“Hafner’s taut and utterly delightful debut is a novel of multitudes…. What a wonder of storytelling.”–Weike Wang, New York Times
New York Times Editors’ Pick | Most Anticipated | GMA Summer Reads
A delicious summer read filled with humor and surprise for readers of Anne Tyler and Kevin Wilson.
When introverted Ethan Fawcett marries gregarious Barb, he has every reason to believe he will be delivered from a lifetime of solitude. She fills his world with a sense of adventure, expanding his horizons beyond his comfortable routine. To ease Ethan’s fears of becoming a father, Barb suggests they foster two young brothers, Tommy and Sam, and Ethan immediately falls in love with the boys.
When the pandemic hits, he becomes obsessed with providing a perfect life for them. Instead of bringing Barb and Ethan closer together, however, the boys become a wedge in the couple's relationship, as Ethan is unable to share with Barb a secret that has been haunting him since childhood. But it's not until Ethan takes Tommy and Sam on a biking trip in Italy, and it becomes clear just how unusual Ethan and his boys are.
Genre: Literary Fiction
New York Times Editors’ Pick | Most Anticipated | GMA Summer Reads
A delicious summer read filled with humor and surprise for readers of Anne Tyler and Kevin Wilson.
When introverted Ethan Fawcett marries gregarious Barb, he has every reason to believe he will be delivered from a lifetime of solitude. She fills his world with a sense of adventure, expanding his horizons beyond his comfortable routine. To ease Ethan’s fears of becoming a father, Barb suggests they foster two young brothers, Tommy and Sam, and Ethan immediately falls in love with the boys.
When the pandemic hits, he becomes obsessed with providing a perfect life for them. Instead of bringing Barb and Ethan closer together, however, the boys become a wedge in the couple's relationship, as Ethan is unable to share with Barb a secret that has been haunting him since childhood. But it's not until Ethan takes Tommy and Sam on a biking trip in Italy, and it becomes clear just how unusual Ethan and his boys are.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"The Boys is utterly charming -- one of the most delightful books I have read in ages. As we bike through Italy's little villages with introvert Ethan Fawcett, stopping to drink a caffe shakerato as church bells ring in a mournful E flat, what we see around us is the wide and beautiful horizon of the human heart. I absolutely loved this little miracle of a book." - Meg Waite Clayton
"This is a treat-yourself read, the tale of an endearing human on a hilariously misguided quest for love and connection, in the delight-filled tradition of Anne Tyler. But Hafner bakes a surprise into the center of her confection-- a glorious, mind-blowing twist that propels the story to unexpected heights and depths. With exquisite compassion and humor, this novel leaves its readers deeply nourished, heart, mind, and soul." - Debra Jo Immergut
"Tender and emotionally intelligent . . . . An audacious feat of narrative bravado." - Maria Semple
"A brilliant, thoughtful novel that comes with perhaps the greatest shocker in recent literature (no spoiler alert). A superb meditation on loneliness and community." - Gary Shteyngart
"Unexpectedly funny, touching, disarming--The Boys got under my skin from the very first page. Hafner is a wry and wise explorer of the secrets buried deep in our most intimate relationships. This novel will stay with me for a long time." - Laura Zigman
"This is a treat-yourself read, the tale of an endearing human on a hilariously misguided quest for love and connection, in the delight-filled tradition of Anne Tyler. But Hafner bakes a surprise into the center of her confection-- a glorious, mind-blowing twist that propels the story to unexpected heights and depths. With exquisite compassion and humor, this novel leaves its readers deeply nourished, heart, mind, and soul." - Debra Jo Immergut
"Tender and emotionally intelligent . . . . An audacious feat of narrative bravado." - Maria Semple
"A brilliant, thoughtful novel that comes with perhaps the greatest shocker in recent literature (no spoiler alert). A superb meditation on loneliness and community." - Gary Shteyngart
"Unexpectedly funny, touching, disarming--The Boys got under my skin from the very first page. Hafner is a wry and wise explorer of the secrets buried deep in our most intimate relationships. This novel will stay with me for a long time." - Laura Zigman
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Used availability for Katie Hafner's The Boys