Told over two decades, Garrett Carr's The Boy from the Sea is a novel about a restless boy trying to find his place in the world and a family fighting to hold itself together. It is a story of ordinary lives made extraordinary, a drama about a community who can’t help but look to the boy from the sea for answers as they face the storm of a rapidly changing world.

A perfect blend of plot and character building and the complexities of family and small community life.

A brother's jealousy of the found boy brought into his family.

A gentle, slow and immersived read to be appreciated.

I enjoyed this gentle book about difficult subjects very much. The device of using an unknown narrator was interesting and helped the story flow from the finding of the baby in 1973 through a couple of decades of fishing village life. It is very well written and is quite a slow read. It certainly took me longer than expected to read the 240 pages. A brilliant debut. With thanks to all concerend for the e-ARC to read and review.

This story started slow and if I'm honest I debated just giving up. I am glad I kept on with it though, it is beautifully written and it was lovely to read of Aranmore as my dad was from there. You get a real sense of the people in the story and the place. Well worth a read

A baby is found abandoned in a barrel on the shores of Donegal.
The local community take it in turn to look after him but when he arrives at Ambrose and Christine Bonnars house, they cannot bear to let him go.
They keep him another night and then another and soon they realise they want to keep him forever. They name him Brendan and along with their biological son Declan, their family is complete.
However, this is no fairytale and Christine’s father and sister cannot accept him as family and Declan resents his brother from the moment he arrives.
The story is narrated by an unnamed member of the community, who all watch over ‘The Boy from the Sea.’
A tale about family and relationships and a lost boy’s struggle to find his place in this world.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Off the coast of Donegal in the 1970s, a baby boy has been found in a barrel in the sea. Locals are immediately enamoured, but one family more than the rest - the Bonnars. They raise the baby, who they call Brendan, alongside their son Declan.

As the boys grow up, both struggle with aspects of their identity and where they belong in the world. Meanwhile, Ambrose Bonnar is trying to provide for his family in an ever-unpredictable fishing job, and his wife is torn between her loyalty to her own little family and the father and sister she left behind.

Peppered with funny sayings and slang, the book was an interesting look at a small community.

Unfortunately, it wasn't for me. I found the unnamed narrator to be a strange choice, and it took me out of the story. I also found the story to unravel at a very slow pace and wasn't bothered by whether I finished it or not.

The intriguing intro led me to this book. A families struggles in Donegal, the hardship of life as a fisherman’s family. The struggles of raising two boys one of whom has ‘come from the sea’. Like chalk and cheese the boys vi for their father’s love and attention and their place in the extended family. A story of struggles and loss and life. A slow but enjoyable read.

Well worth reading. Set in a fishing community in Ireland. A truly beautiful, slow paced book so well written I felt as if I was there with the characters. I didn’t know what to expect but it was a lovely read- making a nice change from other stories. Garrett has an original, powerful way of writing.

Absolutely loved this wonderfully written, total gem of a book. Such an intricate,gentle storyline, brimming with emotion and depth. Will certainly look out for this author in future.

The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr is a hauntingly atmospheric tale that grips you from the first page and doesn’t let go. The story revolves around a mysterious boy found by the sea, blending elements of myth and reality in a way that feels both eerie and beautiful. Carr’s writing style is fluid and immersive, allowing the reader to fully inhabit the seaside world he’s created. The pacing of the novel is steady, and I appreciated how the suspense built slowly, giving time for the tension to simmer while keeping you engaged.

What I found most compelling about the book was the way Carr weaved in themes of isolation, identity, and belonging, which added emotional depth to the mystery. The characters were well-drawn, with enough complexity to make them feel real, particularly the protagonist, who undergoes a meaningful transformation throughout the story. The dialogue was natural, and the relationships between characters felt authentic, adding layers to the narrative.

Without giving too much away, the novel strikes a perfect balance between being plot-driven and character-focused. There are twists that are satisfying without feeling forced, and the conclusion ties everything together in a way that is both satisfying and thought-provoking.

Overall, The Boy from the Sea is a beautifully written, eerie, and emotionally resonant novel. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy stories that combine mystery with deep character development. It’s a perfect blend of atmosphere, tension, and heart.

