Air brings to a close the series of ‘Elements’ by tying up the four stories with Aaron - a child psychologist trying to deal with his own trauma. His story is linked to characters in the other books in the series but is a stand alone story, as are all the others. However, John Boyne brings the four elements together in a masterful and emotionally compelling conclusion. This book was a ‘gut punch’ to the emotions and is one of very few books that have moved me to tears. All of the series have been gritty with hard hitting themes but this ‘conclusion’ has brought them all together beautifully. John Boyne has again proved to be a brilliant writer.

Air is the fourth book in John Boyne’s Elements series, and is set some twenty years after Fire. On the day he turns forty, child psychologist Aaron Umber departs Sydney for Dublin, uninvited, with his fourteen-year-old son, Emmet reluctantly in tow. Aaron is his son’s primary carer, but his relationship with the teen isn’t as close as it once was, something he would dearly love to remedy. During their twenty-seven-hour trip, moods fluctuate and, at a certain point, the whole thing threatens to fall apart. Their destination and the purpose of the trip has Aaron looking back over his failed marriage and the traumas that he and his ex, Rebecca, each suffered when they were young. The chat he strikes up with a female Sydney police detective has some disturbing undertones, and the explicit photos he has seen on Emmet’s phone are a concern he has yet to broach. The reaction to their arrival on the island (yes, that same island off Galway that features in Water and Earth) is an unknown quantity: has he done the right thing? With Air, Boyne beautifully rounds off these four Elements tales, adding tidbits to the stories of secondary characters who appeared in the first three books. This one can stand alone, but mentions and references to many characters will mean a lot more to readers of the first three. The dialogue is often a delight, and sometimes blackly funny. The ending of this thought-provoking, moving story is positive and hopeful. Boyne at his best.

I don’t think anything I write here will ever truly do justice to how unbelievably good this quartet is and how perfectly concluded it is in Air. I finished it with an absolute whirlwind of emotions, it is complete genius how the strands of the story come together. I implore everyone to read these amazing books, I am completely in awe of John Boyne and what he has achieved here. The subject matter is tough, there isn’t any shying away from the brutal reality of abuse and the ripples of trauma, but that’s only part of this story. There is also love, hope and a reminder of how lives can be and are rebuilt. These characters will stay with me for a long time and I can’t wait for whatever comes next.

Thank you to the publishers for this early review copy. I was absolutely delighted to receive this earlier today and simply started it straight away, all other plans were cancelled because I have loved the first three books in the quartet - Water, Earth and Fire. Do please read in that order. John has brought these books to a gorgeous conclusion in Air and I simply recommend them all to everyone. He stole my heart from the first page but I am pleased to say it was returned a lot happier on the last page. A brilliant quartet which everyone needs to read! Totally recommended. (I really must read more of his other novels.)

John Boyne's Elements series concludes with Air. Aaron, who is mentioned in Fire, is now a child psychologist on a flight from Sydney to Dubai to Dublin with his son, Emmet. It becomes clear that Aaron and his ex-wife, both, experienced harrowing events growing up, which affect them well into adulthood. Whereas Water, Earth, and Fire can be read as standalone books, Air hints strongly at events that occurred in Fire. In order to connect the dots in Air, I recommend picking up Fire first. Although it starts slowly at first, the book is short with just over 160 pages. Like its predecessors, Air is hard hitting and deals with sensitive topics. Aaron's story is written with a sense of honesty, redemption, and vulnerability.