Extracts

Extract: Fire by John Boyne

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Reading lists

Best romance books for ultimate escapism

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Children's reading lists

9 of the best Irish children’s books and authors

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Long books that are worth every minute of reading

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Interviews

John Boyne: the books that shaped my life

The Making of the A Ladder to the Sky audiobook

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Features

The Making of Audiobook A Ladder to the Sky

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‘Is that you, God? It’s me, Cyril’

John Boyne: The powerful books that I read in 2017

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John Boyne: The powerful books I read in 2017

'A testament to John Boyne's strong storytelling talent' Irish Examiner 
'Boyne's main characters are masterfully realised ordinary people trying to move beyond the weight of the past' Irish Times 
______ 
 
From internationally bestselling author John Boyne, a contemplative story about one man trying to move forward from the trauma of his youth to become a better father to his son. 
 
Being in limbo, 30,000 feet in the air, offers time to reflect and take stock. For Aaron Umber, it’s an opportunity to connect with his 14-year-old son as they travel halfway across the world to meet a woman who isn’t expecting them. 
 
Unsettled by his past, and anxious for his future, Aaron is at a crossroads in life. The damage inflicted upon him during his youth has made him the man he is, but now threatens to widen the growing fissures between him and his only child. This trip could bind them closer together, or tear them further apart. 
 
In this penetrating examination of action and consequence, fault and attribution, acceptance and resolution, John Boyne gives us a redemptive story of a father and a son on a moving journey to mend their troubled lives. 
______ 
 
Praise for John Boyne 
 
'One of the greatest craftsmen in contemporary literature' Colum McCann 
'Among the world's greatest storytellers' Donal Ryan 
'One of the most assured novelists of his generation' Observer

John Boyne is the author of nineteen novels for adults, six for younger readers, a picture book and a collection of short stories. His 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been adapted for cinema, theatre, ballet, and opera. His many international bestsellers include The Heart's Invisible Furies and A Ladder to the Sky. He has won four Irish Book Awards, including Author of the Year in 2022, along with a host of other international literary prizes, including most recently the 2025 FNAC novel prize for The Elements. His novels are published in sixty languages. 
 
 
Twitter: @JohnBoyneBooks 
Instagram: @JohnBoyneAuthor

Being in limbo, 30,000 feet in the air, offers time to reflect and take stock. For Aaron Umber, it’s an opportunity to connect with his 14-year-old son as they travel halfway across the world to meet a woman who isn’t expecting them. 
 
Unsettled by his past, and anxious for his future, Aaron is at a crossroads in life. The damage inflicted upon him during his youth has made him the man he is, but now threatens to widen the growing fissures between him and his only child. This trip could bind them closer together, or tear them further apart. 
 
In this penetrating examination of action and consequence, fault and attribution, acceptance and resolution, John Boyne gives us a redemptive story of a father and a son on a moving journey to mend their troubled lives.

Fire

'An exhilarating read' Spectator 
‘Unsettling and utterly compelling’ Woman and Home 
‘incredibly well-written’ Good Housekeeping 
'Hypnotically clean, clear prose... powerful and memorable' Irish Times 
'You will hurtle through the book, because it is such a compelling story' Irish Examiner 
______ 
 
From internationally bestselling author John Boyne, a challenging and visceral narrative that asks the question: can one cataclysmic moment turn someone into a monster? 
 
On the face of it, Freya lives a gilded existence, dancing solely to her own tune. She has all the trappings of wealth and privilege, a responsible job as a surgeon specialising in skin grafts, a beautiful flat in a sought-after development, and a flash car. But it wasn’t always like this. Hers is a life founded on darkness. 
 
Did what happened to Freya as a child one fateful summer influence the adult she would become – or was she always destined to be that person? Was she born with cruelty in her heart or did something force it into being? 
 
In Fire, John Boyne takes the reader on a chilling, uncomfortable but utterly compelling psychological journey to the epicentre of the human condition, asking the age-old question: nurture – or nature? 
______ 
 
Praise for John Boyne 
 
'One of the greatest craftsmen in contemporary literature' Colum McCann 
'Among the world's greatest storytellers' Donal Ryan 
'One of the most assured novelists of his generation' Observer 
 
 
Irish Times bestseller, May 2024

Boyne has found a neat framework for a series of original novels, linked as much by theme and image as by character and setting. Fire is an exhilarating read.

You will hurtle through the book, because it is such a compelling story, so cleverly written.

Hypnotically clean, clear prose... powerful and memorable

On the face of it, Freya lives a gilded existence, dancing solely to her own tune. She has all the trappings of wealth and privilege: a responsible job as a surgeon specializing in skin grafts, a beautiful flat in a sought-after development, and a flash car. But it wasn’t always like this. Hers is a life founded on darkness. 
 
Did what happened to Freya as a child one fateful summer influence the adult she would become – or was she always destined to be that person? Was she born with cruelty in her heart, or did something force it into being? 
 
In Fire, John Boyne takes the reader on a chilling, uncomfortable but utterly compelling psychological journey to the epicentre of the human condition, asking the age-old question: nurture – or nature?

On the face of it, Freya lives a gilded existence, dancing solely to her own tune. She has all the trappings of wealth and privilege, a responsible job as a surgeon specialising in skin grafts, a beautiful flat in a sought-after development, and a flash car. But it wasn’t always like this. Hers is a life founded on darkness. 
 
