REVIEW: The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

Synopsis

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 three score years and ten, 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.

Format 582 pages, Hardcover
Published August 22, 2017 by Hogarth Press

About the Author

John Boyne is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed novelists of his generation. In a career spanning more than 30 years, he has published 17 novels for adults, 6 novels for younger readers, a short story collection, and a picture book.

His most famous book, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, was a New York Times No.1 Bestseller, and adapted for film, theatre, opera, and ballet, selling more than 11 million copies worldwide. It is used in schools on every continent to introduce young readers to their study of the Holocaust.

Among his many international bestsellers are The Heart’s Invisible Furies, A Ladder to the Sky, and All the Broken Places.

His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Observer, The Times Literary Supplement, The Irish Times, and in dozens of international newspapers and magazines.

He has won 4 Irish Book Awards, the Hennessy Literary ‘Hall of Fame’ Award, and many international literary prizes, including the Qué Leer Award for Novel of the Year in Spain and the Gustav Heinemann Peace Prize in Germany for his work on Holocaust Education. In 2015, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of East Anglia.

His novels are published in 60 languages.

In November 2023, John published the first of a four novella sequence, Water, which was followed by Earth and Fire. Air will be published in May 2025. The sequence will be published in September 2025 in one volume, titled The Elements.

Learn more about the author on his website.

Setting and Location

The bulk of this book takes place in Ireland.

National Library of Ireland on The Commons, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

John Boyne’s The Heart's Invisible Furies is a triumph of storytelling — a powerful, sweeping novel that traces the life of Cyril Avery from his illegitimate birth in 1940s Ireland to his later years, exploring his journey to find acceptance, identity, and love.

Let me preface this by saying that this review has been a long time in the making. I started this book at the end of 2017 and was happily declaring it to be one of the best books I'd ever read when I had to make a surprise trip to Michigan to stay by my dying father's bedside in January/February 2018. I put the book down and barely touched another book for years after. I'm glad to say that I finally felt ready to pick it up again, backtracked to refresh my memory on where I'd left off, and finally completed it. 

The story follows Cyril Avery, born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out by her small Irish village, and adopted by eccentric, distant parents. From his earliest days, Cyril knows he’s different — not just because he’s "not a real Avery," as his adoptive parents frequently remind him, but because he’s hiding a truth about himself that 1950s Ireland would never accept. His lifelong journey of self-discovery — marked by heartbreak, longing, and resilience — is both intensely personal and universally resonant.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is how it examines Ireland’s evolving social and political landscape alongside Cyril’s own growth. It’s a story that confronts the cruelty of prejudice, yet it never loses sight of hope — hope for change, for acceptance, and for the quiet, powerful force of human kindness.

The characters are richly drawn, each one leaving an indelible mark on Cyril’s life. From his eccentric adoptive parents to his lifelong (and unrequited) love for his friend Julian, every relationship feels authentic and layered. Boyne’s ability to weave historical events into Cyril’s personal journey adds an extra layer of depth, making the book not only an emotional odyssey but also a poignant commentary on societal change.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies is, at its core, a deeply compassionate novel — one that embraces the flaws, mistakes, and regrets that make us human. Cyril’s journey is heartbreaking and uplifting all at once, and Boyne’s ability to weave humor into even the darkest moments is nothing short of brilliant.

Five words: heartfelt, witty, original, nostalgic, absorbing

Buy Now:

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My final word: John Boyne’s The Heart’s Invisible Furies is nothing short of extraordinary — a sweeping, emotionally rich novel that captures the complexities of identity, love, and belonging with unforgettable tenderness and humor. If you’re looking for a novel that will make you laugh, cry, and reflect on what it means to belong, The Heart's Invisible Furies is an absolute must-read. By the final page, the novel leaves you feeling both heartbroken and hopeful — a testament to Boyne’s extraordinary ability to capture the messy, beautiful complexity of life. It’s a book that lingers in your mind long after you’ve finished it, reminding you of the invisible forces — love, regret, hope — that shape us all. 

Warnings:

Some sexual situations, references to drug use and prostitution, physical assault

Cover: 3.5

Writing Style: 5

Characters: 5

Storyline/Plot: 5

Interest/Uniqueness: 5

My Rating: 

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The Cerebral Girl is a middle-aged blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.

REVIEW: Bear by Julia Phillips

Synopsis

A mesmerising novel of two sisters on a Pacific Northwest island whose lives are upended by an unexpected visitor — a tale of family, obsession, and a mysterious creature in the woods, by the celebrated, bestselling author of Disappearing Earth.

