Set in the west coast of Ireland in Donegal, this novel starts a tale over decades starting in 1973. A boy is found floating in a barrel and taken in by a local family of Ambrose, a fisherman, his wife Christine and his sullen son, Declan. The boy is named Brendan and becomes part of the family. The narrative is about Brendan and his near mystical arrival. Declan is not at all happy about his new ‘brother’ and the tensions between the two brothers simmer as they grow. The tension is mirrored between Christine and her sister, Phyllis and the complex relationships in this rural setting with the financial hardships. The novel is well written with the beauty of the coast shining through and the bleakness of life in the 1970s and 1980s. Taking place over two decades, the sibling rivalry comes to a head (with the boys and Christine and Phyllis) as it reflects a changing world and the changing relationships. This novel captures a different Ireland in an authentic and absorbing tale.

A baby is found washed upon the shore of an Irish fishing village in the 1970s. Ambrose Bonnar, a local fisherman, decides his family should keep him but Brendan is an odd boy, given to offering benedictions to the other villagers, and despised by his ‘brother‘ Declan.

This was a little reminiscent of Coast Road, but not as good - there was too much about fishing for my liking. A pick, but a #borrownotbuy.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

4.5

I didn't really read the synopsis so I think I was expecting something a little more strange. However what I got was a beautiful story about family and rivalry.

In Donegal a child is washed up in a barrel. The village immediately rallies around to care for the little boy until Ambrose and Christine Bonnar decide that their family should adopt the boy who has been named Brendan. Unfortunately their son, Declan, feels pushed out and takes various measures to make his "brother" feel as unwelcome as possible.

The book is narrated by an unnamed villager who charts the problems faced by the whole Bonnar family who are fishermen in a time when the industry is under increasing pressure. Brendan's behaviour becomes increasingly strange and no matter how hard they try, neither Christine nor Ambrose can get Declan to accept the boy.

The writing is beautiful and the whole story feels typically Irish - not just because of the setting, certainly the language is full of Irish idioms. I thought this would be a story mainly about the boy from the sea but it encompasses the whole family and the villagers.

I really enjoyed the story and the writing style. Highly recommended.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the advance review copy.

The Boy from the Sea paints a vivid portrait of life in 70s/80s West Ireland in a small fishing community. The choice to have a community narrating as a singular voice was a really interesting one that I haven't come across. It made the narration feel intimate; as though somebody was telling you the story in a pub or similar.

The Bonnar family intrigued me initially but I didn't feel like there was much character development besides the very final chapter which felt a bit rushed. Given the choice of narrator, the thoughts and feelings of the family were speculated but it felt authentic. I missed the depth of insight that a different style of narration would have enabled and for that reason I think I struggled to stay interested as the novel went on.

One day in 1973 a baby is found abandoned on the beach and as the mother can’t be located, Ambrose Bonnar and his wife, Christine adopt the child and name him Brendan. They already have a two year old, Declan, who grows up to resent the boy who he has to share his parents with and what makes it even harder for him is how much the community seem to love Brendan.

It is a well written book, painting the life of the Bonnar family over twenty years in the small rural fishing community and the effects the adoption has on the life of the Bonnars, but it just didn’t grab me. I wanted to know how the story would unfold but unfortunately I didn’t find it hard to put the book down at any one point in time.

The writing is genuinely good and the book definitely evokes rural Ireland and what it meant to be part of a community, especially one where life was hard and money tight. It also explores the themes around what makes a family, belonging, the ties that bind us, the responsibilities we feel we have towards our relatives and all the feelings these may stir in oneself. And yet, despite all this, it just wasn’t a book for me.

I was swept up into this novel from the start, fully living and breathing the life of the Bonnar family and hoping against hope that things would turn out okay. I loved the town's narration, the undefined 'we' who are observing events, and through the years and the seasons I enjoyed the short paragraphs with a run down of what had happened to who in town...people outside of the heart of the story and yet, somehow, it felt like I knew them. There was just a moment part way through when I felt in began to run a little slow - I'd imagined I was nearing the end, but then realised my Kindle was showing there was still forty percent left to read! But then the story picked up pace again, and I was completely wrapped up once more in the life on and around the sea.
I felt I knew the characters intimately. I think Ambrose remains my favourite, but I enjoyed the feuding brothers too, and I hoped against hope that Declan would be okay. There is sadness in the story, but ultimately it felt uplifting, and there is a gentle humour running all the way through, which read best when I held an Irish accent running in my head. I really enjoyed it.

In a small fishing town on the west coast of Ireland in 1973, life is hard-won and generations are set in stone. The townsfolk know who they are and what they’re about and change seems a far-off possibility that opposes the inevitability of this community and its roots. Until one day, a baby is found abandoned on a beach, prompting whispers of the magic of the sea that could warm even the most steadfast of hearts.

Fisherman Ambrose Bonnar decides to take the baby in, naming him Brendan, and welcoming him into his family. Ambrose’s wife Christine finds love in her heart for little lost Brendan; their toddler son Declan immediately senses a change in the family dynamic which causes a dark and resentful change from within.

The seasons turn and years move along as unrelenting as the tide, pushing the boys further apart as the Bonnars navigate the changing economy and fishing market. Declan becomes angrier and more wild, swinging between knowing his privilege as a biological Bonnar and desperately seeking approval from his father. Meanwhile, Brendan grows increasingly aloof and introspective, always aware of his tenuous position in the family. He takes to wandering the landscape, becoming a sort of quiet confidante to the townsfolk and offering them blessings.

As for Ambrose, he goes through the highs and lows of being a small-time fisherman who knows who he is and what he wants on a base level, but his pride often gets in the way of truly understanding the changing world around him. And Christine is trapped in the confines of being a wife, mother, and daughter—exacerbated by her obstinate and strict father who lives just up the lane with her often curmudgeonly sister.

The Boy From the Sea is poignant and utterly devastating in its slice-of-life portrayal of a bygone era. You feel the constant pull of generational trauma and constraints that keep each character in their own heads. While the years may have changed, you’ll recognize the signs from within your own world: the guilt of aging family; the expectations placed upon gender and generation; the lifelong call of home. The explorations of sibling rivalry, of fathers and sons, of husbands and wives are profound and bittersweet in their truths.

It is wonderfully written and wholly evocative. The language is deceptively layered and compelling, leaving the characters bare on the page; with a wry and omniscient narrator who speaks for the small town, you always feel like you’re watching a predetermined set of events unfold. You cannot change things much like you cannot bear to look away—and just like real life, sometimes all you can do is laugh. That feeling of helplessness and futility will weigh heavy on your mind as the characters seem doomed to repeat the mistakes of their elders. Each observation allows the reader to really feel the vastness of what’s left unsaid, and the pang of missed opportunities for connection.

This book is going to stay with me for a long time. Even as I write this, I feel the soft ache it left behind—and that isn’t a criticism, all the best books do. Books are meant to change you, to shape you, and to heal you, and The Boy From the Sea does all those things and more. I see my own life and family reflected in it; I see the often silent struggles of the generations who came before; I feel the grief and pride and regret; I also feel the hope and love and duty. There is so much life held within this novel, told in such a searingly honest way it’ll capture your heart, just as it has captured mine.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

I would actually give this book 2.5 stars. This may be unfair as I still can’t decide whether it’s the book’s fault or if it’s simply just not the right genre for me.

The book is definitely full of depth and depicts varying family and community dynamics in a very realistic and believable way. Though the characters were described well and their development tracked to a great degree, at no point did I feel I cared about any other than maybe Ambrose and Christine. It may be that this was the author’s intention given that they were the most relatable.

The descriptions of the setting of rural Ireland and the fishing industry were fantastic and you could easily picture every scene, however that’s about as far as it went for me. The lack of plot, twists or real ups and downs made this a very slow read.

At no point did I feel desperate to pick the book up as it really didn’t hook me. I think if I was the type of reader who enjoys a slow and monotonous read it could have been perfect, but I really need a book to hook me in and keep me intrigued.

Overall, however, the writing style and voice of the author were very successful and the concept of the author being one of the townsfolk worked well.

This was a beautifully written book, lyrical in its prose and with well developed characters. The adoption of a baby boy found in a barrel in the sea near a small fishing village in Donegal is an unusual subject for a novel, but it served as a great basis for a study of relationships, being an outsider and love. The idea that it takes a village to raise a child was well narrated by the Greek chorus of villagers and their often comic observations on community life.
I have to admit to bring less interested in the fishing parts of the book, but realise how essential it was to understanding the characters.
Thank you to netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an early read of 'The Boy From the Sea'. What a lovely book filled with well rounded and well written characters. When a baby boy is found washed ashore he is adopted by Ambrose and Christine Bonnar and becomes the younger brother of Declan. We follow the ups and downs of the family, and extended family and neighbours, as they grow up in a 1970's Donegal fishing village. A gentle but haunting debut novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will look forward to more from Garrett Carr.

