Cyril’s story begins in 1945, when he is born to an unwed teenage mother banished from her rural Irish town, and adopted by eccentric and wealthy parents Maude and Charles Avery. Every seven years, we witness Cyril’s growth and transformation from boyhood to teenager to all stages of adulthood, and learn just how powerful the forces of love and humanity can be.

Have you ever read a story and felt like the characters had become such good friends, that you weren’t ready to let them go by the end? That is this book. Cyril Avery and his crew will stand out in my memory this year, as one of the finest cast of characters I’ve read! This book filled my heart and broke my heart simultaneously. I don’t want to say too much, because I want you to get to know Cyril yourself. Please don’t be intimidated by this one’s length — it is well worth it and reads quickly. From Cyril’s coming to terms with his own homosexuality to the Catholic church’s hypocritical stance on many issues to the AIDS epidemic, this book covered some seriously heavy issues in its 70-year span. I also loved seeing the transformation (for the most part!) of Ireland alongside Cyril as time went on. What surprised me most is that I laughed more than I cried with this one — I was chortling through so many of the dialogue bits! I did this as a hybrid read, and the audio narrated by Stephen Hogan was phenomenal—his accent and voices were the chef’s kiss to accompany this story!

Read this if you enjoy an epic, character-driven historical fiction. But also read it if you’re human and believe in redemption, love, and the human spirit. Just read it. Trust me.