"The Boys" is a book distinguished by its smooth surfaces. Ethan, an unfailingly polite but always reserved programmer, makes it moderately big in the tech industry. He opens up to Barb, whom he has met through work. They have an odd, slow-blooming courtship and marry. They go on to live a comfortable life in the Philadelphia suburbs and have enough dough left over to do things like take cycling vacations through rural Italy. Hafner's ironic sensibilities do not spare their travel companions, who are, like them, securely ensconced in the comfortable bubble that twenty-first century American wealth provides. And then, after some difficult questions get asked, things start to change for both Ethan and Barb.

There's the twist, of course, which I won't reveal here, but "The Boys" also features another elephant in the room. Hafner's prose is observant, but the tone throughout remains straightforward and informative, and, for the most part, rather bright. This isn't to say that Ethan's life has been one long afternoon of happiness -- far from it! -- but his confidence, his nuts-and-bolts approach to life, and his relative success can make his emotional life seem a bit featureless. It only takes a few small changes for things to change drastically, and, to the author's credit, she skillfully shows how quickly a meticulously constructed existence such as Ethan and Barb's can come apart. Hafner's authorial voice never wavers, though: there's no indirect third person here. And there you have it: though the author chooses not to, you might call this one "The Curious Incident of the Coder in the Night-Time". Many of the topics that "The Boys" touches on -- such as the necessity for personal courage when faced with one's own limitations, or the continuing evolution of a marriage -- are universal, while other parts of the book seem particular as Ethan himself. I can't say that "The Boys" is a classic-in-waiting, I think that it's a fine example of neurodivergent lit, and that's a category that might grow more interesting as we learn more about the complexities of the neuroatypical human mind and how it interactions with the emotions of those who live on the spectrum. Recommended to those with a special interest in these subjects. ( )

Such an odd book that I really liked. Hafner puts us inside Ethan's worried, mind as he cares obsessively for the Russian twins his wife suddenly brought home. Then we learn, from the bike-tour guides, that ...

And this plot twist made the book all the more fascinating. ( )

In the hands of a lesser writer this would have been trite and absurd, but Hafner pulls it off. Briefly, the book centers on Ethan, a gifted programmer who launched a successful startup (not billionaire success, but comfortable life without having to work much success.) He had serious childhood trauma, and perhaps as a result is very introverted. He is lovable but unquestionably a bit odd. When he meets Barb his life changes but his unexamined dormant trauma response takes a complicated turn in part 2 of the book and then we either are hateful and give up on him or root for him to find a path to healing. This is a book about giving people space without abandoning them, practicing empathy while also setting boundaries. These are tall orders. Living with someone with serious OCD is so hard and often thankless - it is made worse when that person refuses to seen meaningful help or solutions. (I speak from experience.) The beauty of Barb's and Izzy's response to Ethan, their non-judgmental gaze and their ability to find the beauty in Ethan's skewed perspective, really moved me. This book is not perfect, but it is very good and for me empathy building, and I was absorbed all the way through. So glad I read this. ( )

The Boys by Katie Hafner is one of those books that will stay with you after you finish it, no matter what your initial opinion of it is. For me, that after effect probably bumped my rating up a bit.

Both Ethan and Barb are flawed individuals, though neither in a truly horrible manner. The way the story is structured your feelings about them will likely shift, maybe not 180 degrees but, for Barb at least, significantly. In fact, your feelings about her will likely go from high to low and back to something more reasonably neutral.

I think it is disingenuous to complain that a book didn't cover the "points" you wanted it to cover in the manner you wanted them covered. It is certainly a reason to like a book less, but that doesn't make it a flaw in the book, just not what you wanted. Some people want to be told rather than shown, want to be passively presented rather than actively engaged and making the meaning jointly. For those, this might not be simple enough for you. For active, engaged readers, you will have plenty to consider, about current and recent events as well as how we, as humans, are. In fact, because making meaning is such a joint project here, it is ideal for book clubs.

The twist in the book will leave you a little baffled. Not about what happened, it is spelled out pretty clearly by the end, but about how two people could end up where these two did. Funny thing, though, by the end you can understand how these two specific people could have ended up there, even if you still find it hard to imagine this being the outcome for most people. Sorry about being cryptic but much more would begin to get into spoiler territory, and I don't want to go there.

The writing is very good though I do think there were a few places where there could have been a bit more tightening of the prose. But that may well be my preference rather than a legitimate complaint. The reader needs to be as far into the detail as possible and having the perspective change for the Italy section is a wonderful opportunity to both present the twist and show Ethan from the outside instead of the inside.

Highly recommended to readers who can enjoy unusual situations as long as there is some depth to them. This is about our internal defense mechanisms, our interpersonal relationships when confronting difficult times, and where these converge with society dealing with societal difficulties.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )