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The Boyhood of Cain

Author Michael Amherst
Hardcover
$29.00 US
| $39.00 CAN
Penguin Adult HC/TR | Riverhead Books
On sale Feb 25, 2025 | 208 Pages | 9780593718520
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A searing novel of love and betrayal as a young boy comes of age in the heart of England, from an exquisite new voice.

In the shadow of an ancient abbey nestled between rivers, Daniel is growing up. He is highly intelligent but little understood by his parents, and a secret passion burns inside him for love and recognition. When his father loses his job as the headmaster of the local school, his family stumbles into a rural life for which they are ill-prepared. Daniel’s sole solace is the arrival of Philip, a new boy at school, whom he worships with a confused intensity. Before long, both boys fall under the spell of a charismatic art teacher, setting Daniel on a perilous course that could lead to the betrayal of all he loves. 

Tender, brutal, and enthralling, The Boyhood of Cain is a remarkable portrait of a young boy caught between mother and father, self and desire, and obedience and freedom. It evokes the passions and private wounds of youth, and plumbs the turning points in our lives that make us who we are.
“Amherst’s words matter as they limn Daniel’s life in beautifully realized, psychologically acute, and nearly granular detail. [Daniel] is an unfailingly fascinating, memorable character. A reader can’t ask for anything more." –Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

“Amherst writes with a measured pace and careful attention to his youthful protagonist’s malleability as Daniel questions his sexuality and other supposed binaries of life. The result is an authentic depiction of youthful fears and confusions.” –Publishers Weekly

"A powerful, searing tale told by a boy facing the plenitude of life but hemmed in by a world so…ordinary that he can’t wait either to flee it or be drowned in it." –André Aciman, author of Call Me By Your Name

"A beautiful and profound novel about a boy's coming to consciousness as his family falls apart. Utterly compelling and quietly devastating, I read this book with my heart in my mouth and could not put it down." –Mary Costello, author of The River Capture

"Told in a voice that is both bracing and embracing...Amherst delivers Danny's spellbinding story with rare sharpness, profundity and heart.” –Michael Donkor, author of Housegirl

"A gorgeous and propulsive portrait of the end of childhood...Beautifully written, with unwavering empathy and precise, perfect details, Amherst is a true talent. I loved it." –Anna Hogeland, author of The Long Answer
Michael Amherst is the author of Go the Way Your Blood Beats: On Truth, Bisexuality & Desire, which won the 2019 Stonewall Book Award for nonfiction. He is the winner of the 2020 Hubert Butler Essay Prize, and his short fiction has been longlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. His journalism and criticism have been published in The Guardian and New Statesman, among other outlets. The Boyhood of Cain is his first novel. View titles by Michael Amherst

About

A searing novel of love and betrayal as a young boy comes of age in the heart of England, from an exquisite new voice.

In the shadow of an ancient abbey nestled between rivers, Daniel is growing up. He is highly intelligent but little understood by his parents, and a secret passion burns inside him for love and recognition. When his father loses his job as the headmaster of the local school, his family stumbles into a rural life for which they are ill-prepared. Daniel’s sole solace is the arrival of Philip, a new boy at school, whom he worships with a confused intensity. Before long, both boys fall under the spell of a charismatic art teacher, setting Daniel on a perilous course that could lead to the betrayal of all he loves. 

Tender, brutal, and enthralling, The Boyhood of Cain is a remarkable portrait of a young boy caught between mother and father, self and desire, and obedience and freedom. It evokes the passions and private wounds of youth, and plumbs the turning points in our lives that make us who we are.

Reviews

“Amherst’s words matter as they limn Daniel’s life in beautifully realized, psychologically acute, and nearly granular detail. [Daniel] is an unfailingly fascinating, memorable character. A reader can’t ask for anything more." –Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

“Amherst writes with a measured pace and careful attention to his youthful protagonist’s malleability as Daniel questions his sexuality and other supposed binaries of life. The result is an authentic depiction of youthful fears and confusions.” –Publishers Weekly

"A powerful, searing tale told by a boy facing the plenitude of life but hemmed in by a world so…ordinary that he can’t wait either to flee it or be drowned in it." –André Aciman, author of Call Me By Your Name

"A beautiful and profound novel about a boy's coming to consciousness as his family falls apart. Utterly compelling and quietly devastating, I read this book with my heart in my mouth and could not put it down." –Mary Costello, author of The River Capture

"Told in a voice that is both bracing and embracing...Amherst delivers Danny's spellbinding story with rare sharpness, profundity and heart.” –Michael Donkor, author of Housegirl

"A gorgeous and propulsive portrait of the end of childhood...Beautifully written, with unwavering empathy and precise, perfect details, Amherst is a true talent. I loved it." –Anna Hogeland, author of The Long Answer

Author

Michael Amherst is the author of Go the Way Your Blood Beats: On Truth, Bisexuality & Desire, which won the 2019 Stonewall Book Award for nonfiction. He is the winner of the 2020 Hubert Butler Essay Prize, and his short fiction has been longlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. His journalism and criticism have been published in The Guardian and New Statesman, among other outlets. The Boyhood of Cain is his first novel. View titles by Michael Amherst

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