I read alot of books and I like alot of books, but it takes a very special book to achieve the rank of a book I love. This, this book is in my top 5 easily and John Boyne is on his way to be one of my favorite authors! Right up there with Jodi Picoult! I previously read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - loved it and have another of his books (Crippen) on my TBR.
I was drawn into this book and its characters from the very beginning; losing track of time and place as I read. I wanted to read it slow to savor every word, but I couldn't put it down! It was epic - spanning 7 decades - but it never dragged, never bored, it was exactly what a well-written book should be - captivating.
It is not a spoiler to reveal that this is a coming of age story of a homosexual boy growing up in Ireland, where homosexuality was not only not discussed, but was a crime. The novel beautifully and heart-wrenchingly portrays the immense difficulties of a population that simply want to have the right to love whom they love. (The rights that many heterosexuals take for granted.) The bigotry the LGBT community has faced for decades and sadly still continue to face, worldwide. Yet, its more than this, its a story about friendship, about secrets, about adoption, about the human spirit.
There are characters to love and hate, historical times that we will all remember, humor, love and heartbreak. I will recommend this book time and time again to every reader I know.
Quotes: "...treat him like an ottoman, of no use to anyone but worth having around..."
"...he noticed me sitting outside and offered an apologetic wave, four of his fingers dancing despondently in the air like an imprisoned pianist forced to play one of Chopin's more depressing sonatas from memory."
"...turning to her with all the warmth of Lizzie Borden dropping in to say goodnight to her parents."
"All husbands in her novels are stupid, insensitive, faithless individuals with murky pasts, empty heads, micro-penises and questionable morals. But I suppose she had a good imagination...and she was simply making things up."
"...if women could only collectively harness the power that they have then they'd rule the world. But they don't. I don't know why. And for all their weakness and stupidity, men are smart enough to know that being in charge counts for a lot. They have that over us at least."
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