Synopsis
A Boy's Own Story traces an unnamed narrator's coming-of-age during the 1950s.
It was his power that stupefied me and made me regard my knowledge as nothing more than hired cleverness he might choose to show off at a dinner party.
Beset by aloof parents, a cruel sister, and relentless mocking from his peers, the unamed narrator struggles with his sexuality, seeking consolation in art and literature, and in his own fantastic imagination as he fills his head with romantic expectations. The result is a book of exquisite poignancy and humour that moves towards a conclusion which will allow the boy to leave behind his childhood forever.
'Edmund White has crossed The Catcher in the Rye with De Profundis, J. D. Salinger with Oscar Wilde, to create an extraordinary novel' – New York Times
Part of the Picador Collection, a series celebrating fifty years of Picador books and showcasing the best of modern literature.
Details
22 January 2026
9781035091300Reviews
Edmund White has crossed The Catcher in the Rye with De Profundis, J. D. Salinger with Oscar Wilde, to create an extraordinary novel
The boy's self-portrait shines with authenticity, he is an extraordinary but plausible mixture of sweetness and deviousness . . . White's prose is marvellously sensual while his eye is sharply satiric . . . outstanding
Every so often a novel comes along that is so ambitious in its intention and so confident of its voice that it reminds us what a singular and potent thing a novel can be
