A companion to “Water” - you don’t have to have read the previous book to enjoy “Earth” but it does describe the claustrophobic island and desperate family dynamic from which the main character is trying to escape.

To say it is enjoyable seems a bit perverse as the subject is a rape trial involving two footballers, however the characters and the story as to how they got into this position is intriguing and certainly a page turner. A difficult book to review without giving away the fabulous ending - a superb read!

I received this preview copy having loved Water the first of the quartet of novels. Earth for me was a harder read - both Evans back story and the course case were bleak and heartbreaking.
However I couldn't put it down - a testament to the author's writing and when I realised how it connected to the first book it made it feel like part of a much bigger story arc.
Not the easiest read but it's themes of dreams, parental ambitions, power and love were thought provoking.

This story follows a character- introduced by Boyne in ‘Water’ - when he leaves the small island where Water is set
Evan flees an abusive father and unhappy life, but the story begins with him on trial. Chapters alternate between present and past, charting the path Evan’s life took since leaving home.
A short book; I read it in one day, but as with most of Boyne’s work the writing is excellent, riveting even.
It is a dark tale, dealing with some difficult issues. No spoilers- but John Boyne is a great storyteller.

Earth - John Boyne

The second of three this short novel focuses on Evan who we first met in the first book Water. He is now a well-known professional footballer and gay, He is accused of filming the events of a sexual assault committed by a fellow player. The book focusses on the trial, the outcome, the aftermath and the interaction Evan has with his family, his friend (accused of the rape) and the people around him.

Evan is a gifted footballer but actually hates the game however it was his only way of getting away from his home and off the island. It is clear Evan wants to be loved and to love but this is denied him.

The details of the court case are plausible and has harrowing scenes we have all heard and read before. Is the verdict the right one; is the story as decided in the court room correct ?

Once again John Boyne has written a jam packed emotional story in a small package one which resonates today and one which will have you thinking long past the reading of it.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

John Boyne delivers another excellent novella in the second of his series of elemental titles.
It’s a gripping story centred around a trial, where footballer Robbie is accused of rape and the main character, Evan Keogh, is complicit in that he filmed the crime.
What elevates this story is the characterisation. Evan tells his life story and your sympathy and triggered thoughts continually change based on the nuances of his reactions and revelations.
Evan wants to be a painter but his father bullies him into football. He discovers early on that he is gay and the trajectory his life takes in one of the most macho environments, where his everyday longings have to be repressed, is sadly contrasted with the life he could have led had he been able to live his true self.
There are links to the island and characters from Water but it can be easily read as a stand alone.
I am comparing and contrasting this series with Ali Smith’s Seasonal quartet and Boyne’s are more grounded, focusing on individual dilemmas that resonate. They will not date.

Superb progression through Boyne’s quartet. We meet Evan in the first, Water, and now he is the central character in Earth. A dark, upsetting story of physical, sexual and emotional violence as Evan runs from his abusive father on the island to eventually a career in England as a talented footballer. Despite being gay he is embroiled in a sex scandal with a young girl and finds himself on trial as an accessory to rape. Would have read in one sitting if I could.

Following on from Water, Earth follows Evan, a character we have already briefly met. On the run from his father and trying to find himself, he finds himself in a few bad situations. It was interesting to read the point of view of the person charged with such a horrible crime. We are torn on what to feel about Evan. Excellently done, beautifully written and a real page turner. Can't wait to read the next installment in the Elements series.

Sometimes a shorter book is exactly what is needed, so I have very much appreciated John Boyne’s latest novellas. Earth is the second of four planned, stand-alone, works, named after the elements. I have read Water and so I was very keen to read Earth.
Like its predecessor, Earth is not an easy read. It is gritty, and at times brutal, but totally absorbing.
Evan is a talented Irish footballer who doesn’t really want to play, but recognises that it is a way of life escaping his childhood and traumatic early adult life. As a gay man, it is not a simple option. .
The rape trial (he is accused with another man of a sexual assault on a young woman) allows the past to emerge, and explains how Evan has ended up in the dock.
It is really clever and exceptionally well written. I wasn’t consistent in my sympathies for Evan, which added to the depth and complexity of the book. I definitely recommend it as a book club choice, as the discussions will be so interesting.
I will be snapping up Fire as soon as it is available. I can’t wait to see what Boyne has done.

