Cyril Avery is not the real Avery, at least his father keeps repeating it to him. And he will never be real. But then who is he? Cyril's mother, still a girl, was expelled from her native Irish village when it became known that she was expecting a child. Cyril was adopted by a wealthy and extremely eccentric couple from Dublin. He grew up prosperous, but deeply lonely - until he met Julian, eccentric and damn charming. Thus began the life-long story of Cyril, full of successes and disappointments, incredible coincidences and fatal deeds. It will be the path to yourself, to your identity, to your roots, even if they tried to reject it.John Boyne's new and most personal novel gives an impressive panorama of life in Ireland from the middle of the 20th century to ours. days seen through the eyes of an ordinary person. This is a story about how rage, jealousy, envy, intolerance, tormenting a person and an entire country, gradually subside, giving way to peace. A touching, full of irony and humor novel about an era that can already be called bygone.The book contains obscene language.