The Boys: A Novel

“Hafner’s taut and utterly delightful debut is a novel of multitudes…. What a wonder of storytelling.”—Weike Wang, New York Times

New York Times Editor’s Choice | Good Morning America Reading Pick | LitHub Most Anticipated Book | Christian Science Monitor Summer Reading Pick

A delicious summer read filled with humor and surprise for readers of Anne Tyler and Kevin Wilson.

When introverted Ethan Fawcett marries gregarious Barb, he has every reason to believe he will be delivered from a lifetime of solitude. She fills his world with a sense of adventure, expanding his horizons beyond his comfortable routine. To ease Ethan’s fears of becoming a father, Barb suggests they foster two young brothers, Tommy and Sam, and Ethan immediately falls in love with the boys.

When the pandemic hits, he becomes obsessed with providing a perfect life for them. Instead of bringing Barb and Ethan closer together, however, the boys become a wedge in the couple's relationship, as Ethan is unable to share with Barb a secret that has been haunting him since childhood. But it's not until Ethan takes Tommy and Sam on a biking trip in Italy, and it becomes clear just how unusual Ethan and his boys are.