Thus is the second novella in John Boyne’s “Elements” quartet. These are interlinked but standalone stories, and although only a small crossover I really liked when that link arrived.
This is the story of a young Irish footballer playing for a championship club in England who, with a teammate, has been charged with rape / accessory to rape. It’s gritty, raw and unflinching at times. Evan is a reluctant footballer, pushed into it by his domineering father. He had the talent, but not the love for the sport and football was almost a last resort as a career.
His backstory / journey to get to the place he is now is harrowing, and this story is interspersed with the court case he is facing.
Although I enjoyed Water more, this has more of a page turner quality and the author really keeps us guessing to the very end.
A great quarter to this quartet.

Another absolutely amazing read from John Boyne. It is brutal, upsetting and graphic, but it is also beautiful, sad and uplifting. I simply loved it, started it, and finished it two hours later.
Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the second in this series.

The 2nd of John Boyne’s new series, Earth follows the story of Evan Keogh since he left his island home on the west coast of Ireland. He finally achieved what his father always wanted and became a professional footballer in the Championship league in the U.K. The book is centred around a rape trial involving himself and another footballer.
This is a grittier and more disturbing read than Water and I would question whether the details given about his sex life were really necessary. Rape trials and accusations have been topical in Ireland and elsewhere in the past so that aspect of the story felt very unoriginal somehow. The book is well written and compelling, the main character complex, devious and yet weak, just not fitting into this world. My issue with it really is the mechanisms used to unravel the root cause of his troubles.
It is still well worth a read and I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Had me totally addicted , and I just sat for hours turning the pages, as there was no way I could put it down until the very end… thrilling read, this book is an absolute must-read , it’s just too good to miss.

EARTH is the second book in the Element’s quartet by John Boyne. Have already read Water and thoroughly enjoyed it I eagerly agreed to read and review this next story. The main character in this book, Evan, has a minor role in Water, and now we learn more about him.
I'm pleased to say I enjoyed Earth even more that Water despite the unpromising premise of footballer meets rape charge. It is the kind of story that appears in tabloid newspapers but Boyne handles it so well, and really gets inside his character, that the reader ends up rooting for the man almost regardless of what he may have done.
The story is told over two time period in Evan's life - when he is a teenager, growing up in Ireland and the present day when he is a relatively successful footballer. Gradually his childhood and adolescence are revealed to the reader, at the same time as the events leading up to the current situation. Boyne is a master of suspense, knowing exactly when to end a chapter so that you read on to find out what is happening.
This is an engrossing read, covering some difficult topics but told sensitively and interestingly, and I look forward to reading the next in the sequence.
With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK for an early copy in return for an honest review.

This is a story about a young man at odds with the world and the people who live in the small island he grew up on.
When he travels to London to look for work he makes some wrong decisions and ends up in serious trouble.
A sad story about friendships and insecurities.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written, completely engrossing, read it in one sitting....but my goodness I'm not the better for it.... ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC

Evan is a footballer on trial with a fellow player accused of rape. As the trial begins he considers everything that has happened in his short life before. A bullying and abusive father who Evan has spent his life trying to leave, his ambition to be a painter and his hatred of football despite his natural talent - all of it leads him to where he is and the type of person he is. As the verdict approaches what is Evan willing to do for his friend Robbie?
Just like it's predecessor Water this is a short story perfectly written, describing the lives behind a tabloid scandal situation.

Earth is the second part in Boyne's Elements sequence, and it's even better than the first instalment, Water.

I was offered an ARC for this, and immediately snapped it up without knowing anything about the subject matter. When I realised it concerned footballers being tried for rape, my heart sank a bit, as that probably wasn't that pre-Christmas, light content I'd been after!

However, after only a few pages I was hooked by the story of Evan, a young Irishman who has made a successful career as a footballer, following a rather circuitous route there.

Boyne's style, as ever, is very readable. even when some of the content is harrowing. The courtroom sections are particularly powerful, as the victim is subjected to a horrific character assassination.

The greatest achievement here though, is the character of Evan, who also featured very briefly in the Water novel. Throughout the book he leaps off the page as a flawed, messed up, but very real human being.

I'm looking forward to part three of this sequence - Fire. Hopefully it can live up to the high standards set by Water and Earth.