Did what happened to Freya as a child one fateful summer influence the adult she would become – or was she always destined to be that person? Was she born with cruelty in her heart or did something force it into being? 
 
In Fire, John Boyne takes the reader on a chilling, uncomfortable but utterly compelling psychological journey to the epicentre of the human condition, asking the age-old question: nurture – or nature?

The Dog Who Danced on the Moon

An affectionately illustrated bedtime story with witty wordplay that will also make grown-up readers smile &ndash; The Times 
 
There once was a boy called Jeremy Grace 
Who had a remarkable interest in space. 
He was quiet and shy, very often alone, 
Just him and his dog, spending time on their own. 
 
Jeremy dreams of journeying through space, but nobody believes in him . . . Nobody, that is, but Maxwell, his incredible dancing dog who encourages him to reach for the stars. The pair embark on an out-of-this-world adventure - but when they are faced with an incoming comet catastrophe, it takes bravery, daring and a little bit of dancing to save the day. 
 
Heartwarming and inspirational with a touch of magic, this read-aloud rhyming picture-book story encourages children to follow their dreams. 
 
This is the picture book debut from John Boyne, the author of the globally bestselling, multi-million-copy classic, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. The illustrations are by award-winning rising star Ashling Lindsay. 
 
John Boyne, The Bookseller bestseller, May 2024

John Boyne (Author) John Boyne is the author of nineteen novels for adults, six for younger readers, a picture book and a collection of short stories. His 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been adapted for cinema, theatre, ballet, and opera. His many international bestsellers include The Heart's Invisible Furies and A Ladder to the Sky. He has won four Irish Book Awards, including Author of the Year in 2022, along with a host of other international literary prizes, including most recently the 2025 FNAC novel prize for The Elements. His novels are published in sixty languages. 
 
 
Twitter: @JohnBoyneBooks 
Instagram: @JohnBoyneAuthor Ashling Lindsay (Illustrator) Ashling Lindsay is an Irish artist from Belfast. She has been making picture books for eight years and has been included on some of the most prestigious award lists in the world. Her approach to making art changes with each book. She responds to every text individually by experimenting with colour and composition, using a variety of materials until she finds a combination that fits the text. This nearly always begins with analogue experiments – marks and paint on paper. Ashling teaches illustration at Belfast School of Art and is a fluent Irish speaker.

There once was a boy called Jeremy Grace 
Who had a remarkable interest in space. 
He was quiet and shy, very often alone, 
Just him and his dog, spending time on their own. 
 
Jeremy dreams of journeying through space, but nobody believes in him . . . Nobody, that is, but Maxwell, his incredible dancing dog who encourages him to reach for the stars. The pair embark on an out-of-this-world adventure - but when they are faced with an incoming comet catastrophe, it takes bravery, daring and a little bit of dancing to save the day. 
 
Heartwarming and inspirational with a touch of magic, this read-aloud rhyming picture-book story encourages children to follow their dreams. 
 
This is the picture book debut from John Boyne, the author of the globally bestselling, multi-million-copy classic, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. The illustrations are by award-winning rising star Ashling Lindsay.

Earth

‘Utterly compelling… powerful and disturbing’ Sunday Independent 
'Compelling... a potent portrait of a flawed young man' Daily Mail 
'A strong set-up, and with the masterly Boyne at the helm, the tension never lets up' Mail on Sunday 
‘New and ambitious… packed with big ideas, moral questions and social commentary’ Irish Times 
_____________ 
 
From million-copy-bestselling author John Boyne, an inescapably gritty story about one young man whose direction in life takes a vastly different turn than what he expected. 
 
It’s the tabloid sensation of the year: two well-known footballers standing in the dock, charged with sexual assault, a series of vile text messages pointing towards their guilt. 
 
As the trial unfolds, Evan Keogh reflects on the events that have led him to this moment. Since leaving his island home, his life has been a lie on many levels. He’s a talented footballer who wanted to be an artist. A gay man in a sport that rejects diversity. A defendant whose knowledge of what took place on that fateful night threatens more than just his freedom or career. 
 
The jury will deliver a verdict but, before they do, Evan must judge for himself whether the man he has become is the man he wanted to be. 
___________ 
 
What readers are saying about Earth: 
 
'I read it in one sitting' 
'I devoured this book' 
'Unputdownable' 
'Beautifully written and compelling' 
'A short, sharp read... hard to tear your eyes away'

Compelling... a potent portrait of a flawed young man

A strong set-up, and with the masterly Boyne at the helm, the tension never lets up

Utterly compelling… powerful and disturbing

New and ambitious… packed with big ideas, moral questions and social commentary

It’s the tabloid sensation of the year: two well-known footballers standing in the dock, charged with sexual assault, a series of vile text messages pointing towards their guilt. 
 
As the trial unfolds, Evan Keogh reflects on the events that have led him to this moment. Since leaving his island home, his life has been a lie on many levels. He’s a talented footballer who wanted to be an artist. A gay man in a sport that rejects diversity. A defendant whose knowledge of what took place on that fateful night threatens more than just his freedom or career. 
 
The jury will deliver a verdict but, before they do, Evan must judge for himself whether the man he has become is the man he wanted to be.

