The Boys

A Novel

By: Katie Hafner

Narrated by: BJ Harrison

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

“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 Editor’s Choice |

Good Morning America Reading Pick | LitHub Most Anticipated Book |

Christian Science Monitor Summer Reading Pick

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

When introverted Ethan Fawcett marries fun-loving Barb, so comfortable in the world, he has every reason to believe he will be delivered from a lifetime of solitude. She fills his world with a sense of adventure, expanding his horizons beyond his comfortable routine. To ease Ethan’s fears of becoming a father, Barb suggests they foster two young brothers, Tommy and Sam, and Ethan immediately falls in love with the boys.

When the pandemic hits, he becomes obsessed with providing a perfect life for them. But instead of bringing Barb and Ethan closer together, the boys become a wedge in their relationship, as Ethan is unable to share with Barb a secret that has been haunting him since childhood. Then Ethan takes Tommy and Sam on a biking trip in Italy, and it becomes clear just how unusual Ethan and his boys are.

©2022 Katie Hafner (P)2022 Spiegel & Grau by Spotify Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“Katie Hafner’s taut and utterly delightful debut is a novel of multitudes. It is travel escapism, a family drama, a character study, social commentary on pandemic isolation and an incredible journey back to center. We are emerging from a period of forced introversion, and The Boys provides the perfect antidote. … There is a surprise at the center of this book, so original and unusual that I stopped pushing forward for a day to reread the first half again and check for inconsistency. Hafner doesn’t miss a beat. … I will just say this: What a wonder of storytelling. I will be thinking of these boys for a long time to come.“—Weike Wang, New York Times Book Review

“Clever, skillfully crafted … a laugh-out-loud delight to read …. Also a poignant exploration of loneliness and the ways trauma survivors can go to extraordinary lengths to avoid facing their psychic wounds.“—San Francisco Chronicle

“Think of Katie Hafner as Anne Tyler, but much weirder…. Hafner is a smart, funny observer of human foibles and in Ethan she has created a character so endearing that it would not be a surprise if this debut novel led to a career with Tyler’s longevity.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

suspension of disbelief has to be pretty willing

a well-executed novel surrounding a pretty silly premise. enjoyable read, I stayed with it to the end as long as I didn't think about it too much. narration is almost too smooth, but again, good enough

Such A Cool Plot!

At moments, I I did find myself wishing Ms Hafner would move the plot along a bit, yet in hindsight, her development is necessary for her wonderful plotline. Mid-novel, the point-of-view changes which initially causes confusion, but once I realized Ethan was no longer the narrator, I began to thoroughly enjoy what Ms Hafner creatively built in the first 3rd of the novel. The denoumont brought a smile to my face-enjoy this super first novel by an author I look forward to reading again.

Surprising, Gentle and Satisfying

I so enjoyed the beginning of the story that when the twist arrived, I was put off at first. But I pushed on and soon realized that the quiet precision of the writing was unchanged. The characters are drawn with an illuminating softness, like an Edward Hopper painting or a comfortable old t-shirt. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Relatable and thought-provoking

Ethan Fawcett, while somewhat of a quiet loner, grew into a very relatable man who ultimately had to cope with loneliness. The arc is beautiful, well-written, and the twist had excellently subtle foreshadowing. Props to Katie Hafner for a beautiful tale and to her husband for informative pandemic tweets and his promotion of her book.

Original and Eccentric

“The Boys” was well-written, creative and thoughtful. The plot revolves around Ethan and Barb, an odd couple that find each other at a start-up company, hit it off over diner food, then ultimately marry and take in the two boys of the title. While the plot startles, much of the book’s beauty is in its depiction of contemporary life, post-Covid society and the risks people take. There are some neat psychological insights about loss and loneliness. The narrator was very good, although a couple of times he forgot to use his “Barb” voice, so I got confused as to who was speaking. Overall, this was an original and satisfying story.

Great Book!

Loved this story, wow!!! What a twist I did not see coming! Highly recommend! Five stars!

Speed it up

I had to speed the narrator up to 1.8x to make the book enjoyable he was to slow.

Great novel and narration!

Amazing performance. BJ Harrison brought the characters to life. I can’t wait until the author Katie Hafner writes her second novel.

Give me Mr. Roger’s

Seriously, the narrator was pathetic. I could not put up with his driveling voice & coupled with the sophomoric tone of this novel—I was gagging on the syrup!

meh

needed editing obvious 1st fiction novel mistakes. repeat use of phrases. tried to build characters but sometimes overkill or unnecessary. the narrator thought he was doing commercials, terrible.