A searing novel of love and betrayal as a young boy comes of age in the heart of England, from an exquisite new voice.
In the shadow of an ancient abbey nestled between rivers, Daniel is growing up. He is highly intelligent but little understood by his parents, and a secret passion burns inside him for love and recognition. When his father loses his job as the headmaster of the local school, his family stumbles into a rural life for which they are ill-prepared. Daniel’s sole solace is the arrival of Philip, a new boy at school, whom he worships with a confused intensity. Before long, both boys fall under the spell of a charismatic art teacher, setting Daniel on a perilous course that could lead to the betrayal of all he loves.
Tender, brutal, and enthralling, The Boyhood of Cain is a remarkable portrait of a young boy caught between mother and father, self and desire, and obedience and freedom. It evokes the passions and private wounds of youth, and plumbs the turning points in our lives that make us who we are.
Genre: Literary Fiction
In the shadow of an ancient abbey nestled between rivers, Daniel is growing up. He is highly intelligent but little understood by his parents, and a secret passion burns inside him for love and recognition. When his father loses his job as the headmaster of the local school, his family stumbles into a rural life for which they are ill-prepared. Daniel’s sole solace is the arrival of Philip, a new boy at school, whom he worships with a confused intensity. Before long, both boys fall under the spell of a charismatic art teacher, setting Daniel on a perilous course that could lead to the betrayal of all he loves.
Tender, brutal, and enthralling, The Boyhood of Cain is a remarkable portrait of a young boy caught between mother and father, self and desire, and obedience and freedom. It evokes the passions and private wounds of youth, and plumbs the turning points in our lives that make us who we are.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"A powerful, searing tale told by a boy facing the plenitude of life but hemmed in by a world so dull and ordinary that he can't wait either to flee it or be drowned in it." - André Aciman
"The Boyhood of Cain is a beautiful and profound novel about a boy's coming to consciousness as his family falls apart. Utterly compelling and quietly devastating, I read this book with my heart in my mouth and could not put it down." - Mary Costello
"Told in a voice that is both bracing and embracing, The Boyhood of Cain is a masterful evocation of the vertiginous tipping point between childhood and adolescence. Deeply felt and finely crafted, Amherst delivers Danny's spellbinding story with rare sharpness, profundity and heart." - Michael Donkor
"Amherst has created a young protagonist of extraordinary depth and complexity. We don't so much observe him as live him." - Nathan Filer
"The Boyhood of Cain is a beautiful coming-of-age story told with subtlety and style. Amherst writes movingly about childhood, friendship, and the often conflicting internal struggles of a boy trying to find his place in the world." - Michael Magee
"The Boyhood of Cain is a beautiful and profound novel about a boy's coming to consciousness as his family falls apart. Utterly compelling and quietly devastating, I read this book with my heart in my mouth and could not put it down." - Mary Costello
"Told in a voice that is both bracing and embracing, The Boyhood of Cain is a masterful evocation of the vertiginous tipping point between childhood and adolescence. Deeply felt and finely crafted, Amherst delivers Danny's spellbinding story with rare sharpness, profundity and heart." - Michael Donkor
"Amherst has created a young protagonist of extraordinary depth and complexity. We don't so much observe him as live him." - Nathan Filer
"The Boyhood of Cain is a beautiful coming-of-age story told with subtlety and style. Amherst writes movingly about childhood, friendship, and the often conflicting internal struggles of a boy trying to find his place in the world." - Michael Magee
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