A haunting, confronting novel from the author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies

Water

‘A perceptive, moving exploration of guilt, grief and complicity’ Sunday Express 
‘Boyne does not put a foot wrong in this masterly novella’ Mail on Sunday 
'An intriguing investigation of contemporary trauma... [a] short but powerful book' Guardian 
'His quietest novel... but one just as powerful as his larger canvases' Business Post 
___________ 
 
From million-copy-bestselling author John Boyne comes a masterfully reflective story about one woman coming to terms with the demons of her past and finding a new path forward. 
 
The first thing Vanessa Carvin does when she arrives on the island is change her name. To the locals, she is Willow Hale, a solitary outsider escaping Dublin to live a hermetic existence in a small cottage, not a notorious woman on the run from her past. 
 
But scandals follow like hunting dogs. And she has some questions of her own to answer. If her ex-husband is really the monster everyone says he is, then how complicit was she in his crimes? 
 
Escaping her old life might seem like a good idea but the choices she has made throughout her marriage have consequences. Here, on the island, Vanessa must reflect on what she did - and did not do. Only then can she discover whether she is worthy of finding peace at all. 
 
Can you ever truly wash away your past? 
__________ 
 
What readers are saying: 
 
'A scorching, devastating tale' 
'Powerful, challenging and beautifully written’ 
'Compelling, propulsive, and completely immersive’ 
'Written with the same emotional intensity and thought provoking honesty as his longer works’

His quietest novel... but one just as powerful as his larger canvases

An intriguing investigation of contemporary trauma... [a] short but powerful book

Boyne does not put a foot wrong in this masterly novella

A perceptive, moving exploration of guilt, grief and complicity

Boyne not only opens up conversations, he writes beautifully and sensitively

The first thing Vanessa Carvin does when she arrives on the island is change her name. To the locals, she is Willow Hale, a solitary outsider escaping Dublin to live a hermetic existence in a small cottage, not a notorious woman on the run from her past. 
 
But scandals follow like hunting dogs. And she has some questions of her own to answer. If her ex-husband is really the monster everyone says he is, then how complicit was she in his crimes? 
 
Escaping her old life might seem like a good idea but the choices she has made throughout her marriage have consequences. Here, on the island, Vanessa must reflect on what she did - and did not do. Only then can she discover whether she is worthy of finding peace at all.

The Sequel to The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

All The Broken Places

John Boyne's acclaimed quartet, THE ELEMENTS, is available now. 
 
'Beautifully told and gripping from first page to last' Sunday Express 
'An incredible feat of storytelling... and an old-fashioned page-turner' Donal Ryan 
'Gripping and well-honed...consummately constructed, humming with tension' Guardian 
'You can't prepare yourself for the magnitude and emotional impact of this powerful novel' John Irving 
________________________________ 
 
From the author of the globally bestselling, multi-million-copy classic, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, comes its astonishing and powerful sequel. 
 
Gretel Fernsby is a quiet woman leading a quiet life. She doesn't talk about her escape from Germany seventy years ago or the dark post-war years in France with her mother. Most of all, she doesn't talk about her father, the commandant of one of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps. 
 
But when a young family moves into the apartment below her, Gretel can't help but befriend their little boy, Henry, though his presence brings back painful memories. One night, she witnesses a violent argument between his parents, which threatens to disturb her hard-won peace. 
 
For the second time in her life, Gretel is given the chance to save a young boy. To do so would allay her guilt, grief and remorse, but it will also force her to reveal her true identity. 
 
Will she make a different choice this time, whatever the cost to herself? 
_______________________________ 
 
Praise for John Boyne 
 
'A master storyteller' Daily Express 
'One of the best novelists of Ireland' Sunday Express 
'Boyne offers writing of insight and beauty' Observer 
'John Boyne is a maestro of hisoritical fiction' John Irving

Gripping and well-honed...consummately constructed, humming with tension... a defence of literature's need to shine a light on the darkest aspects of human nature and it does so with a novelist's skill, precision and power

'What an incredible feat of storytelling. All the Broken Places is a stark confrontation of evil, an examination of guilt and deflection, and an old-fashioned page-turner. John treads the finest of narrative lines with skill and grace and proves himself yet again to be among the world's greatest storytellers. '

An eloquent meditation on guilt, complicity and redemption.. a remarkable novel, with humanity at its core

Beautifully told and gripping from first page to last

This novel, this exceptional, layered and compelling story, is built on modern history and all of us people who live it. The protagonist, the elderly, forthright and mysterious Mrs. Fernsby, is more than memorable and every one of Boyne's characters, and every scene, dark or light, is limned in truth and insight. This book moves like a freight train,with force and consequence for the reader.

'When is a monster's child culpable? Guilt and complicity are multifaceted. John Boyne is a maestro of historical fiction. You can't prepare yourself for the magnitude and emotional impact of this powerful novel'

John Boyne is not just one of Ireland's best living novelists but also one of the best novelists of Ireland

Boyne offers writing of insight and beauty

Gripping and well honed...Consumately constructed, humming with tension...A defence of literature's need to shine a light on the darkest aspets of human nature and it does so with a noveli's skill, precision and power

A remarkable novel with humanity at its core...An eloquent meditation on guilt, complicity and redemption

Beautifully told and gripping from first page to last

A really engaging novel about grief and whether or not anyone can be held accountable for the deeds of those they love

Gretel Fernsby is a quiet woman leading a quiet life. She doesn't talk about her escape from Germany seventy years ago or the dark post-war years in France with her mother. Most of all, she doesn't talk about her father, the commandant of one of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps. 
 
