And I have tried to forget him, I have tried to convince myself that it was just one of those things, but itโs difficult to do that when my body is standing here, eight feet deep in the earth of northern France, while my heart remains by a stream in a clearing in England where I left it weeks ago.
John BoyneBruno: "Why do you wear pajamas all day?" Shmuel: "The soldiers. They took all our clothes away." Bruno: "My dad's a soldier, but not the sort that takes people's clothes away."
John BoyneDo you see the irony at all, Tristan?โ I stare at him and shake my head. He seems determined not to speak again until I do. โWhat irony?โ I ask eventually, the words tumbling out in a hurried heap. โThat I am to be shot as a coward while you get to live as one.
John BoyneHe suddenly became convinced that if he didnโt do something sensible, something to put his mind to some use, then before he knew it he would be wondering round the streets having fights with himself and inviting domestic animals to social occasions too.
John BoyneI don't buy into the idea that an Irish writer should write about Ireland, or a gay writer should write about being gay. But when I found the right story, I saw it as an opportunity to write about being a teenager and being gay. Most people, whether you're gay or straight or whatever, have experienced that relationship where one person is much more interested than the other.
John Boyne