John Boyne's The Elements collects four novellas published between 2023 and 2025, each exploring characters burdened by past trauma. The book's release has been overshadowed by controversy: Earth, the second novella, was longlisted for the Polari prize for LGBTQ+ writing, but most nominees withdrew in protest at Boyne's gender-critical views, leading to the prize's cancellation.
The novellas cover themes including homophobia, sexual violence, parental neglect, and the impact of media. In Water, Willow moves to a remote Irish island after her husband is jailed for horrific crimes. Earth follows footballer Evan, on trial as an accessory to rape. Fire features adult Freya, a surgeon seeking revenge for childhood abuse, while Air sees father Aaron flying to a funeral, grappling with family secrets.
Connections between stories abound: Evan first appears as a boy in Water, Freya sits on his jury in Earth, and Aaron works with Freya and has a child with Willow's daughter. Boyne's brisk, thriller-like prose draws readers in, but the relentless accumulation of trauma and coincidence can feel numbing, even comic.
Despite its flaws, The Elements is a readable, victim-focused epic that shows how trauma echoes through lives and generations, and how time and tenderness may offer solace.