But when a young family moves into the apartment below her, Gretel can't help but befriend their little boy, Henry, though his presence brings back painful memories. One night, she witnesses a violent argument between his parents, which threatens to disturb her hard-won peace. 
 
For the second time in her life, Gretel is given the chance to save a young boy. To do so would allay her guilt, grief and remorse, but it will also force her to reveal her true identity. Will she make a different choice this time, whatever the cost to herself?

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

A small wonder of a book . . . A particular historical moment, one that cannot be told too often

The Holocaust as a subject insists on respect, precludes criticism, prefers silence. One thing is clear: this book will not go gently into any good night

An extraordinary tale of friendship and the horrors of war . . . Raw literary talent at its best

A book that lingers in the mind for quite some time . . . A subtle, calculatedly simple and ultimately moving story

Simply written and highly memorable. There are no monstrosities on the page but the true horror is all the more potent for being implicit

Stays ahead of its readers before delivering its killer-punch final pages

Full of shocking juxtapositions and leads to a horrifying denouement . . . this is a deeply affecting novel

A very human and profoundly moving introduction to one of the darkest moments in history

Thought-provoking and moving, Boyne's book is one that lingers in the mind long after its last page

I couldn't put it down. Through the eyes of a child it was innocent and oh, so chilling. I was hooked to the last page

This novel is a fine addition to a once taboo area of history, at least where children's literature is concerned. It provides an account of a dreadful episode short on actual horror but packed with overtones that remain in the imagination

'Simply written and highly memorable' Ireland on Sunday 
'A subtle, calculatedly simple and ultimately moving story' Irish Times 
'Stays ahead of its readers before delivering its killer-punch final pages' Independent 
'A small wonder of a book . . . A particular historical moment, one that cannot be told too often' Guardian 
'An extraordinary tale of friendship and the horrors of war...Raw literary talent at its best' Irish Independent 
______________ 
 
What happens when innocence is confronted by monstrous evil? 
 
Nine-year-old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country.All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no-one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel, a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who, like the other people there, wears a uniform of striped pyjamas. 
 
Bruno's friendship with Shmuel will take him from innocence to revelation. And in exploring what he is unwittingly a part of, he will inevitably become subsumed by the terrible process.

The Echo Chamber

'His relish is infectious' Times 
'The funniest book I've read in ages. Savage but compelling' Ian Rankin 
'Funny, rumbustious, unstinting and wonderfully Hogarthian' The Observer 
'Sharp, funny, and beautifully written... a brilliant reflection on the landscape we now live in' Joanna Cannon 
_______________ 
 
What a thing of wonder a mobile phone is. Six ounces of metal, glass and plastic, fashioned into a sleek, shiny, precious object. At once, a gateway to other worlds - and a treacherous weapon in the hands of the unwary, the unwitting, the inept. 
 
The Cleverley family live a gilded life, little realising how precarious their privilege is, just one tweet away from disaster. George, the patriarch, is a stalwart of television interviewing, a 'national treasure' (his words), his wife Beverley, a celebrated novelist (although not as celebrated as she would like), and their children, Nelson, Elizabeth, Achilles, various degrees of catastrophe waiting to happen. 
 
Together they will go on a journey of discovery through the Hogarthian jungle of the modern living where past presumptions count for nothing and carefully curated reputations can be destroyed in an instant. Along the way they will learn how volatile, how outraged, how unforgiving the world can be when you step from the proscribed path. 
 
Powered by John Boyne's characteristic humour and razor-sharp observation, The Echo Chamber is a satiric helter skelter, a dizzying downward spiral of action and consequence, poised somewhere between farce, absurdity and oblivion. To err is maybe to be human but to really foul things up you only need a phone.

An uproariously funny novel... John Boyne skilfully skewers the cruelties of social media and the absurdities of wokeness ... a brave and timely foray into the contemporary culture wars.

A fearless romp with big laughs along the way

A comedy of manners and lack of manners ... good fun and cheeky as hell

Funny, rumbustious, unstinting and wonderfully Hogarthian

A blisteringly funny and razor sharp satire about social media, celebrity and political correctness. I laughed SO much

Sharp, funny, and beautifully written, but it's also a brilliant reflection on the landscape we now live in

Sunday Times bestselling author, Joanna Cannon

Great rollicking story-telling ... a terrific novel for our times.

'Hugely enjoyable'

John Boyne is at his wicked best... Excruciatingly funny

A funny, biting satire on the excesses and hypocrisy of social media

Plenty of laugh out loud moments . . . This is a sharp and extremely funny page-turner

Uproariously funny. The world has never needed satire more urgently and Boyne delivers in spades.

Fun, fierce and furious, The Echo Chamber is a riotous read that is not to be missed.

