Basically, if you haven’t heard of this novel, it’s the story of a gay Irish man from the beginning to the end of his life, told in 7 year intervals. However, what struck me about it is that it feels like Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life, but done right.

Both are hefty books that I finished within a couple of days, but where A Little Life felt cruel and manipulative, THIF had a protagonist that the author clearly cared about. It didn’t feel like it was exploiting it’s MC with unreasonable misery without any character development.

What I’m trying to say is that if you want an un-put-downable read that will rip your heart out and stamp it into pieces without having to deal with melodramatic torture porn, read this book. You won’t regret it. It was marvelous!

  • iconclothinguk@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    i totally get what you mean, catherine’s perspective would’ve added a whole new layer to the story. can’t wait to hear what you think after reading it!

  • kaysn@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Cyril frustrated me a lot as a protagonist. Especially in the beginning when he such a spineless twat. Dozens of moments when I thought, if your badass mother could see you right now she’d be ashamed. While he did end up finally, finally sorting his life out. I thought, he’d have gotten there a lot faster, hurt a lot less people had Catherine chose to raise him.

  • deaseb@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    One of the key elements to The Heart’s Invisible Furies is just how goddamn funny it is - there were several legit slapstick moments where I just cracked up. THIF is also very precise about its timeline, and that gives it more narrative heft as well.

  • boxer_dogs_dance@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    This book has tragic elements but also some amazing comic writing and eccentric unique characters. The fist fight at the dinner party. The author mother’s motivations for writing. More.

    The book also incorporates the history of how gay men were treated in the 20th century. It reminds me of Alex Haley’s Roots and of Forest Gump.

    I thought it was very well done and a satisfying book to read.

  • TheGhostOfSoManyOfMe@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Love this book but the author is terrible. He’s not Jewish yet wrote a different book about the Holocaust and has gotten into several fights over the inaccuracies therein with the HOLOCAUST MUSUEM. Like gosh, who could be the authority here? Is it the old white dude from Ireland or the museum in charge of the world their OWN HISTORY? He also wrote a book with a trans MC that’s full of deadnaming. So…one GREAT book and two super problematic ones.

    • syringa@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      He also famously copied instructions from a Zelda video game into one of his novels because he couldn’t be arsed to read more carefully. He’s awful and dumb to boot.

      It’s funny, you’re getting downvoted but if this were a thread about the very real criticisms of The Boy in The Striped Pajamas you probably wouldn’t. Don’t care if he wrote one good book, his work has been actively harmful in teaching about the Holocaust to children.