Loved 'The Heart's Invisible Furies', what else is similar

[Stygimoloch]

I absolutely loved 'The Heart's Invisible Furies'. It made me cry and then cry with laughter. I missed Cyril and co so much when I'd finished and have struggled to find anything which even comes close.

I've also loved The Goldfinch recently.

I really need something new to fill the void. Any recommendations?

[Dottierichardson]

You could try Edmund White's excellent trilogy starting with A Boy's Own Story similar themes, but later novels very frank. Claire Messud The Emperor's Children could be of interest, has affinities with The Goldfinch. Michelle de Kretser The Lost Dog (ignore the title not representative except tangentially, excellent novel again has similarities to The Goldfinch but a better book I think.

[southeastdweller]

Watching this with interest as I also loved those two books, particularly The Goldfinch. Have you read A Little Life? That also had an epic and emotional feel to it.

[Dottierichardson]

There's also City on Fire a little too sprawling for my taste but some excellent elements; or perhaps Jonathan Lethem's The Fortress of Solitude which is great on youth, friendship, life in New York, as well as art and music. It's hard to make recommendations because people respond to different things about the same novel.

[Stygimoloch]

Dottie great recommendations. Will check them out and get downloading.

South, I've been torn about reading A Little Life for ages due to some reviews saying how traumatic it is. I even started a thread about it because I was unsure whether I'd find it too upsetting. I've avoided it in the end because lots of posters said it was so grim in places. It still keeps appearing in my recommendations though so maybe I should just go for it.

[TheGirlOnTheLanding]

Watching with interest as I was blown away by The Heart's Invisible Furies too. A Little Life was gut-wrenching: brilliant but puts you through the emotional wringer. You have to be in the right place to read it, IMO. As to recommendations, have you read A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson, What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt or Brooklyn by Colm Toibin? They aren't similar in style or subject matter, but are all character-driven and absorbing. I'm also looking forward to reading John Boyne's new book, A Ladder to the Sky.

[EmGee]

I've read both and I loved them. You could try another John Boyne book - The History of Loneliness - which is very good. It was the first Boyne book I read. It's not a very cheery subject (child abuse/Catholic priests) but it nowhere near as harrowing a read as A Little Life.

[CakeBeTheFoodOfLove]

I've just picked up an as-new copy of The hearts invisible furies from the charity shops for 30p! I love a book bargain!

[HappydaysArehere]

A Place Called Winter. A brilliant book and in a similar vein to Invisable Furies. Strongly recommend.

[HappydaysArehere]

Forgot to say it’s by Philip Gale.