[Boyne] is an incredibly versatile author...[this] is a brilliant read...a sharply satirical novel...so current, so relevant, absolutely hilarious

'The funniest book I've read in ages. Savage but compelling' Ian Rankin 
'A fearless romp with big laughs along the way' Graham Norton 
'Funny, rumbustious, unstinting and wonderfully Hogarthian' The Observer 
'His relish is infectious' Times 
_____________________________ 
 
What a thing of wonder a mobile phone is. Six ounces of metal, glass and plastic, fashioned into a sleek, shiny, precious object. At once, a gateway to other worlds - and a treacherous weapon in the hands of the unwary, the unwitting, the inept. 
 
The Cleverley family live a gilded life, little realising how precarious their privilege is, just one tweet away from disaster. George, the patriarch, is a stalwart of television interviewing, a 'national treasure' (his words), his wife Beverley, a celebrated novelist (although not as celebrated as she would like), and their children, Nelson, Elizabeth, Achilles, various degrees of catastrophe waiting to happen. 
 
Together they will go on a journey of discovery through the Hogarthian jungle of the modern living where past presumptions count for nothing and carefully curated reputations can be destroyed in an instant. Along the way they will learn how volatile, how outraged, how unforgiving the world can be when you step from the proscribed path. 
 
Powered by John Boyne's characteristic humour and razor-sharp observation, The Echo Chamber is a satiric helter skelter, a dizzying downward spiral of action and consequence, poised somewhere between farce, absurdity and oblivion. To err is maybe to be human but to really foul things up you only need a phone. 
 
'Sharp, funny, and beautifully written, but it's also a brilliant reflection on the landscape we now live in' Sunday Times bestselling author, Joanna Cannon

A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom

A dazzling novel from the author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies

The story of all of us, stretching across two millennia. Imaginative, unique, heart-breaking, this is John Boyne at his most creative and compelling.

An ambitious, epic sweep of a book...John Boyne brilliantly and economically creates a sense of history and place... an enthralling read

This novel combines the pleasures of good old-fashioned storytelling with the excitement of finding a writer who makes you look at the world anew

Throbs with enduring love, warmth and passion.

Some stories are universal. They play out across human history. And time is the river which will flow through them. 
 
It starts with a family, a family which will mutate. For now, it is a father, mother and two sons. One with his father’s violence in his blood. One who lives his mother’s artistry. One leaves. One stays. They will be joined by others whose deeds will change their fate. It is a beginning. 
 
Their stories will intertwine and evolve over the course of two thousand years – they will meet again and again at different times and in different places. From distant Palestine at the dawn of the first millennium to a life amongst the stars in the third. While the world will change around them, their destinies will remain the same. It must play out as foretold. It is written. 
 
A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom is the extraordinary new novel from acclaimed writer John Boyne. Ambitious, far-reaching and mythic, it introduces a group of characters whose lives we will come to know and will follow through time and space until they reach their natural conclusion.

Beneath the Earth

In this collection of twelve dark, unerring and surprising short stories, John Boyne explores the extremities of the human condition in all its brilliance and brutality. The secrets we keep and the ways in which they shape us, the impossibility of shared loss, the lengths we will go to in order to protect our families and the distance we will run to protect ourselves. 
 
 
Drawing on a host of enthralling characters – a farmer, a cuckold and a teenager exploring his sexuality; good parents, bad parents, writers and soldiers; a student, a rent boy and a hitman – Boyne examines the hopeful and the damaged without prejudice or judgement. 
 
 
This, his first collection of short stories, is some of John Boyne’s finest writing to date. It includes ‘Rest Day’ which won the 2015 Writing.ie Short Story of the Year award in Ireland.

Abridged Edition

Penguin Readers Level 4: The Boy in Striped Pyjamas (ELT Graded Reader)

This ELT Graded Reader is made for people learning English as an additional language. The short, simple text is also perfect for anyone looking for an easier read. It is an adapted version of the original story. 
 
In this story, Bruno's father gets a new job, and the family have to move from Berlin, Germany, to a new place. There is a strange camp at the end of the garden. Bruno is very unhappy and bored until he meets Shmuel. The two boys become very good friends. But why is Shmuel in the camp? And why is he wearing striped pyjamas? 
 
Our Penguin Readers books include: 
<ul><li>Simple text (CEFR-levelled)</li><li>Pictures to help you understand the story</li><li>Fun exercises to help you learn and practise English</li></ul> 
With the print book, you can get even more help online: 
<ul><li>Read the book online</li><li>Listen to the book being read out loud</li><li>Get lesson plans for teachers</li><li>Find answers to check your understanding</li></ul> 
Note: online resources not available with the eBook.

My Brother's Name is Jessica

'...this poignant and disarming story is full of heart and its crescendo will give you tingles' Attitude Magazine 
 
 'Outstanding' Irish Examiner 
 
Sam has known his sister Jessica all his life. Tonight is the first time they're going to meet. 
 
Sam Waver has always been a loner: bullied, struggling at school, with parents who have very little time for him. The one person he has always been able to rely on is his beloved older sibling - but when they announce that they are transitioning, Sam's life is thrown upside down. He's convinced nothing will ever be the same again - but as Sam is about to discover, nothing is more constant than love. 
 
A moving and heartfelt portrait of one family's journey to acceptance, from a master storyteller. 
 
'A story with so much heart that the pages practically pulse. Both funny and moving... this is a must-read for all ages' Irish Independent

Both funny and moving... this is a must-read for all ages

...this poignant and disarming story is full of heart

John Boyne made his name with The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas and he's on stellar form in My Brother's Name is Jessica. A sensitively written and timely tale.

