The Elements by John Boyne

The Elements

By John Boyne

Henry Holt and Co, 2025

Richly woven scenes are threaded with dark connective tissue in John Boyne's stunning new collection, The Elements.

In Water, Vanessa Carvin arrives to a tiny Irish island and immediately changes her name to Willow Hale. She’s fleeing a family scandal and burrows into an off-the-grid cabin for isolation and reflection. Vanessa might be a victim or co-conspirator of deeply tragic events, and the reader is invited to judge as she assesses herself. Boyne immediately kidnaps our attention:

My next task is to shave my head. I’ve kept my hair shoulder length and blonde for as long as I can remember but I purchased an electric razor before leaving Dublin and plug the device in to charge for half an hour before easing it around my skull, experiencing a feverish delight in watching clumps tumble into the sink or fall on the floor around my feet. Standing in the cascading tendrils of my femininity, I decide…

Earth introduces Evan Keogh, a young man in possession of enough footie skill to be a generationally masterful soccer player. But Evan’s passion is paint, and he wants nothing more than to succeed as an artist. Largely due to paternal pressure, he’s boarded up his real self with so many lies that he lives in conflicted agony. His story begins after a tailspin, the gripping details we learn as he awaits the verdict of his high-profile sexual assault trial. 

Dr. Freya Petrus, the protagonist of Fire, is a skilled skin surgeon who grafts burn victims most in need. Her life should overflow with wealth and happiness but is shrouded in evil acts and darkness. Freya’s tumultuous upbringing forces questions of nature vs nurture with innovative cruelty and sick twists. Might some monsters deserve sympathy?

Finally, Air begins at 30,000 feet and Aaron Umber is at a crossroads. It’s his 40th birthday and instead of sitting on Bondi Beach drinking beer and being teased about his receding hairline, he’s taking his 15-year-old son on a flight halfway around the world to see a woman not expecting them. Aaron hopes to confront life-long traumatic demons and write his own amazing father/son redemption story. As it progresses, we see the possible destruction of every meaningful relationship in his life and hold our breath turning the final pages.

These four slim standalone works (published by Doubleday between 2023 and 2025) forge a comprehensive 500-page narrative brimming with powerful synergy. Characters and plot points from each section are linked through emotionally charged bonds and the author uses the tiny Irish island to connect complex souls in spectacular fashion. Some are salvageable while others wreak havoc attempting to repair themselves. Imagination spills from the page and it is fascinating to witness how each element frames its respective part.

Streamlined prose and perfectly placed flashbacks make the book an immersive literary experience. Perspective never waves from first person, and the author reflects race, creed and gender as if he shouldered each for a lifetime. Rarely is such elegant writing paired with succinct character crafting. Boyne dabs backstory artfully, and scenes feel as if they are all told in present tense. Foreshadowing is hinted at through restrained, mysterious touches. This is a masterpiece that proves it is possible to tackle intensely serious themes and still serve up a thrilling page-turner.

John Boyne became a sensation with his 2006 Holocaust historical drama The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. It reached number one on the New York Times Bestseller list, was made into an award-winning movie and sold a total of seven million copies. Its notoriety is well merited as it is a daunting, moving novel. But, while The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is effective though magic realism and creating a realistic fable, The Elements is a much starker, more literal book. Fans of Boyne’s previous work, and hopefully many new readers, will fully embrace this collection of his work. Read as a whole, as intended, this is easily one of the best books of the year.

Ryan Davison, Ph.D., is a writer living in Lisbon.