I was hesitant going into this book, mainly because of its length. But it has just become one of my favourite books of all time! This is an incredibly easy 5 stars to give. 

The Hearts Invisible Furies follows the life of Cyril Avery. At a young age Cyril struggled to grasp an identity, feeling lost and unsure. Over his life he tries to come to terms with who he is and the reality of his home country.

I feel a great sadness that this book is over. Although it’s quite a long read, and it took me longer to get through than usual, I savoured every single page. Cyril’s reality completely surrounded me and I found myself looking forward to my chance to curl up with this book each day. Boyne created such incredibly vivid characters, each with distinct personalities and flaws. No one is all good or all bad, we all make mistakes in our journey through life. I loved seeing all sides of these wonderful characters, who came to feel like friends by the end of the novel.

This book tackles some really difficult topics, there are a whole host of triggers so please read it with caution. Initially, I was making jokes about what awful thing could possibly happen next…and actually ended up being right! However, as I got into the novel I really appreciated Boyne’s willingness to show the realities of some peoples lives. At one point, I felt so overwhelmed by the depth of my sadness that I had to stop reading. The moment was just too beautiful and too raw for me to continue. I had tears in my eyes many times during this read. However, it also made me chuckle and smile more times than I can count. Boyne balanced the sadness beautifully with some splashes of humour. I cannot wait to read more by this author! 

I would recommend this book to fans of literary fiction, especially if you like an Irish setting! But please be cautious of triggers.