A sincere and very readable attempt to educate young people about the trans experience and foster acceptance

John Boyne adds his deft sensitivity to the complex topic of transgenderism

Sam has known his sister Jessica all his life. Tonight is the first time they're going to meet. 
 
Sam Waver has always been a loner: bullied, struggling at school, with parents who have very little time for him. The one person he has always been able to rely on is his beloved older sibling - but when they announce that they are transitioning, Sam's life is thrown upside down. He's convinced nothing will ever be the same again - but as Sam is about to discover, nothing is more constant than love.

The Congress of Rough Riders

William Cody grows up surrounded by his father's tales of Buffalo Bill, to whom he is distantly related, and his fantasies of the Wild West. 
 
Though he escapes his heritage by fleeing abroad and starting a new life for himself, he finds that he is always drawn back to England and to his ancestry. 
 
When his father proposes that together they should recreate Buffalo Bill's stage show, "The Congress of Rough Riders of the World" for a contemporary audience, William refuses to have any part of it. When tragedy strikes, however, it is to his father that he must eventually return.

A Ladder to the Sky

From the bestselling author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies

Maurice Swift is an aspiring novelist struggling to come up with the story that will make his name, and he doesn't care where that story comes from. Even if he has to beg, borrow, steal or worse, he will make it to the top. Whatever the cost...

A deliciously dark tale of ambition, seduction and literary theft . . . compelling and terrifying, powerful and intensely unsettling. In Maurice Swift, Boyne has given us an unforgettable protagonist, dangerous and irresistible in equal measure. The result is an ingeniously conceived novel that confirms Boyne as one of the most assured writers of his generation.

Maurice Swift, the novelist protagonist of John Boyne’s A Ladder to the Sky, is a bookish version of Patricia Highsmith’s psychopathic antihero Tom Ripley.

A dark morality tale in the mould of Patricia Highsmith . . . consistently intriguing

Everything the wonderful Irish novelist John Boyne writes is special . . . a highly entertaining read

Gripping . . . John Boyne is a master storyteller and fans will doubtless be captivated by this chilling and darkly comic tale of unrelenting ambition

Boyne delivers a perfect balance of pace and detail to keep you gripped throughout

Maurice Swift is a literary Tom Ripley . . . a first-class page turner

It charts the rise of Maurice Swift, as cold and manipulative a character as you’re likely to meet this year . . . the story takes an ever darkening series of twists and turns

‘A Ladder to the Sky is endlessness inventive and wickedly funny. Boyne’s irredeemable antihero holds up a brutally well lit mirror to every writer who has ever wondered what they need to do to do that little better...’

Clever, chilling and beautifully paced, a study of inner corrosion that Patricia Highsmith could not have done better

Beware reading this in public: Boyne’s prose inspires such a collision of laughing and wincing that you’re likely to seem a little unbalanced

Maliciously witty, erudite and ingeniously constructed

'A deliciously dark tale of ambition, seduction and literary theft . . . an ingeniously conceived novel that confirms Boyne as one of the most assured writers of his generation.' Hannah Beckerman, Observer 
 
* 
 
You’ve heard the old proverb about ambition, that it’s like setting a ladder to the sky. It can lead to a long and painful fall. 
 
 
If you look hard enough, you will find stories pretty much anywhere. They don’t even have to be your own. Or so would-be-novelist Maurice Swift decides early on in his career. 
 
 
A chance encounter in a Berlin hotel with celebrated author Erich Ackerman gives Maurice an opportunity. For Erich is lonely, and he has a story to tell; whether or not he should is another matter. 
 
 
Once Maurice has made his name, he finds himself in need of a fresh idea. He doesn’t care where he finds it, as long as it helps him rise to the top. Stories will make him famous, but they will also make him beg, borrow and steal. They may even make him do worse. 
 
 
This is a novel about ambition. 
 
* 
 
'Maurice Swift, the novelist protagonist of John Boyne’s A Ladder to the Sky, is a bookish version of Patricia Highsmith’s psychopathic antihero Tom Ripley' The Times 
 
'A dark morality tale in the mould of Patricia Highsmith . . . consistently intriguing' Daily Mail

The Heart's Invisible Furies

Truly the best of John Boyne - hilarious, touching and deeply sad The Heart's Invisible Furies is the breakout book Boyne was born to write.

Tender, dark, hilarious, heartbreaking—I loved it

It’s been a long time since I read anything so compelling and satisfying. At times, incredibly funny, at others, heartrending

Sarah Winman, author of When God Was a Rabbit

the most beautifully written and crafted novel ... heartbreaking

By turns savvy, witty and achingly sad . . . This is a novelist at the top of his game.

I ran through the whole range of human emotions while reading this brilliant novel. It's a masterpiece.

Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of The Last Act of Love

Screamingly funny one minute and heartbreaking the next.

Boyne creates lightness out of doom, humour out of desperately sad situations, creating a compelling page-turner… a terrific read.

An epic novel…. Worthy of the great master of the Irish comic novel, Flann O’Brien. The Heart’s Invisible Furies proves that John is not just one of Ireland’s best living novelists but also one of the best novelists of Ireland.