They were sisters and they would last past the end of time.

Sam and her sister, Elena, dream of another life. On the island off the coast of Washington where they were born and raised, they and their mother struggle to survive. Sam works long days on the ferry that delivers wealthy mainlanders to their vacation homes while Elena bartends at the local golf club, but even together they can’t earn enough to get by, stirring their frustration about the limits that shape their existence.

Then one night on the boat, Sam spots a bear swimming the dark waters of the channel. Where is it going? What does it want? When the bear turns up by their home, Sam, terrified, is more convinced than ever that it’s time to leave the island. But Elena responds differently to the massive beast. Enchanted by its presence, she throws into doubt the plan to escape and puts their long-held dream in danger.

A story about the bonds of sisterhood and the mysteries of the animals that live among us — and within us — Bear is a propulsive, mythical, rich novel from one of the most acclaimed young writers in America.

Format 304 pages, Hardcover
Published June 25, 2024 by Hogarth
ISBN 9780525520436 (ISBN10: 0525520430) 

About the Author

Julia Phillips is the author of the bestselling novels Bear and Disappearing Earth, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of the Year. A 2024 Guggenheim fellow, she lives with her family in Brooklyn.

Julia's work has been translated into twenty-six languages. She has written for The New York Times, ​The Atlantic, and The Paris Review and teaches at the Randolph College MFA program. She is also on the board of the Crime Victims Treatment Center, a nonprofit that helps people heal from violence.

Learn more about the author

My Thoughts

The ferry from Friday Harbor left fourteen times a day-- fifteen on weekends-- to loop around San Juan Channel's scattered islands.

I lived for a time near the islands where this story takes place, and it is an area near and dear to my heart. 

Patos Green Algae, San Juan Islands, Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Therefore, I was really looking forward to this story. Unfortunately, I was left wanting.

Julia Phillips' Bear undoubtedly showcases her talent for vivid, atmospheric writing. The descriptions of both the wilderness and the internal struggles of the characters are evocative and compelling. Phillips has a knack for painting a scene and giving life to the landscape.

However, despite her skill with prose, Bear often feels like it's trying a little too hard. The plot, which revolves around an unusual and darkly symbolic premise, veers into territory that feels more absurd than poignant. The see-saw between the emotional depth of the characters and the increasingly outlandish events they find themselves caught in makes for a jarring and at times frustrating reading experience. The more the book tries to build depth, the more it risks turning into an over-wrought melodrama.

While Phillips' writing can be beautiful at times, the story itself doesn't always match the ambition behind it. The narrator's motivations are at times unclear or exaggerated to the point of ridiculousness, making it difficult to connect with their journey and creating a convoluted plot.

Five words: melodramatic, overdone, vivid, unusual, convoluted

My final word: In short, Bear is a book that could have been more if it didn’t stretch so far. I was left feeling that this was one long and drawn-out story in what should have been part of a short story collection. Phillips' talent is evident, but the book's execution ends up feeling overly dramatic and weighty, leaving the reader caught between admiration for the writing and eyerolls at the story as it falls short of its mark.

Buy Now:

Find your purchase options on the author's website.

Warnings:
Minor sexual situations, minor violence

Rating:

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The Cerebral Girl is a middle-aged blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.

I received a copy of this book to review through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel. The book that I received was an uncorrected proof, and quotes could differ from the final release.  

REVIEW: Burn by Peter Heller

 

Synopsis

From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars, a novel about two men—friends since boyhood—who emerge from the woods of rural Maine to a dystopian country racked by bewildering violence

Every year, Jess and Storey have made an annual pilgrimage to the most remote corners of the country, where they camp, hunt, and hike, leaving much from their long friendship unspoken. Although the state of Maine has convulsed all summer with secession mania—a mania that has simultaneously spread across other states—Jess and Storey figure it’s a fight reserved for legislators or, worst-case scenario, folks in the capital.

But after weeks hunting off the grid, the men reach a small town and are shocked by what they find: a bridge blown apart, buildings burned to the ground, and bombed-out cars abandoned on the road. Trying to make sense of the sudden destruction all around them, they set their sights on finding their way home, dragging a wagon across bumpy dirt roads, scavenging from boats left in lakes, and dodging armed men—secessionists or U.S. military, they cannot tell—as they seek a path to safety. Then, a startling discovery drastically alters their path and the stakes of their escape.

Drenched in the beauty of the natural world and attuned to the specific cadences of male friendship, even here at the edge of doom, Burn is both a blistering warning about a divided country’s political strife and an ode to the salvation found in our chosen families.

