By Garrett Carr
Review by Daria Blackwell
When Alex and I crossed the Atlantic, we read books non-stop, hundreds of books. Yet when we remain fixed to land, there seems to be little time to spend with books until something anchors us to one spot. And so, last week, a little carpal tunnel surgery gave me several days of respite from chores. And glory be, I read a book. In two days, cover to cover, I devoured the words of Garrett Carr’s The Boy from the Sea. His debut novel, a masterpiece.
Garrett hails from Donegal and teaches creative writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre of Queen’s University Belfast. Although not a book about sailing, it is most certainly a book highly recommended to take along on a summer cruise.
A fisherman walking along the shore encounters a baby in a barrel on the rocky shore near Killybegs. Without any thought, he snatches the baby up and takes it home to his wife and tells her they are going to keep it. They already have a son, but they soon adopt this mystery child as their own. As this child matures, it becomes clear that he is ‘special’ and makes people feel content. Things go well for a spell, when the fishing is good.
But the story takes many twists as the family struggles with declining fishing stocks, competition from ever larger vessels, lack of money, jealousy for attention, animosity between the ‘brothers’, and demands from other family members. The style of writing is evocative and the reader becomes engrossed. Halfway in, I couldn’t put it down.
It’s a novel of self-discovery for all involved, compassionate and lyrically written. For a few days, I forgot about my pain as I bathed in theirs. It ends on a hopeful and quiet note, with much to be considered.
Picador Press
Hardcover and Paperback, 336 pages
ISBN: 978-1035044535