This opens with an introduction to the town on Donegal Bay on the west coast of Ireland. It's a fairly small close knit community where everyone knows (or thinks they do) about everyone else! It has a very Irish charm and feel to it. It's 1973 and a baby is found abandoned on the beach there. It even seems as though he may have floated ashore. The community are keen to take care of the new arrival. Fairly quickly Ambrose takes a lead on this and he and his wife (Christine) adopt the boy. They already have a son of their own - Declan. They name the new arrival Brendan.

We learn about Ambrose's extended family and their lives as well as the lives of others around. Ambrose is a fishman with his own boat although he joins up with Tommy who also has a boat to improve their chances. And life goes on…. The story covers about 20 years of life in the town.

While life does go on, often nothing much is happening in a dryly understated way here. There are the highs and lows of family and town life. Brendan might be described as odd and he and his brother Declan do not get on. Declan's grandfather's health is deteriorating and that puts pressures on the family. The fishing is variable and can be dangerous. The story is told from within the family at times however it is also told by an unknown local narrator & observer.

I really enjoyed this very Irish story. There is sadness and joy and some rich characters. I loved finding out the real meaning of "Sure, it will be grand"! I found this dryly understated much of the time. The writing was good and kept me involved throughout. If you want "action" this is unlikely to be for you. However if good characters and writing are you things this is well worth a look.

When a baby is found in a barrel on a beach, the small fishing village is agog. They think that he's been washed in from the sea although common sense says otherwise. A,brose Bonner, a respected fisherman, decides to take him home and adopt him so he now has two sons. And so the scene is set.
Over two decades we follow the Bonner family's life as fishermen. This isn't a sweeping saga, more of a gentle tale.
The descriptions of Irish fishing life are evocative but for me, I couldn't like any of the characters at all, even the boy from the sea and that is why it got 3 stars.

'The Boy from the Sea' is an immersive and moving novel set over two decades in the Donegal fishing town of Killybegs. The novel begins in 1973 when a baby boy is found abandoned on the beach, and fisherman Ambrose Bonnar and his wife Christine decides to take in 'the boy from the sea' and adopt him. We follow the impact of this on the rest of Ambrose and Christine's family - their older son Declan, Christine's unmarried sister Phyllis and her father Eunan - as Brendan grows up.

Much of the novel revolves around this cast of six - there is much love in this family but also we see increasing faultlines emerge: Declan's resentment of his new brother; the demands Eunan places on Phyllis and Phyllis's desire to make Christine share this burden; the tensions in Ambrose and Christine's marriage caused by financial worries. Each of these characters are intimately drawn and we become deeply invested in their lives and relationships.

Something I particularly admired about this novel was its unusual narrative perspective, written in the shared voice of the residents of Killybegs. This first-person plural perspective allows us to build up a picture of this community and the way that rumours and superstitions circulate - though, perhaps in a deliberate effort to destabilise the novel, there are contradictions within this voice as we are also given frequent access to different characters' inner lives.

I also loved the detail with which Garrett Carr writes about the fishing industry - I learnt a huge amount from reading the novel, and many of its most thrilling scenes take place on board Ambrose's boat, the Christine Dawn, while the desire to venture out as far as Rockall is something that haunts both Ambrose and Declan.

This is a powerful debut novel with a great sense of place. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

Such a beautifully written book, lyrical and spellbinding, that brings the community and setting of the story to life on the page. You really felt like you were back in the 70s and 80s amidst the fishing community with all the troubles of those times. An abandoned baby found floating in a barrel at sea becomes the centre of this tight knit fishing community. Ambrose Bonnar’s decision to adopt the baby ripples through his family and the community forever. This is a story of family and community, values, love, despair and hope.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for a review.

This is a magnificent book. I never wanted to put it down and was both eager and reluctant to get to the end.

But it begins and is set in a small town on the west coast of Ireland. One of the residents finds a newborn baby abandoned on the beach. The “boy from the sea” as he was known by the community is adopted by Ambrose Bonnar, a fisherman, and his family. While on the face of it, this is an extremely generous deed and Ambrose loves the child, it brings trouble to the whole family. Ambrose’s wife Christine loves the little boy, who they name Brendan, but she worries about him as he seems so different and struggles to find his place in the world. And for Declan, Ambrose and Christine’s biological son who is a couple of years older than Brendan, he is instantly jealous and the competition between the two boys is central to the story. We see how Brendan’s presence impacts the family over the course of 20 years and how it changes them irreversibly.