I’m a big fan of this author and this year I’ve been really spoiled by the publication of the series of novellas of which Earth is the 2nd to water
The novel is a story of a young man, from a small island of the coast of Ireland, who leaves Home to escape a critical cold father and moves to England. He wants to become an artist as this is where his enjoyment and love live, however, he quickly realises that this is not going to make him a living as he has no particular talent in this area. He does however, have a natural talent in football which he doesn’t particularly enjoy.
Whilst he
is finding his feet in England He has the need to make money and does this by becoming a rent boy being sent by an upper-class pimp to service his male clientele
Evan is gay and falls in love with a fellow footballer. Unfortunately for him, this young man is heterosexual and predatory.
This is a very topical novel, the story of young footballers, praying on young girls is seen in the tabloid newspapers regularly, as is young women falsely accusing famous footballers off sexual crimes.

I wondered why I was not as in love with this novel as the previous ones and I think it’s probably because the story has been one that I’ve heard before so many times in the tabloid press.
It is beautifully written as all his work, the language flows, and is a joy to read . the novel is as well crafted as I have to expect from him
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK, the book is published in the UK on the 2nd of May 2024 by house UK Transworld publishers
This review will appear on NetGalley, UK, Goodreads and my book blog.bionicsarahsbooks.Wordpress.com, After publication, it will also appear on Amazon, UK.

Earth is the second of a planned quartet of element themed novellas by John Boyne. It is not a direct sequel to the first, Water, but focuses on Evan, last seen leaving the island where Willow was living.

Evan was a peripheral character in the first book but now we find out a lot more about him, his current life as a highly paid professional footballer in England and his experiences growing up on the island with a tyrant of a father and the escape that followed, all of which have led him to his current place on trial with a team mate for a horrific crime. Many of the themes of the book are the same as the first, social media, shame, sexuality, sexual abuse but now from a very different angle. It's not entirely clear throughout what has actually happened, although it's easy to guess at, and certainly not clear what the result will be in the trial, and I found it impossible to put down.

This is absolutely not an easy book to read, it is brutal and upsetting, but an author as talented as John Boyne makes it completely gripping. The topics featured are very sensitive, both those happening to Evan and those he is responsible for, and it's a real balancing act to let us feel sympathy and dislike for him at various parts - that feels very true to life, people have terrible experiences which shape them but they can also do terrible things to other people.

I also love the way the themes of these books reflect the title - Willow in the first book, Water, was escaping her past and there was a real sense of the sea around her on the island and a feeling of cleansing her from what had happened, but the tone of this book is very different. Evan's experience of the island as the place he grew up are far more solid and there is a sense of all the mud and dirt around him rather than the water. All of his experiences after his move are grubby and dark and oppressive and again really reflect the title. I'm fascinated to see what we have in store in Air and Fire.

To be honest, I would read absolutely anything John Boyne cares to write (and have done) but he never just churns out any old thing because he knows he has a readership and once again he's produced something that is engrossing, interesting and difficult, and something that really makes you think. Another masterpiece.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

#Earth #NetGalley

‘Earth’ is the second wonderful novella in John Boyne’s Elements quartet, following on from the beautifully composed ‘Water’. This time we are taken away from the island of 400 inhabitants at the centre of ‘Water’ as we follow Evan’s bid to escape a painful childhood and adolescence, dominated by a bullying father and a callous friend.
Evan dreams of being a painter but he is brave enough to recognise that he has no innate talent. He is artistic but no artist. Reluctantly, when he has exhausted all other means of earning money, he persuades a professional football coach to take him on. He knows he’s a talented footballer, even though he doesn’t love the sport, and for a while life is good enough.
However, through his complicated relationship with team mate, Robbie, one night Evan is caught up in sexual assault and become charged in connection with a rape. Boyne’s handling of the trial scenes is superb: his ability to show how the defendant is unfairly reduced to a crumbling mess, how the emotional cost of mendacity affects those involved in the case, and also depict the extra burden that Evan carries above and beyond this case builds the tension superbly.
Just as he used the extended metaphor of water in the first of the quartet, Boyne uses earth in this book to signify moments of importance in Evan’s life. He remains connected to his island home even though he has tried so hard to escape it. He recognises that ‘…the earth is a part of me. The feel of it on my skin. The taste of it in my mouth.’ Through Evan we recognise the terrible power exerted by childhood influences – how one may despise something yet remain forever connected. The author shows us how difficult it is to face things long buried yet, by the end of the narrative, Evan once more shows his innate bravery by doing just this. Redemption may yet be possible.
Whilst part of Evan’s story appears in ‘Water’, ‘Earth can be read as a standalone. However, with fiction of this quality, why wouldn’t you want to read the whole quartet? I’m eagerly awaiting ‘Fire’.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.