The Weight of Angels
novel · First published 2026
Author guide
John Boyne Books in Order
John Boyne is an Irish novelist and writer whose bibliography spans adult novels, novels for younger readers, separately published novellas, the short-story collection Beneath the Earth, and the picture book The Dog Who Danced on the Moon. His work frequently explores history, memory, identity, guilt, and moral responsibility. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas became an international bestseller and was adapted for film, theatre, opera, and ballet.
literary fictionhistorical fictionchildren's fictionyoung adult fictionshort storiespicture books
Catalog record updated .
John Boyne's Newest Book
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The most widely known and accessible entry point to Boyne’s fiction.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
A major adult novel showcasing Boyne’s historical scope, emotional range, and interest in identity.
The Thief of Time
Boyne’s debut novel and a strong starting point for reading his adult fiction chronologically.
Water
The opening novella in the complete Elements sequence.
Read in order
Books by series
duology · complete
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
A linked pair of novels connected by the legacy of Bruno and his family across generations.
- 1 The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Book 1 · novel · 2006
Nine year old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He’s oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has moved from Berlin to a desolate area…
- 2 All the Broken Places
Book 2 · novel · 2022
1946. Three years after a cataclysmic event which tore their lives apart, a mother and daughter flee Poland for Paris, shame and fear at their heels, not knowing how hard it is to escape your past. Nearly eighty years later, Gretel…
novella-sequence · complete
The Elements
A complete sequence of four separately published novellas, each presenting an interconnected story about responsibility, guilt, trauma, and redemption.
- 1 Water
Book 1 · novella · 2023
The first thing Vanessa Carvin does when she arrives on the island is change her name. To the locals, she is Willow Hale, a solitary outsider escaping Dublin to live a hermetic existence in a small cottage, not a notorious woman on the…
- 2 Earth
Book 2 · novella · 2024
From million-copy-bestselling author John Boyne, an inescapably gritty story about one young man whose direction in life takes a vastly different turn than what he expected. It’s the tabloid sensation of the two well-known footballers…
- 3 Fire
Book 3 · novella · 2024
On the face of it, Freya lives a gilded existence, dancing solely to her own tune. She has all the trappings of wealth and privilege, a responsible job as a surgeon specialising in skin grafts, a beautiful flat in a sought-after…
- 4 Air
Book 4 · novella · 2025
From internationally bestselling author John Boyne, a contemplative story about one man trying to move forward from the trauma of his youth to become a better father to his son. Being in limbo, 30,000 feet in the air, offers time to…
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (21)
- The Thief of Time
novel · 2000
John Boyne has become internationally known for his acclaimed novels Crippen and the bestselling The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Now, for the first time in the United States, comes the book that started the career of the author that the…
- The Congress of Rough Riders
novel · 2001
- Crippen
novel · 2004
July 1910: A gruesome discovery has been made at 39 Hilldrop Crescent, Camden. Chief Inspector Walter Dew of Scotland Yard did not expect the house to be empty. Nor did he expect to find a body in the cellar. Buried under the flagstones…
- Next of Kin
novel · 2006
Owen Montignac, the handsome and charismatic scion of a wealthy land-owning family, is anxiously awaiting the reading of his late uncle's will. But when he discovers that he has been cut out of the will in favour of his beautiful cousin…
- The Second Child
novella · 2008
- Mutiny on the Bounty
novel · 2008
Fourteen-year-old John Turnstile is on his way to prison when he gets a surprise offer: his freedom if he will serve as replacement for the injured valet of a captain whose ship is about to sail on an important mission. The ship is the…
- The Dare
novella · 2009
"At the start of his school holidays, Danny Delaney is looking forward to a trouble-free summer. But he knows that something terrible has happened when his mother returns home one afternoon with two policemen. There has been an accident.…
- The House of Special Purpose
novel · 2009
"Russia, 1915: Sixteen year old farmer's son Georgy Jachmenev steps in front of an assassin's bullet intended for a senior member of the Russian Imperial Family and is instantly proclaimed a hero. Rewarded with the position of bodyguard…
- Noah Barleywater Runs Away
novel · 2010
When life at home becomes too difficult, eight-year-old Noah sets out to see the world and have an adventure, and in the forest he meets a toymaker who has a story and some advice to share.
