Beneath the Earth

In my quest to read everything John Boyne, I picked up this most interesting collection of short stories.In this eclectic mix of a dozen tales, Boyne shows his prolific writing ability as he dissects the lives of a diverse group of character types, following their daily routines, revealing secrets of their sexuality, prostitution, incest, infidelity, revenge, plain old frustration, war and even murder....without showing prejudice or placing judgement. None are descriptively graphic.Some stories are dark, some sad, some even humorous, but most have no traditional real beginning or end. They just explore what is and stop.While Amsterdam my favorite with the incident at the Ann Frank house showing a father's anguish over people using cell phones at inappropriate times knowing they can kill, and the last, Beneath The Earth being by far the darkest.John Boyne - one of my all time favorite authors!

Utter magic ! Boyne's mastery lies in his ability to characterize in one sentence. These short stories are of varied studies, each person brought out of the pages to the reader in full life. What came across to me, though was the candor and pragmatism shown by the protagonists who seem to have an ability to quietly absorb their trials and tribulations, taking action as they see fit without fuss. The prose is an utter joy to read. It is economical and totally fit for purpose. Short stories are not my kind of reading and I hesitated buying Beneath the Earth but this is a collection from a master.

These twelve stories in John Boyne’s BENEATH THE EARTH offer quite a collection of characters: the good, the bad, the very bad, the mediocre, the innocent, the kind. Whatever kind of character intrigues you, you will probably find him or her here. A sixteen-year-old who surreptitiously films his sister having sex sends the video to all his friends, it, as we are prone to say now “goes viral, and her life is ruined, at least for the moment. Another “preening narcissist” in the words of Mr. Boyne, in a long-winded eulogy warns that no notes or tapes can be made of his remarks. A callboy who makes connections via the internet meets the last person he expects to have sex with. A hitman reads John Banville. (Perhaps this is a mutual admiration society since Mr. Banville write a blurb for this book praising Mr. Boyne’s A HISTORY OF LONELINESS.)Mr. Boyne is a master of satire and both comedy and tragedy as well as intriguing first sentences of his stories. In many of these stories we come upon the characters just after they have witnessed the train wreck that, as I recall, the writer Rick Bragg says is a requirement for a good story. Four of these stories haunt me but for different reasons. I decided to read the title story first since either Mr. Boyne or his editor selected that one to name the book. If I had to, I could sum it up in one word: horrific. The narrator is the epitome of evil. But I should have been forewarned by the first sentence of the story: “It was no easy task to dig the child’s grave.”In “Amsterdam” we are confronted head-on once again in the first sentence-- so I am not stealing the ending here—with the horror that no parents should have to endure, the death of a young child. I would not have wanted to miss the incident at the Anne Frank House with the teenage girl with her cell phone; she gets both the Dumb and Ugly American Tourist award. As the narrator of the story and others are watching a documentary, the girl’s phone rings loudly. “She speaks into it. She declares in a loud voice that she is in someone called Anne Frank’s house, that the guidebook said they should see it, but it’s like a total waste of time.” A fantastic passage.In “Araby” a near perfect story, the narrator, a young boy grapples with his longing for another older boy: “That part of me that would be driven by desire and loneliness had awoken and was planning cruelties and anguish that I could not yet imagine.”“The Country You Called Home” is quite simply the best story in the collection and makes my list of favorite short stories. It is one you want to read again—and again. I would have given the book its name. In about twenty pages, Mr. Boyne accomplishes what many writers fail to do in novels of hundreds of pages. He engages you in a story that leaves you undone. And the ending slips up on you. He writes a beautiful story about honor, courage, love of family, love of country. Unfortunately I cannot quote the last few sentences of this wondrous story without ruining it for another reader. But the first sentence sets the tone that the author sustains throughout the story: "The brick crashed through the front window shortly after midnight and Emile woke with a start his heart pounding, his eyes raw from interrupted sleep."These are short stories that matter.

Another great read from John Boyne...I'm not a short story fan but I purchased this because I love this author.....Wonderful stories

John Boyne is a consummate storyteller. One of the best folks writing in English today. He follows a long tradition of Irish writers who know how good fiction works. Don't miss any of his work!

A good mix of short stories well written

This is an awesome collection of short stories ... each one is thought provoking and slightly disturbing. I have read every book that John Boyne has written and this one ranks right up there near the top which is pretty high praise considering he is probably my favorite author. His insights into the human condition are both compelling and challenging to read. I found it difficult sometimes when one of the stories ended to leave it there - not because it wasn't complete in itself - but because I really just wanted to keep on reading ... see where the characters went next ...This book will challenge you to examine yourself and find wherein lies your own heart of darkness beyond the earth ....

I am usually not keen on short stories but having just read and very much enjoyed John Boyne’s novel “The History of Loneliness” I decided to try these. Very glad that I did – they are the best I have ever read. In the few pages of each story he manages to really give a sense of the characters and their stories. I find myself still thinking of them and their lives.

I have read several novels of John Boyne, so thought these stories would have the same flare and enjoyment. Unfortunately they don't. Each story is a list of events, no start, no finish and no twist. I remember the short story formula from school and not one of these has it. I will continue to read his novels but will leave the short stories for someone else.

I have always been a fan of John Boyne - just love his work. This is a superb collection of short stories - ideal for those times when a short read is appropriate!

Admire the Author's many novels, but found all the short stories incomplete and needing another chapter.