A baby is found abandoned on the beach at Killybegs, a major fishing village in Donegal and is taken in by Ambrose and Christine. Christine isn’t altogether sure it’s a good idea, neither does her sister and father who live next door and Declan her son definitely doesn’t, refusing to ever refer to the child as his brother.
They christen the ‘Boy from the Sea’ Brendan and the story follows their lives for the next 20 years or so painting a beautifully evocative picture of life in rural Ireland in the 1970’s and 80’s. I’m sure anyone who has visited Ireland will recognise some of the characters in the book which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

A gentle tale of family dynamics told by an omniscient narrator, the ‘we’, the residents of the local Donegal community. At times the apparent tranquility is rocked by sibling jealousy and by the treacherous weather and seas that batter the fishing community. The characters, especially Ambrose and Declan his son, are beautifully drawn and the everyday lives of their community bring the novel to life.

The Boy from the Sea is a beautifully written novel about family life in a small fishing village in Ireland. The story follows two boys—Declan, the biological son, and Brendan, a boy found at sea and adopted by the family.
This read is stunning! I had a vivid picture in my mind of their life by the sea, the tough realities of fishing and the personal struggles of the family and community - you feel like you’re right there in the village.

This book is the perfect must read, especially if you enjoy a slower, character-focused story.

Beautifully written I really enjoyed this story. It’s slow paced but I think it’s a story that needs to be and it was a real pleasure to read. I felt sad when it ended because I could have stayed in this book forever.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

A quiet book spanning the ‘ordinary’ lives of a family over two decades and one ‘extraordinary’ event at the outset whose resonance reverberated throughout the years. I loved the ‘voices’, the sense of community, the rifts and the coming back together, the gossip, the acceptance and the making-do or, for the few, the ambition to do more. The central characters are wonderfully drawn and the backdrop to the story, be that sea or land, is vivid in detail.

Would recommend.

The story is set in Ireland. A family of fisherman. Ambrose, the father, brings home a boy who was found in a container on the shore. The baby went around the village but Ambrose decided that he would live with them, another child for him and his wife and a brother for their son. This is not a fun story but it is well written and one you need to get through hopeful of a good outcome. The book revolves around the fishing village and the trauma of a fishing life as it is getting harder and harder to make a living. The main characters, Ambrose, his wife, Christine, her dad and sister as well as the two boys. Ambrose takes great interest in Brendon as he is growing up being a foundling but as far as Declan is concerned his dad has a favourite which is not him. Ambrose would not accept this if asked I am sure. This causes strife between the two boys who are completely different. Declan volatile and Brendon quiet. Through the book the boys have a lot of drama between them and steer clear of one another as much as possible. This then causes difficulties with the parents. The years go by and nothing changes between the boys until a tragedy in the village. The family push and pull together and the outcome becomes easier. I really enjoyed this book, slow story but in a good way as you get to grips with the characters. I also felt I knew the village and the people and this is a bonus in any book

Simple lives lived out by the wild Atlantic sea. The image conjured up by the fishing boats and their crews going out and putting their lives at risk, creates an atmospheric feeling. I enjoyed the complexities of the story; the adoption of a strange boy which goes on to create a lifetime of animosity between two boys, fighting for a special place in their father’s heart. I loved the story around how one son was fascinated by the island of Rockall but then who wasn’t mesmerized, at that time, by the mystery and romanticism conjured up by the Shipping Forecast.
I love how the story is part narrated by others and then the characters in the book. It is so very well written. I was drawn in, wondering how it would end - hoping for a happy ending but fearing a tragedy.
It’s a great story and well worth reading. Highly recommended

The word that could best describe this book is beautiful.
Characters? Beautiful.
Story line/ development? Beautiful.
Descriptiveness? Beautiful.
Writing style? Beautiful!
I absolutely fell in love with this book. The author really has a knack for setting the scene and allowing the reader to immerse themselves in the story.
I’ve not heard of the author before now, so I’m going to have a look and see if he has any previous works I can go and check out.
This is one of those that left me feeling warm and satisfied when I finished it, which was in fact about a week ago and I’ve thought about daily since then.
Highly recommend.

I was asked to review by NetGalley

Lovely story and a lovely gentle read.

This explores the lives of fishing community in Donegal. A baby is found abandoned and adopted by a couple named Ambrose and Christine, this was for their son Declan to have a brother. The abandoned boy is named Brendan.

Quite an unusual yet unique insight into a different way of life but at the centre family values and friendships.

A truly recommended read.

I can’t deny how beautiful the prose was, there was something so special about the writing. I really enjoyed the first 30% or so, but found it quite repetitive towards the middle and the end. I usually love character driven books, but this one felt a little underdeveloped for me personally with the characters. There was a lot going on, character wise, but not a lot plot wise, and I wish the lack of plot was made up with characterisation. Still, the prose was haunting.