Written with verve, humour and heart…at its core, The Heart’s Invisible Furies aspires to be not just the tale of Cyril Avery, a man buffeted by coincidence and circumstance, but the story of Ireland itself

Compulsively readable…hard to put down

John Boyne is best known for his children’s novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. His new novel shows he can write movingly for adults as well… the cast is enormous yet at no point do we lose interest in Cyril.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies, by John Boyne, is like an Irish World According to Garp, by which I mean tender, dark, hilarious, heartbreaking—I loved it'

It is laugh-out-loud funny, tragic, laceratingly sharp, and full of complex and brilliantly evoked characters...page-turning, hilarious, heart-rending and hopeful. Go read it.

Dickensian sweep, characterisation and humour

For character, plot and psychological depth, Boyne’s novel is unsurpassed this year

John Boyne's acclaimed quartet, THE ELEMENTS, is available now. 
 
'A bold, funny epic' Observer 
'Compelling and satisfying . . . At times, incredibly funny, at others, heartrending' Sarah Winman, author of Still Life 
___ 
 
Cyril Avery is not a real Avery. At least, that's what his parents make sure to remind him. Adopted as a baby, he feels more and more disconnected with the family that treats him more as a curious pet, rather than a beloved son. 
 
So, as a young adult, Cyril decides to embark on a quest to find his place in the world. Sometimes misguided and often in the wrong place at the wrong time, life has dealt him a difficult hand but Cyril is resolute that he can change things, and find the courage to be himself. 
 
And in doing so, his story will come across that of Catherine Goggin, a young, pregnant woman finding herself alone and isolated at only sixteen. There is a place in the world for both of them, and Cyril is determined to find it. 
___ 
 
What readers are saying: 
 
'The story of the life of one man, told against the backdrop of twentieth century Ireland' 'Simultaneously heart-breaking, funny and life-affirming.' 
'Fantastic eccentric characters and dark humour is underpinned by a touching love story, perfect.' 
'The saddest and happiest book I have read . . . told with great compassion and ultimately a great love of life.'

10th Anniversary Collector's Edition

A stunning collector's edition of John Boyne's unforgettable novel, with illustrations by Oliver Jeffers.

John Boyne (Author) John Boyne is the author of nineteen novels for adults, six for younger readers, a picture book and a collection of short stories. His 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been adapted for cinema, theatre, ballet, and opera. His many international bestsellers include The Heart's Invisible Furies and A Ladder to the Sky. He has won four Irish Book Awards, including Author of the Year in 2022, along with a host of other international literary prizes, including most recently the 2025 FNAC novel prize for The Elements. His novels are published in sixty languages. 
 
 
Twitter: @JohnBoyneBooks 
Instagram: @JohnBoyneAuthor Oliver Jeffers (Illustrator) Oliver Jeffers is a visual artist and author working in illustration, painting, collage, and sculpture. His critically-acclaimed picture books have been released internationally and translated into over thirty languages, and his artwork has been exhibited at institutions including the Brooklyn Museum in New York City, the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Ulster Museum in Belfast, and the Palais Auersperg in Vienna. Oliver has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award, Irish Book Award, Texas Bluebonnet Award, and United Kingdom Literary Association Award. He will release his fifteenth book as author and illustrator in late 2016. Oliver grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland; he currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Bruno doesn't like his new house. He had to leave all his friends behind in Berlin, and there are no children to play with here - until Bruno meets Shmuel, a boy who lives on the other side of the wire fence near Bruno's house, and who wears a strange uniform of striped pyjamas. 
 
A stunning anniversary edition of John Boyne's powerful classic bestseller, with illustrations from award-winning artist Oliver Jeffers.

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain

The powerful, unforgettable new novel from the bestselling author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

It’s impossible to put down: devastating and devastatingly good, one of my top three children’s novels of the year so far . . . A difficult story to pull off, but with his perfect pacing, lack of sentimentality and refusal to submit to a neat end, Boyne has won me over – all over again

Disturbingly vivid, utterly readable and appealing to audiences of all ages

There is a sureness and a simplicity to the writing that is very impressive . . . In The Boy at the Top of the Mountain, Boyne has delivered a powerful account of how one boy was seduced by Hitler and Nazism and paid the price. The final pages, in which he meets the Jewish friend of his boyhood and seeks redemption, are very moving. Younger readers will lament the corruption of Pierrot; older ones will perceive what Boyne is trying to tell us: if this could happen to Pierrot, it could happen to us

An affecting morality tale . . . It is the chilling portrayal of adolescent corruption and atonement that lingers

Forceful . . . Reminding us that silence and compromise can foster their own overwhelming guilt

Exciting and thought-provoking . . . An excellent novel

With his perfect pacing, lack of sentimentality and refusal to submit to a neat end, Boyne has written one of the children’s books of the year

A powerful new novel from the author of the highly acclaimed The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, and it is equally atmospheric and disturbing . . . Mesmerizing

When Pierrot becomes an orphan, he must leave his home in Paris for a new life with his Aunt Beatrix, a servant in a wealthy household at the top of the German mountains. But this is no ordinary time, for it is 1935 and the Second World War is fast approaching; and this is no ordinary house, for this is the Berghof, the home of Adolf Hitler. 
 
Quickly, Pierrot is taken under Hitler's wing, and is thrown into an increasingly dangerous new world: a world of terror, secrets and betrayal, from which he may never be able to escape.

