’ ‘Well, I haven’t been raped by a gang of multi-ethnic bank robbers, if that’s what you mean.’ ‘It wasn’t what I meant at all,’ I said.

Should I fall or have a heart attack, I could lie on the kitchen floor decomposing for weeks before anyone thought to come looking for me. I didn’t even have a cat to eat me.