The Boy From the Sea is a Gently written story of two boys growing up in a fishing town, Declan, the birth son of Christine and Ambrose, and Brendan, who was adopted after being found in the sea as a baby.
The fractured relationship between the two brothers continues as the boys grow and change as they get older and the reader’s sympathies follow them.
There is great, tactical narration throughout the story, moving it along the timeline whilst it highlights the realities of a life in a town centred around the harshness of commercial fishing.

Thank you to Picador and Netgalley for the ARC.

We start, early seventies, with a baby being found on a beach. Fisherman Ambrose Bonnar adopts him and names him Brendan, although for some, he will always be the Boy from the Sea. We then follow the family through thick and thin over many years, how Brendan's inclusion causes fractures in the family, as Brendan's wife, Christine, becomes estranged from her sister, Phyllis, who is a spinster looking after their father. How his relationship with brother Declan is affected. We also see how Brendan's inclusion in the community affects it, both in a positive and negative way. We follow all this over many years, good years and bad. All "narrated" by an unnamed "villager". As well as Brendan's tale specifically, we also follow village life and work generally, how the fishing industry gets harder and harder to make a living from. The two main themes weaving seamlessly and lyrically around each other.
I am a bit aware that I have painted things a bit black in my description. But although there are many struggles, the whole is so much more than the sum on the parts and the whole is joyously hopeful. It's a great place and community to lose yourself into for a spell. To put aside your own struggles and see things from a different angle. There is so much going on that I think it has a little for everyone and that everyone who reads the book will come away with something different from it. I know that there are some things that will sit with me for a while yet, and can well see this book as a future rare re-read.
I enjoyed this book, and indeed the style of writing and the voice, so much that, as I often do, I go seek out the author's back catalogue to stuff my tbr with even more delights. But I was surprised when I did this to find that this is his fiction debut. Well, I guess I will just have to wait to see what delight he serves me up for next time instead. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A stunning story about family. The writing is stunning and it’s a classic Irish novel. It’s a story about an entire family. I loved the writing style and the plot. I’ll be recommending to everyone

There is something about life in small towns/villages; about small-knitted communities that really gets to me. And The Boy from the Sea - is not only that story but also the story of the heartbreak such communities can inflict on those that not really belong.
At the centre of this novel is a family and its trajectory over a number of years. The story unfurled at a rather slow, unhurried pace that left one wondering where it was going, what was the purpose. There were moments when I really was not sure about my "enjoyment" but by the end of it, it really left me reeling. It hit me with the force of the storms battering the land! It sure brought tears to my eyes! For me, the look at adoption not only from the point of view of the adoptee but also the family members impacted by the adoption was a fresh one! I have never considered the dynamics outside of the inner world of the person being adopted into an already formed family! And when you take into consideration the world that person was brought into...well it sure complicated matters.

The Boy from the Sea is definitely a complex, layered novel! Be patient and it will reward you!

Garrett Carr’s The Boy from the Sea is a beautifully atmospheric novel that captures the rugged isolation of Donegal and the harsh realities of commercial fishing. The setting is a character in itself, featuring Donegal's wild landscape shaping the lives and choices of the locals.

The story is deeply rooted in family, particularly the complex, unspoken bonds between brothers. Carr portrays the weight of expectation, love, and rivalry that simmers beneath the surface of their relationship, making their interactions feel raw and authentic.

Carr’s lyrical prose, subtle foreshadowing, and the interplay between memory and present add layers of depth to the narrative. The novel lingers long after the final page, leaving a sense of melancholy and quiet reverence for the resilience of those who live and work by the sea.

Highly recommended for readers who appreciate beautifully written, introspective fiction with a strong sense of place and character.

Thanks Netgalley and Picador for the opportunity to review this book.

