Beautifully tender and filled with real characters, this was a great book exploring the life of a fishing village in Donegal through one family in particular. The humour and warmth made this book stand out for me – the villagers are used perfectly to narrate the book through personal family issues and local problems facing them all. I really enjoyed Garrett’s writing, and I look forward to reading more from him.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Garrett Carr grew up on the north-west coast of Ireland, in the small fishing town of Killybegs in Donegal and it is here he has decided to set his debut novel. He has already had YA and non-fiction works published and now lives in Belfast where he is a lecturer in Creative Writing at Queens University. This had for me the feel of a Donal Ryan novel and it is every bit as good as Ryan at his best.

In 1973 a baby is found in a barrel on the beach. The locals become temporarily spellbound by the magic of such a situation and many families want to look after him. He ends up as a member of the Bonnar family, named Brendan by his fisherman adopted father, Ambrose, wife Christine and not exactly welcomed by two year old son Declan. This is the tale of this family over approximately the next twenty years.

It's a family tale with vivid characterisation of the Bonnars and Christine’s sister and father, Phyllis and Eunan Lyons, who live up the lane but why it really works is the narrative style which can best be described as a chorus of the townfolk, a third-person narrative referring to themselves as “we”. We don’t find out who it is specifically but it doesn’t matter as everyone knows everyone’s business anyway so we are not missing out on anything. This seems a risky move but it works sublimely. The only occasion I can remember going overboard with this narrative style is the chorus of Truman Capote’s women friends in “Swan Song” by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott which was my favourite book Of The Year of 2019.

The narrative is full of warmth and humour, they are not afraid to poke fun at themselves and their ways or at those who live in other parts of Ireland. The view of Brendan, as the boy who came from the sea, becomes enriched by this narrative perspective which also gives a real sense of community. There’s always going to be something different about him and he offers a sense of mystery rarely present in these lives.

I thought this was an extremely strong novel. The fishing element also brings about moments of high tension and the family dynamics kept me hanging onto every word of this hugely talented writer’s work.

The Boy From The Sea Is published by Picador in the UK on 6th February 2025. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

3.5 stars. I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I really liked the melancholy feel to the writing and that it was positioned from the perspective of the whole community (the 'we' was never quantified but I took it to mean everyone who lived and worked around the sea). On the other hand, I wanted to know more about some of the characters - Declan and Christine especially - so I could get more of an understanding of their feelings.
I found the story really interesting in its everyday-ness. The descriptions of the experiences of fishermen and the women they leave onshore were engrossing and vivid. I also liked the theme of how our life experiences shape us, was Brendan the way he was because of his strange start in life or would he always have turned out that way? Would Declan have just found something else to rail against all his life if his dad hadn't brought another baby into their home?
On balance, this was a book I'm glad I read.

I really enjoyed this book and although it was about the boy (Brendan) who had been abandoned and taken in by Ambrose & Christine and brought up with their son Declan. The story is about Brendan but also about the hardships of life in a small Irish town. I enjoy sagas that are set over many decades although they can be slow in places.

This is a good adult debut by Garret Carr and I will definitely look out for more of his books in the future

The Boy from the Sea is a gently meandering novel, never picking up pace or speed even when there actual moments of drama and tension. It’s a nice story of a family that take in an abandoned child, and we see the family and village change over the next 16 years or so, and then we’re done. It’s all perfectly pleasant, but it never grabbed me emotionally and - having finished it a few days ago - I can safely say I’ve not thought of it again since I finished it until now. It’s a nice read, but no more or less.

Family and community are key in The Boy from the Sea. A lyrical debut, painting a vivid picture of a close-knit community and its inhabitants. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review it prior to publication.
The opening reminded me of Heaney’s poem ‘Storm on the Island’ with its focus on the depiction of a small group. It draws you in and it’s hard not to become absorbed in the tale that unfolds in front of us.
When a baby is found washed up on the beach he is, eventually, taken in by fisherman Ambrose Bonnar. We follow the Bonnar family through their lives. We are privy to the observations of many of the villagers as they watch Ambrose and his family go about their business.
A strange set-up, and a large part of the novel focuses on the changes in the community as the fishing industry comes under threat. The family suffer their own trials and tribulations, and though there is a sense of claustrophobia throughout it was fascinating to see the interactions of the characters.

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.