About the Book:
From internationally bestselling author John Boyne, an inescapably gritty story about one young man whose direction in life takes a vastly different turn than what he expected.
It's the tabloid sensation of the year: two well-known footballers standing in the dock, charged with sexual assault, a series of vile text messages pointing towards their guilt.
As the trial unfolds, Evan Keogh reflects on the events that have led him to this moment. Since leaving his island home, his life has been a lie on many levels. He's a talented footballer who wanted to be an artist. A gay man in a sport that rejects diversity. A defendant whose knowledge of what took place on that fateful night threatens more than just his freedom or career.
The jury will deliver a verdict but, before they do, Evan must judge for himself whether the man he has become is the man he wanted to be.
Published by Doubleday
My Thoughts:
Rating: 4 stars
Why I chose it: It follows on from Water.
Themes: Sexual assault, misogyny, homophobia.
For fans of: Moralistic stories, novellas, Irish fiction, and John Boyne.
The good: John Boyne writes majestically, he knows how to spin a captivating story, whatever the subject.
The not so good: This novella is not an easy read. It contains explicit descriptions of sexual assault and violence. Reading a story like this makes me fearful for young people and the situations they can end up in.
In brief: Earth follows on from Water and is another moralistic story. Earth tells the story of Evan, on trial as an accessory to rape, a gay footballer with very little respect for himself and his own well-being. I was deeply saddened by what Evan allowed to happen to himself, and yet, this was tempered with the knowledge of what he had allowed to happen to someone else. Evan aroused my sympathies on the one hand, but my contempt on the other. I found this one a more divisive read than its predecessor Water. John Boyne though is a splendid author and it's only in the hands of someone such as him that this story could triumph.
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