- The Absolutist
novel · 2011
"September 1919: 20 year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver some letters to Marian Bancroft. Tristan fought alongside Marian{u2019}s brother Will during the Great War, but in 1917 Will laid down his guns on…
- This House Is Haunted
novel · 2013
1866, London. As Charles Dickens takes to a London stage on a foggy Autumn night to read from his ghost stories, Eliza Caine and her father settle into their seats. A huge admirer of the novelist, Mr Caine has insisted on attending,…
- Stay Where You Are and Then Leave
novel · 2013
Four years after Alfie Summerfield's father left London to become a soldier in World War I he has not returned but Alfie, now nine, is shining shoes at King's Cross Station when he happens to learn that his father is at a nearby hospital…
- A History of Loneliness
novel · 2014
"The riveting narrative of an honorable Irish priest who finds the church collapsing around him at a pivotal moment in its history. Propelled into the priesthood by a family tragedy, Odran Yates is full of hope and ambition. When he…
- The Boy at the Top of the Mountain
novel · 2015
When Pierrot becomes an orphan, he must leave his home in Paris for a new life with his Aunt Beatrix, a servant in a wealthy household at the top of the German mountains. But this is no ordinary time, for it is 1935 and the Second World…
- The Heart’s Invisible Furies
novel · 2017
From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Boy In the Striped Pajamas, a sweeping, heartfelt saga about the course of one man's life, beginning and ending in post-war Ireland... Cyril Avery is not a real Avery -- or at…
- A Ladder to the Sky
novel · 2018
“A satire of writerly ambition wrapped in a psychological thriller . . . An homage to Patricia Highsmith, Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe, but its execution is entirely Boyne’s own.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post NAMED ONE OF THE BEST…
- My Brother’s Name is Jessica
novel · 2019
Sam Waver's life has always been pretty quiet. A bit of a loner, he struggles to make friends, and his busy parents often make him feel invisible. Luckily for Sam, his older brother, Jason, has always been there for him. Sam idolises…
- A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom
novel · 2020
From the bestselling author of A Ladder to the Sky'"a darkly funny novel that races like a beating heart" (People)'comes a new novel that plays out across all of human history: a story as precise as it is unlimited. This story starts with…
- The Echo Chamber
novel · 2021
'The funniest book I've read in ages. Savage but compelling' Ian Rankin 'Funny, rumbustious, unstinting and wonderfully Hogarthian' The Observer 'His relish is infectious' Times _____________________________ What a thing of wonder a…
- The Weight of Angels
novel · 2026
Short fiction (1)
- Beneath the Earth
short-story-collection · 2015
In this collection of twelve dark, unerring and surprising short stories, John Boyne explores the extremities of the human condition in all its brilliance and brutality. The secrets we keep and the ways in which they shape us, the…
Children's books (1)
- The Dog Who Danced on the Moon
picture-book · 2024
Frequently asked questions about John Boyne
Who is John Boyne?
John Boyne is an Irish novelist born in Dublin in 1971. He writes fiction for adults and younger readers, and his first novel was published in 2000.
Sources: dublinliteraryaward.ie (opens in a new tab)gallimard-jeunesse.fr (opens in a new tab)
What is John Boyne best known for?
He is best known for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, an international bestseller adapted for film, theatre, ballet, and opera. The Irish Book Awards reports that it has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide.
Sources: irishbookawards.ie (opens in a new tab)johnboyne.com (opens in a new tab)
Where did John Boyne study, and how did his writing career begin?
He studied English literature at Trinity College Dublin and creative writing at the University of East Anglia. He began writing in his early teens, published a short story at age 20, and released his first novel in 2000.
Sources: irishtimes.com (opens in a new tab)gallimard-jeunesse.fr (opens in a new tab)
Who influenced John Boyne as a writer?
John Irving is one of Boyne’s major literary influences, and Boyne has described Irving as a longtime mentor. He has also cited Charles Dickens among the writers who shaped his tastes.
Sources: penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)hotpress.com (opens in a new tab)
What awards has John Boyne won?
Boyne has won multiple Irish Book Awards, including the 2022 Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year award. His honors also include the Hennessy Literary Hall of Fame Award and Germany’s Gustav Heinemann Peace Prize.
Sources: irishbookawards.ie (opens in a new tab)irishbookawards.ie (opens in a new tab)johnboyne.com (opens in a new tab)