The Heart's Invisible Furies Summary
Boyne, John

The Heart's Invisible Furies Overview

The title, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, for this first-person narrative with metafictional elements is taken from a remark Hannah Arendt made about the poet, W.H. Auden, that life had manifested the heart's invisible furies on his face. The novel reveals the invisible furies left on the heart, mind, and body of the homosexual protagonist, Cyril Avery, and the sociopolitical and sociocultural changes sweeping his homeland, Ireland, from 1945 to 2015. As Ireland becomes more socially progressive, Cyril learns there are many ways to define a fulfilling life with a loving family.