While the focus of this book is the story of the Bonnars, it is as much about the town they live in, the people in the community and the importance of the coast and fishing to them. The story is told from the perspective of someone or some unnamed people in the community and as such we get a wonderful level of detail which feels perfect without overwhelming the main story. The author has managed to really give the reader a sense of the environment and conjure up images of the beauty and harshness of the sea. And while I would’ve loved the story to go on, it felt right that we had this little window into their lives and it is left to the reader’s imagination to decide what happens next. Having said that, I would jump at the chance to read more on these characters as well as anything else that this author writes.

I highly recommend this book and really hope that others enjoy it as much as I have. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

"Did you enjoy the book 100 Years of Solitude?" a woman once asked me. "Not that much," I responded. "Oh, so you don't like Irish authors," she replied. "I'm pretty sure he's Colombian," I said. "It's the style," she explained.

I've remained perplexed by this discussion, but The Boy from the Sea helped me understand this interaction. This isn't a fast-paced book with a grand narrative arc. The beauty lies in the small details, the descriptions, and the fluency of the writing. Essentially, it's about an Irish fishing family who adopts a son, and things don't go smoothly.

This is one of the most unlikely books I would read. I was enticed by the family drama element but didn't expect fishing to be such a fundamental part of the story! Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. The writing was exquisite, and I was especially intrigued towards the end.

The Boy from the Sea (forthcoming February 2025) by Garrett Carr is an engrossing debut novel that explores the complexities of family dynamics, community bonds, and the search for personal identity, all set against the beautiful backdrop of a small Irish coastal town.

The story opens in 1973 with the mysterious discovery of an abandoned baby on the beach. Fisherman Ambrose Bonnar, a man more comfortable on the water than on land, takes the child in, naming him Brendan. What seems like a simple act of kindness propels the family and their community into two decades of profound emotional upheaval, internal conflict, and soul-searching that echoes through the lives of the Bonnar family.

At the heart of the story is Ambrose, a steadfast man whose love for his sons is unquestionable, yet his inability to navigate the simmering tension between them becomes a key source of friction. Ambrose’s wife Christine is the glue that holds the family together but her devotion to her husband and sons is tested to the limits with the arrival of Brendan. Their biological son Declan harbours a deep-rooted jealousy and resentment toward Brendan, sparking a rivalry that will shape their futures.

Carr’s prose is beautifully lyrical and blends the various themes seamlessly. The narrative unfolds at a slow but immersive pace. It's a captivating exploration of what it means to belong, to be accepted, and to search for one's place in a world that's ever changing. Carr is undoubtedly an author to watch.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Picador for the invitation to review this book.

The Boy from the Sea is a moving book that follows the hardships of the Bonner family. Set in a tight knit Irish community we follow this family through a 20 year period. I loved the characterisation and the relationships explored. The observations on identify felt really raw. The prose is great with a wise voice and dry humour sprinkled throughout. There is also a sense of magical realism that draws you in as a reader. Overall a charming read about human life. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

There is a slow build up to this beautiful, emotion packed story set in the 70's in Donegal, Ireland. The finding of an abandoned baby links the various aspects of the story. It is a story of the changing economic rewards of fishing. It is the story of a family taking on a new baby and the sibling rivalry it creates. It is the story of two sisters and the burden of caring for frail but belligerent father and the fallout that cuts bonds.It is te story of a baby who grows looking for love and his own place in a family and community.
So well written with interesting characters,tough scenarios and above all emotionally engaging

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy of this lovely book.

The Boy From The Sea is a gentle yet quietly powerful read. Set in the 1980s, it tells the story of a family in Donegal who take in Brendan, a boy found in a barrel on the shoreline. The novel focuses on Ambrose, the father, a principled man determined to do what’s right. He believes bringing Brendan into their family is the right thing to do. While his wife, Christine, comes to accept this, the relationship between Brendan and their biological son, Declan, is complex and often difficult as the boys grow up.

The story unfolds in a small Donegal town heavily reliant on fishing—a tough place to raise a family. The author captures the harsh realities of this industry, showing how it strains families and communities. The book highlights the shift from small local fishing boats to large, industrial vessels that quickly depleted fish stocks. This shift not only impacts local families but hints at the global consequences of this move.

This isn’t an exciting, fast-paced novel, but it isn't trying to be. It is a reflective story about community, family, and how the changing world pushes people away from their roots in search of better opportunities. It is a thoughtful and rewarding read that will stay with me a long time.