• Format 291 pages, Hardcover
• Published August 13, 2024 by Knopf
• ISBN 9780593801628 (ISBN10: 0593801628)

About the Author

Peter Heller is a longtime contributor to NPR, and a former contributing editor at Outside Magazine, Men’s Journal, and National Geographic Adventure. He is an award winning adventure writer and the author of four books of literary nonfiction. He lives in Denver. Heller was born and raised in New York. He attended high school in Vermont and Dartmouth College in New Hampshire where he became an outdoorsman and whitewater kayaker. He traveled the world as an expedition kayaker, writing about challenging descents in the Pamirs, the Tien Shan mountains, the Caucuses, Central America and Peru. He was the first man, with a Kiwi paddler named Roy Bailey, to kayak the Muk Su River in the High Pamirs of Tadjikistan. The river was known as the Everest of Rivers in the Soviet Union, and the last team that had attempted it lost five of their eleven men. The run was 17 days of massive whitewater through a canyon inhabited by wolves and snow leopards.

Learn more about the author on their website.

My Thoughts

Two men go on their annual hunting trip and emerge from the Maine woods to find destruction and a barren land amid political upheaval. The story follows their journey through ghostly quiet fishing towns as they attempt to safely make their way home.

Edmund L. Mitchell, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

He let the fire burn down to embers, let the dark envelop him, and stood.

Peter Heller, the author of The Dog Stars which was one of my favorite books of 2012, releases a new page-turner that blends suspense, action, and emotion into a gripping narrative. The book combines elements of mystery, survival, and deep emotional exploration, creating a complex but engaging experience.

Set in the rugged wilderness, Burn introduces us to Jess and Storey, two hunters emerging from a hunting trip into a changed world, caught in a life-or-death situation that will test their resilience, morals, and the very core of their bond.

Heller has a rather choppy writing style that I think can be a bit off-putting for some, but his descriptions of the wild landscapes and towns are so vivid that you can practically feel the cold air and hear the crackling of the fire. The writing is poetic yet sharp, with Heller’s signature style of blending intense action with reflective moments. The pacing is perfect—just when you think you have a grip on the story, another twist or revelation keeps you on your toes. The relationship between Jess and Storey is profound and the kind you only find among those who have grown up together and seen one another through all of life's hills and valleys.

Five words: introspective, patient, gripping, immersive, mysterious

Buy Now:

Check out the author's website for purchasing options

My final word: From the very first page, Heller pulls you in with a story that’s equal parts gritty and thought-provoking. His writing is vivid and immersive, with an almost cinematic quality that keeps you on the edge of your seat. While I didn't love Burn as much as The Dog Stars, Heller delivers a gripping, reflective narrative that’s as heart-wrenching as it is thrilling. Highly recommended for anyone who likes their dystopian to have a bit more depth and meat to it!

Warnings:

Mild language, sexual situations, violence

 

Cover:  4.5 stars
Writing Style:  4 stars
Characters:  4 stars
Storyline/Plot: 4.5 stars
Interest/Uniqueness: 4 stars

Rating:

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The Cerebral Girl is a middle-aged blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.

I received a copy of this book to review through Netgalley and the publisher, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel. The book that I received was an uncorrected proof, and quotes could differ from the final release.  

BOOK BINGO 2025

 I'm trying to read some diverse literature. and in an attempt to help me toward that goal I am doing BINGO to help keep my reading pattern from getting redundant. It will also help towards my goal of reading 25 books this year. (I know that 25 books isn't much to most bookies, but I have been so busy with work that I can barely find time to read, but things are beginning to look up.)

REVIEW: Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray

 

Synopsis

The extraordinary story of Jessie Redmon Fauset whose exhilarating world of friends, rivals, and passions all combined to create the magic that was the Harlem Renaissance, written by Victoria Christopher Murray, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian.
 
In 1919, as civil and social unrest grips the country, there is a little corner of America, a place called Harlem where something special is stirring. Here, the New Negro is rising and Black pride is evident everywhere…in music, theatre, fashion and the arts. And there on stage in the center of this renaissance is Jessie Redmon Fauset, the new literary editor of the preeminent Negro magazine The Crisis.
 
W.E.B. Du Bois, the founder and editor of The Crisis, has charged her with discovering young writers whose words will change the world. Jessie attacks the challenge with fervor, quickly finding sixteen-year-old Countee Cullen, seventeen-year-old Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen, who becomes one of her best friends. Under Jessie’s leadership, The Crisis thrives, the writers become notable and magazine subscriptions soar. Every Negro writer in the country wants their work published in the magazine now known for its groundbreaking poetry and short stories. 
 