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket

The warm, funny and imaginative tale of a boy struggling to be accepted for his differences, by the bestselling author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

Boyne’s previous children’s novels have dealt with serious, life-changing themes and his deftness of touch is equally evident in this uplifting celebration of otherness

Charming, uplifting and perfect for any growing child who might be feeling a little different

It's unashamedly and often delightfully whimsical. It's lovely to look at . . . It has much of the pell-mell what-the-hell-happens-nextness of Dahl and Ibbotson

Very entertaining reading . . . This is a book very much on the side of the child, operating rather in the same way that, for example, the children’s novels of Roald Dahl operate. But Boyne’s humour is much gentler and subtler than Dahl’s . . . Oliver Jeffers’s black-and-white illustrations capture both the wit and pathos of Boyne’s text

A fun and thought-provoking story of self-discovery, and the humour and gentleness with which Boyne delivers his message make it both unforgettable and delightful

There's nothing unusual or different about the Brocket family - and they're keen to keep it that way. But when Barnaby Brocket comes into the world, it's clear he's anything but ordinary. To his parents’ horror, Barnaby defies the laws of gravity - and floats. 
 
Soon, the Brockets decide enough is enough. The neighbours are starting to talk. They never asked for a weird, abnormal, floating child. Barnaby has to go . . . 
 
Betrayed and frightened, Barnaby floats into the path of a very special hot air balloon – and so begins a magical journey around the world, with a cast of extraordinary new friends.

A History of Loneliness

from the bestselling author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies

The life of a good priest in Ireland over the past 50 years provokes one of John Boyne's most powerful novels yet

An urgently compelling story of power, corruption, lies and self-deceits, the damage that happens when we turn our eyes from wrong. Anyone who wants to know what happened in the Irish Catholic Church needs to read this brave, righteously angry and stunning book. Some of us have long wondered what it would be like if a master storyteller turned his powers to this theme. Now we know.

John Boyne has plunged into the dark and troubled history of the Catholic Church in our time and come up with a novel to treasure. Unflinching, moving and true

The complex architecture of this haunting novel is seamlessly constructed. The path to the priesthood that Odran Yates follows is both understandable and sympathetic. And Father Yates is a good man; he is innocent of the false accusations made against him (he's not a pedophile). But as this author accomplished, so masterfully, in The Absolutist, John Boyne has created a character who holds himself accountable -- in the case of Father Yates, for the sins of others. No writer today handles guilt with as much depth and sadness as John Boyne. As Father Yates takes himself to task for all he didn't do, no less than the sexual duplicity and cover-ups of the Catholic Church are indicted. This is John Boyne's most important novel, and of vital importance to Irish history; it is also a gripping story, one no reader can put down until its devastating ending.

Gripping, harrowing and extremely moving...A painfully page-turning read...A vividly three-dimensional dissection of bothe the priesthood and the larger cultural malaise of Ireland

Beautifully and powerfully written, with an undercurrent of passion, A History of Loneliness is aptly titled.  A portrait of one if those individuals we imagine we know -- but have not a clue of his depths.

A harsh, unsparing novel...A lacerating portrait of Irish society...Boyne writes with compelling anger about the abuses of power and the dangers of submission.

With this exceptional piece of fiction, Boyne has explored a subject with insight and sensitivity which most would shy away from.  It’s a brave, angry and powerful novel which sheds new light on a dark chapter in Ireland’s history.

..this book raises the question of whether being blinkered by faith and bewildered by real life absolves anyone of the greatest sin of all:silence.

A troubling book about a continuingly difficult and disturbing subject.The innocence of the times rings true. Similarly the power of authority – the hierarchy, teachers, parents, gardaí – is demonstrated both forcefully and subtly. It is difficult in any age to convey the dynamics of faith on the page, and the author’s efforts here are powerful and arresting.

A beauifully written and admirably restrained response to the systematic abuse which has blighted thousands of lives

In the hands of a less agile writer, the complex narration of this novel and its passionate denunciation of the Catholic Church would likely have failed. Fortunately for us, Boyne is a master storyteller. When I arrived at the last page, I knew I had just read an instant classic.

Respectfully outraged, timely, scandalous and loaded with more than a little controversy, A History of Loneliness shimmers like a multifaceted diamond.

Odran Yates enters Clonliffe Seminary in 1972 after his mother informs him that he has a vocation to the priesthood. He goes in full of ambition and hope, dedicated to his studies and keen to make friends. 
 
Forty years later, Odran’s devotion has been challenged by the revelations that have shattered the Irish people’s faith in the church. He has seen friends stand trial, colleagues jailed, the lives of young parishioners destroyed and has become nervous of venturing out in public for fear of disapproving stares and insulting remarks. 
 
But when a family tragedy opens wounds from his past, he is forced to confront the demons that have raged within a once respected institution and recognise his own complicity in their propagation. 
It has taken John Boyne fifteen years and twelve novels to write about his home country of Ireland but he has done so now in his most powerful novel to date, a novel about blind dogma and moral courage, and about the dark places where the two can meet. At once courageous and intensely personal, A History of Loneliness confirms Boyne as one of the most searching chroniclers of his generation.

Stay Where You Are And Then Leave

From the bestselling author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, a warm and moving story of a boy's search for his missing father during the First World War.

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