So my uncle gifted me this book as he knows I’m an out and proud gay twenty something, he told me it’s one of his favourite books.
I was not at all ready for the brutal homophobic violence in the first act. It really turned my stomach actually. I’ve heard it goes on to be a positive story but I’ve had to shut it until at least tomorrow as that was so graphic. Sean and Jack were just two gay guys who moved to the big city to be together and Sean’s evil father took it upon himself to destroy them both.
I’m so glad that me and my boyfriend don’t have to hide who we are (most of the time).
Sorry, a bit of a vent post but it just really affected me.
by Leafooo
2 Comments
I loved the Heart’s Invisible Furies, but I am middle aged and I remember homophobic laws and policies. I remember the AIDS crisis.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies reminds me of Alex Haley’s book Roots, except that I think Boyne is a better writer. Also Heart’s Furies has wonderfully eccentric characters and some hysterically funny incidents, alongside tragedy. I highly recommend this book, but as you say, it contains homophobic violence.
Sometimes stuff can really hit you hard when it hits close to home. I’m so sorry it’s hurting, but also happy for you (for all us queer people) that things are better now than they have been in the past, even if we still have work to do.
If the book gets positive later on, it’s possible your uncle thought of it as a hopeful queer story and that’s why he wanted to share it with you; he was trying to bond and be supportive? I’m sorry it ended up hurting you though.