Jessie’s rising star is shining bright….but her relationship with W.E.B. could jeopardize all that she’s built. The man, considered by most to be the leader of Black America, is not only Jessie’s boss, he’s her lover. And neither his wife, nor their fourteen-year-age difference can keep the two apart. Their torrid and tumultuous affair is complicated by a secret desire that Jessie harbors — to someday, herself, become the editor of the magazine, a position that only W.E.B. Du Bois has held.
 
In the face of overwhelming sexism and racism, Jessie must balance her drive with her desires. However, as she strives to preserve her legacy, she’ll discover the high cost of her unparalleled success.

Format 400 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 4, 2025 by Berkley

ISBN 9780593638484 (ISBN10: 0593638484)

About the Author

Victoria Christopher Murray is the author of nine Essence bestselling novels, including The Ex Files; Too Little, Too Late; and Lady Jasmine. Winner of the African American Literary Award for Fiction and Author of the Year (Female).

She has received numerous awards including the Golden Pen Award for Best Inspirational Fiction and the Phyllis Wheatley Trailblazer Award for being a pioneer in African American Fiction. Since 2007, Victoria has won nine African American Literary Awards for best novel, best Christian fiction and Author of the Year — Female. After four nominations, Victoria finally won an NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literary Work for her social commentary novel, Stand Your Ground.

Victoria splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington DC. 

Learn more about the author on their website

Setting / Location

This book is set in Harlem in the 1920s amid the Harlem Renaissance.

James Van Der Zee, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

My Thoughts

I thrust open the taxicab's door, and the moment my t-strap heels hit the pavement, a cacophony of city sounds welcomes me.

Jessie Redmon Fauset, photographer unknown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

W.E.B. DuBois, photographer Battey, C. M. (Cornelius Marion), 1873-1927, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Victoria Christopher Murray's Harlem Rhapsody is a compelling and emotionally charged novel that beautifully weaves together history, passion, and social activism. Set in the heart of Harlem, the book takes readers on a journey through the lives of two remarkable figures, W.E.B. DuBois and Jessie Redmon Fauset, whose real-life contributions to African-American history are celebrated in the pages of this inspiring novel.

While the novel primarily follows the story of Fauset's contributions to the African-American movement in the arts, W.E.B. DuBois is also a central figure. Murray does a wonderful job of delving into their personal struggles and triumphs. W.E.B. DuBois, known for his groundbreaking work as an intellectual and civil rights leader, is portrayed with a deep respect for his complex, and at times contradictory, character and his profound impact on African-American thought and our impressions of the African-American community. Fauset, though lesser-known, is equally significant in her role as a passionate advocate for the community and their expression through the arts. Murray’s exploration of both Fauset's personal and professional life adds depth to the story, highlighting the often-overlooked contributions of women in history.

The author’s rich prose is filled with historical detail, yet accessible enough for readers who may not be familiar with the time period or the individuals themselves (like me!). Murray masterfully captures the spirit of Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance, infusing the novel with the cultural vibrancy of the era, and introducing other historical characters like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Countee Cullen who entered the human consciousness during the Harlem Renaissance.

"Something is happening here, Jessie. It's happened on the stage, it's happened in music, and now, this movement has come to literature. We're telling our stories in every form of the arts."

One of the book's greatest strengths is its ability to highlight the emotional complexities of both DuBois and Fauset’s lives. Their internal struggles, their relationships, and their drive to shape a better future for African-Americans resonates deeply. Their personal stories are presented as a powerful reflection of the larger societal battles they were part of.

Five words: intriguing, inspiring, measured, historical, fascinating

PreOrder Now (expected release February 4, 2025):

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Barnes and Noble

Indiebound

My final word: Harlem Rhapsody is a celebration of resilience, passion, and the unyielding fight for equality. Murray’s portrayal of these real-life characters offers a heartfelt tribute to their legacies. Whether you’re a historical fiction enthusiast, a lover of richly drawn characters, or simply someone who enjoys a well-crafted, thought-provoking novel, Harlem Rhapsody is a must-read that will linger and encourage you to learn more about the subjects even after you've closed the book.

My Rating:

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The Cerebral Girl is a middle-aged blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.

Disclosure:

I received a copy of this book to review through BookBrowse, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel. The book that I received was an uncorrected proof, and quotes could differ from the final release.