Guilt, Shame and Narration in John Boyne’s The Heart’s Invisible Furies

Abstract

This article deals with the psychological affects of guilt and shame in John Boyne’s novel The Heart’s Invisible Furies and with how these influence the way in which the narrator, Cyril Avery, chooses to present his life narrative. Being both the narrator and the main character/focalizer of the events told, the question of his (un)reliability proves extremely relevant for the analysis. The guilt and shame Cyril feels in the first part of the novel —which is also the first part of his life— on account of his being a gay man is forced upon him by the Irish society of the time. Hence, it is only when he leaves his homeland that he can start to find the peace he so much longs for and which, eventually, allows him to tell his story.