Book Review: The Boy From The Sea by Garrett Carr
About the book
The Boy from the Sea is Garrett Carr's brilliantly moving tale of an abandoned baby who rocks a small Irish town, bringing together a community - and igniting lifelong rivalries.
In 1973 on the west coast of Ireland, a baby is found abandoned on the beach.
Who is he? Where is he from?
Ambrose, a local fisherman, is far more interested in who he will become and – with a curious community looking on – takes the baby home and adopts him.
But for Declan, Ambrose's young son, this arrival is surely bad news. Rivalries can be decades in the making, and families are easy to break...
Set over twenty years, The Boy from the Sea is about a restless boy trying to find his place, in a town caught in the storm of a rapidly changing world.
Why we love it
A beautifully written and intimate story of family and community, set in 1970s Donegal.
When a baby boy washes ashore in a barrel, he’s taken in by local fisherman Ambrose Bonnar, his wife Christine, and their son Declan. Spanning several decades, the story follows the family's struggles with hardship and financial upheaval, whilst exploring the intense sibling-like rivalry that develops between the two boys.
This is a book about belonging and interconnectedness and the novel is told from the unique perspective of the town itself, a collective voice that allows the shifting dynamics and changing fortunes of the Bonnar family over the years to be thoughtfully observed and shared.
The difficulty of life within a small fishing community during this period of time, facing an uncertain future with the move towards a more commercial, industrialised way of working, is skilfully and sensitively portrayed. Garrett Carr perfectly captures the slow erosion of tradition in the face of modernity through its profound effect on both the Bonnars and the wider community around them.
I can already predict that this is going to be one of my favourite books this year - it’s an utterly captivating read, with truly unforgettable characters. Not to be missed!
