A History of Loneliness

Complicit. Sadness and melancholy are the highpoints in John Boyne’s finely written novel titled, A History of Loneliness, that takes on the topic of child abuse by Irish priests. Protagonist Odran Yates is an Irish priest who was not an abuser, but he was close by and oblivious as it was done under his nose, by a priest friend and classmate. Boyne moves back and forth in time as he constructs Yates’ growing awareness of his own complicity in what happened over decades. Boyne’s prose will please those readers who enjoy literary fiction. His sensitivity to the victims of abuse constrains the novel in all the right ways. The essential loneliness in the lives of celibate priests pervades the narrative and creates the gloomy atmosphere in which the plot develops. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase A History of Loneliness from amazon.com.