EARTH

‘Earth’ by John Boyne is the second novella in the author’s Elements series. This one blowing another punch to your senses and tapping into the unsavoury trappings of fame and entitlement.

The novel opens with a tabloid sensation; two well known footballers are standing trial for sexual assault and we the reader are privy to the text conversation between the two young men, Robbie and Evan, who are preparing for their first day in court. As the trial unfolds Evan the voice and storyteller scrolls back to his own backstory and the decisions that led him to this unfathomable turn of events. Readers of Boyne’s first novella in the series will recognise Evan as the young boy who was given a lifeline by Vanessa (in ‘Water’) to leave their small island and start afresh away from his controlling father. We know that Evan is a gifted footballer but his personal passion and ambition is to paint and it is Evan’s naivety quickly followed by a reality check that burdens Evan’s mind and we feel his heartache, coupled with his shame of who he really is.

True to the elements of earth, this novel feel grubby, raw and base. However Boyne manages to deliver prose that is both beautifully poetic and poignant. And we find a way to enjoy Evan’s journey to clear the ‘stench of earth’ from his nostrils and breathe freely.

‘Earth’ is bang up to date, topical and 'of the moment’ providing plenty of talking points in book club.

Boyne fans will be keen to add this to their book club list, especially with the arrival of ‘Fire’ coming soon (November ’24).

Water is reviewed in the Den's library, as are other novels by Boyne including 'The Heart's Invisible Furies', 'A Ladder to the Sky' and 'All the Broken Places'.