The Elements by John Boyne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have been wanting to read Boyne’s novels since I first found out about them. They were published in England individually over the last few years but never made it here to the US. Now that I’ve read it, I think having them published all together is actually so much more powerful than reading them one by one, a year apart.
This was an incredibly powerful read. Boyne’s ability to create three-dimensional characters is incredible. In 170 or so pages, the reader gets to know the characters so deeply well that it can evoke all sorts of emotions. I loved how there’s always a tie-in from story to story, I loved how the lens changes with each story and you’re experiencing a totally different perspective and you feel frustration, sorrow, anger, despair and so much more for each character at different times. I love how much these stories stretch your mind and show you that people are complex, stories are complex, we are all flawed in ways big and small.
It makes you think about your own boundaries with what’s forgivable and what’s not. About grief and it’s lasting impact. About trauma and it’s ability to stain all that comes after it. About forgiveness. And I love that the last story brings everything back full cycle.
Boyne is an incredibly talented author. These are hard stories to read, all of them. And they are also really really powerful.
with gratitude to netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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