By John Boyne
The story centres around Cyril Avery, and his desperate search to find his place in a very confusing world. His mother finding herself alone, and pregnant at sixteen gives him up for adoption.
The Averys take him in, constantly reminding him throughout his life that he is not a real Avery. His adoptive parents treat him with indifference, never really showing Cyril any affection.
Set over seven decades, with Irish history as its backdrop, our gay hero encounters bigotry, prejudice and of course unrequited love.
There is such a wealth of amazing, well written characters in this excellent novel. It is in turn both funny and heart-breaking. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.
As a side note John Boyne dedicates this book to John Irving, (one of my all time favourite authors). There are similarities to their writing which could be another reason making it such a compelling read.
Aquinas College Library 
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