Why read The Boys?

Book cover of The Boys

Book description

"Hafner's taut and utterly delightful debut is a novel of multitudes.... What a wonder of storytelling." -Weike Wang, New York Times

New York Times Editors' Pick | Most Anticipated | GMA Summer Reads

A delicious summer read filled with humor and surprise for readers of Anne Tyler and Kevin Wilson.

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Literary fiction

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Boys as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Lucy Jane Bledsoe

Author

I love novels that tell stories I’ve never read before, and The Boys delivers.

The characters are utterly unique and strange and, best of all, lovable. A deep compassion drives the characters through their scenes, and by the end of the book, my heart ached for them in the best way.

There’s also a huge reveal in this novel that came to me as a total surprise but one that made so much sense. The novel is seamlessly wonderful.

From Lucy's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Joanna Elm

Author

I’ve read many thrillers in my genre touted for their mind-blowing twists, but which have left me disappointed. The Boys lives up to its hype. Totally.

Ethan is a husband who has an extreme fear of parenting. To help him overcome his fears, his wife Barb arranges for them to foster two brothers. Ethan takes to his parenting role so diligently that Barb has to take a breather from the marriage while Ethan takes the boys on a biking trip to Italy.

It is here—a little more than halfway through the novel—that the reader learns the …

From Joanna's list on The best contemporary suspense novels with jaw-dropping twists.