The Boy from the Sea

About the book

'Compassionate, lyrical and full of devilment' - Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses
'Beautifully written - gorgeous modern folklore' - Sarah Moss, author of Summerwater
'A novel of heart-bumping power . . . breathtaking' - Joseph O'Connor, author of Star of the Sea
'I was gripped' - Emma Donoghue, author of Room

1973. In a close-knit fishing 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 their existing 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.

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.