My thanks to Pan Macmillan, Picador and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Boy From the Sea’ written by Garrett Carr in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

It’s 1973 in the close-knit community of Killybegs in Ireland and a half-barrel lined with silver foil is brought in by the tide. Inside the barrel is a baby boy just days old who the townsfolk take turns caring for. When it’s the turn of the Bonnar family, Ambrose, his wife Christine Bonnar and their son Declan, they adopt the baby and name him Brendan, but to everyone else he’s the boy from the sea.

‘The Boy From the Sea’ is a gentle story told over two decades of the Bonnars, Ambrose, Christine, Declan and Brendon, where Ambrose believes in working hard for what he wants while earning a decent living fishing from his boat the Christine Dawn. The four main characters are intricately described as are their extended family of Christine’s sister Phyllis and their father Eunan. It’s intriguing to read of Brendan who’s not like other boys and has a tense relationship with Declan. He’s often found walking around the town laying hands on members of the community as they ask him for a blessing. This beautifully written story is the author’s debut novel for adults and it’s been a pleasure to read.

DNR @ 18%

Thank you Pan Macmillan, Picador and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was super excited to read this book. I read the blurb and it looked very promising. However, it just wasn't for me.

A young baby is found floating in a barrel.
Its 1973 and in a small fishing village in Ireland it is a thing of wonder. He is adopted by a fisherman and his wife and named Brendan. A brother for their son.
This is the story of the village, the community and the family.
It is beautifully written story and will resonate with readers.

Sigh … I have finished ‘The Boy from the Sea’ and I wish I hadn’t. Garrett Carr takes the lives of a small community on the coast of Ireland and creates a magical tapestry. In small town Ireland, everyone knows who does what, who said what, and is involved in the minutiae of life. Carr’s multifaceted tale uses gentle insightful humour to poke fun at neighbours, friends, family, capturing the highs, lows, challenges of family life, the rivalries, the bonds, the support systems. Evocative and wonderfully descriptive, I defy anyone to resist the charm and eloquence that embraces every page.
Roll on the next title from this writer.

This is set in a fishing community in rural Ireland. When a baby is found in a barrel at the water’s edge in 1973, Ambrose Bonnar decides to adopt it, an action not appreciated by Ambrose’s son, Declan. Calling the child Brendan, we follow the family through 2 decades and see the rivalry between the two boys, a rivalry which is almost mirrored in the relationship between Ambrose’s wife Christine and her sister Phyllis. The point of view throughout is that of an unnamed inhabitant of the community, or it could even be a collective voice. There are descriptions of village life, of fishing trips, of the trauma that is within families. There is no drama, it is just a gentle story of family - the ups and downs, the arguments and the reconciliations, but throughout the writing and the descriptions of the landscape, the fishing are wonderful. There is a great sense of place. The characters are excellent, and the conflicts well drawn. An excellent debut.

I have fallen in love with this book. It is absolutely beautifully written, with a narrator who feels like they're telling this story over a cup of tea, looking back at a story central to the community.

This book has a wonderful sense of time and place, I felt myself absolutely transported. Not only that I was aware of the passage of time as the story developed. The subtelty of the trauma everyone faces in different ways, makes for a compelling, yet slow read.

I fell in love with Ambrose and Christine and wanted only the best for this couple finding their way in rural Ireland in the 70s and beyond as their life together develops. However, there is a greyness....a dullness that doesnt lift and you never feel that anything wildly wonderful is going to happen. However I am left with a feeling that quietly wonderful things were happening all along.

The characters are wonderfully drawn and show the layers of depth that real life people have, allowing for a real sense of a story unfolding, not knowing what anyone may do next. Again not in a twisty, turny way, but in a depiction of real life being completely unpredictable.

I did shed tears, because the writer looked after these characters, I feel a little lost leaving them all behind. I hope quietly wonderful things happened for them once the pages ended....

I liked this book! I liked the way we really got to learn so much about each member of the family! I liked how they all had their flaws and were realistic.

