Boyhood

J. M. Coetzee

1997

May, 2025

8/10

Immediately, the book lays its foundation as a heavy-hitting, emotional piece. What I most enjoyed was the vivid self-awareness throughout: despite being about a young boy, the story is written to detail the cause of each and every feeling ranging from the influence of his mother and father to the influence of family trips and school.

There is persistent thought of, "Why can't I just be normal?" The book does an excellent job of detailing a child's ideas of normalcy while pointing out the self-contradictions and paradoxes of "actual" normalcy.

As the book progresses and he grows older, the childlike innocence is also lifted. The true character of the parents is revealed as we would understand it, not just an awe-struck child. Reality slowly seeps in, and the book's richness never ceases to shine.

...[N]o one has given a thought to the books... the books that no one will ever read... How will he keep them all in his head, all the books, all the people, all the stories? And if he does not remember them, who will?