The Heart's Invisible Furies: John Boyne

I think that my problem with this book was of my own making. My approach to the book was one of awe, having recently read "The Absolutist" by Boyne and come away with a sense of deep respect for his immense power to move the reader. As I dived expectantly into this book, I soon began thinking, "Well, that's a gross exaggeration" and "That could never have happened, even in 1950s Ireland." It wasn't until page 93 when the protagonist, Cyril Avery (adopted, "not a real Avery"), describes his adoptive father's demeanor as calm in the face of "the farcical events of the evening" that I had my eureka moment. No wonder the characters seemed like they had sprung from the pens of the writers of "Saturday Night Live." From that point forward, I could relax and enjoy the "farcical" unfolding of a story dealing with very serious themes--bigotry, religious intolerance, the devastation caused by the AIDS epidemic, the hideous treatment of homosexuals and women in the late 20th century, to name just a few.