This is a story that is narrated by an unknown villager, watching a small fishing village in Ireland. Ambrose and Christine Bonnar adopt a baby that has been found in a barrel washed up from the sea. They name him Brendan and he is loved and raised as their own. There is amnosity between Declan his older brother, who feels left out and Brendan which continues throughout the book creating a complex relationship . It’s a lovely story about the Irish community, the family life and the hardships they face in the fishing industry. Everyone knows everyone’s business and there is a great sense of unity and good intentions throughout. There is a slight magical feeling about Brendan and where he came from , which makes him a mystery and a bit of an outsider. I loved the family dynamics, the relationship Christine had with her sister , who was looking after her elderly father . It was a slow descriptive read which I felt immersed in.

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A baby is found on although beach in Ireland and is taken home by a local fisherman. The ripple effects of this have a lasting impact on not just the fisherman’s family, but the whole community. Set in 1970s Ireland this book was so evocative of the time and the people, beautifully written, it held my interest right to the end.

I am writing this, bleary eyed and on my 3rd cup of coffee as I was up all night finishing this book. My god it is perfection! Sure I may not be an unbiased reader having grown up in a small fishing town in Ireland (now a very trendy yoga/vegan/ocean swimming town) but this book was beyond nostalgic for me. Garrett nailed it! The turn of phrase, how community comes together the way the air smells, I was transported back through time. The characters are solid, flawed and felt so real. Just an amazing, beautiful book. Annoying I found my top book of the year in January though.

This is a great story about a family from a fishing village in Donegal. When a baby appears stranded on the beach, a family take him on and raise him, much to the distaste of the wife's sister and the growing animosity from the couple's first child. I found some of the descriptions of the fishing boats and methodologies a little tedious but just loved the dialogue and the characters the author developed through the book.
Thank you #Netgalley for this ARC.

This is a beautifully told tale. I would go as far as to say this is a love letter to an Ireland of old. It is a nostalgic story about a family but it is really a bigger story than that, it is a story of a small village on the west coast of Ireland. I love the way the story is narrated from the perspective of the villagers. I really enjoyed the characters, and the way they were written. They are all felt very real and believable and full of character. This is a gentle, and slow and steady read. It is very sensitively written and definitely a recommended read.

We read about the rivalry between Declan Bonnar and his adopted brother Brendan in 1970s Donegal Bay but really the story is as much about the fishing industry their town depends upon and how it changes over the years, partly due to overfishing. The vivid descriptions of trawlers, tough trawler-men and the frightful conditions they often work in, not to mention their often worried wives, make for a memorable read.

The story of a boy who is washed up in a barrel, the family who adopt him and the town that watches the familial discontent develop as well as the fishing industry and economy implode. With all of that going on there is a lot of prose, and on one or two occasions I did yearn for a few less words. It is beautifully written and I cared for all of characters so a successful read.

🌊 REVIEW 🌊

The Boy From the Sea by Garrett Carr
Publishing Date: 6th February

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

📝 - 1973. In a close-knit community on Ireland’s west coast, a baby is found abandoned on the beach. Named Brendan by Ambrose Bonnar, the fisherman who adopts him, the baby captivates the town and the boy he grows to be will captivate them still – no one can quite fathom Brendan Bonnar. For Christine, Ambrose’s wife, Brendan brings both love and worry. For Declan, their son, his new brother’s arrival is the start of a life-long rivalry. And though Ambrose brings Brendan into his home out of love, it is a decision that will fracture his family and force this man – more comfortable at sea than on land – to try to understand himself and those he cares for.

💭 - From the synopsis, I really thought this would be an outstanding read - Irish fiction, family troubles in a remote landscape - all characteristics of a brilliant book. But unfortunately I did struggle with the writing style; while I thought the central characters of the Bonnar family were very well rounded, I wasn’t the biggest fan of how the storyline developed throughout the boys’ adolescence. In fact, if not for the final 10-15% of this book it probably would’ve been a lower rating and writing this I am considering dropping it to 3⭐️ but hey we’ll be positive to start the year. Overall not a bad read, but not one I’m going to overtly recommend to all, perhaps better for those who like a very slow burn, atmospheric novel.