The Boys

"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, New York Times bestselling author of Our Country Friends "Remarkable .... Starting out as a lighthearted romance before taking an unsettling turn, [The Boys] upends expectations in the best way."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[An] impeccably written and surprise-fueled debut novel about empathy's role in addressing childhood trauma." --Christian Science Monitor, a Best Book of Summer A delicious and smart summer read filled with humor and surprise. When introverted Ethan Fawcett marries 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. Because Ethan fears becoming a father, one day Barb brings home two young brothers, Tommy and Sam, for them to foster, and Ethan immediately falls in love with the two boys. When the pandemic hits, he becomes obsessed with providing a perfect life for them. But instead of bringing Barb and Ethan closer together, the boys become a wedge in their relationship, as Ethan is unable to share with Barb a secret that has been haunting him since childhood. Then Ethan takes Tommy and Sam on a biking trip in Italy, and it becomes clear just how unusual Ethan and his children are. This hauntingly beautiful debut novel--a bold and original high-wire feat--is "a treat with a surprise inside" (Publishers Weekly).