The Boyhood of Cain

A searing novel of love and betrayal as a young boy comes of age in the heart of England, from an exquisite new voice.

In the shadow of an ancient abbey nestled between rivers, Daniel is growing up. He is highly intelligent but little understood by his parents, and a secret passion burns inside him for love and recognition. When his father loses his job as the headmaster of the local school, his family stumbles into a rural life for which they are ill-prepared. Daniel's sole solace is the arrival of Philip, a new boy at school, whom he worships with a confused intensity. Before long, both boys fall under the spell of a charismatic art teacher, setting Daniel on a perilous course that could lead to the betrayal of all he loves.

Tender, brutal, and enthralling, The Boyhood of Cain is a remarkable portrait of a young boy caught between mother and father, self and desire, and obedience and freedom. It evokes the passions and private wounds of youth, and plumbs the turning points in our lives that make us who we are.

Author: Michael Amherst
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Published: 02/25/2025
Pages: 208
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.80w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780593718520


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 12/16/2024
Booklist 01/01/2025 pg. 23
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2025

About the Author
Michael Amherst is the author of Go the Way Your Blood Beats: On Truth, Bisexuality & Desire, which won the 2019 Stonewall Book Award for nonfiction. He is the winner of the 2020 Hubert Butler Essay Prize, and his short fiction has been longlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. His journalism and criticism have been published in The Guardian and New Statesman, among other outlets. The Boyhood of Cain is his first novel.