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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
From a Low and Quiet Sea tells the stories of three very different men. Farouk, a refugee, is fleeing a fundamentalist regime with his family. John, not an evil man but by no means a good one, is giving his final confession and Lampy is a young man at the start of his adult life who has recently been dumped by his girlfriend. All three stories are equally absorbing, but they are so disparate that it is impossible to see what they have in common with each other and how they will come together - if indeed they do.
Then in the final section, Donal Ryan knits all the strands together with exceptional skill. His prose is beautiful and the storytelling is exquisite. Utterly fabulous.
Then in the final section, Donal Ryan knits all the strands together with exceptional skill. His prose is beautiful and the storytelling is exquisite. Utterly fabulous.
medium-paced
Donal Ryan deserves all the recognition his latest novel has received. Sparingly written, From a Low and Quiet Sea tells three stories of loss and reflection. In a form that seems to be the trend of 2018, all three stories come together at the end in an intensely emotional final scene. This is definitely a favourite from the longlist, and I will be going back to Ryan’s earlier novels.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Three stories, one of guilt and grief, Farouk - a refugee from Syria; one of desolation and anger from Lampey, an Irish man in his 20s; and the last John, who you realize is confessing his remorse and guilt over the sins of his lifetime .
The anguished, searing prose (especially of Farouk) pulls you into this astounding novel. The lives have a connection that is revealed in the last few pages.
The tonal shifts between the stories can be disquieting. Farouk is articulate, and very self aware. Lampy is angry, terse and only has moments of instrospection. John is relective, unstinting in his confession, in his recognition of the many wrongs he committed (although also prideful in how he would manipulate people), yet not recognising the impact on his pyche of his childhood grief.
The anguished, searing prose (especially of Farouk) pulls you into this astounding novel. The lives have a connection that is revealed in the last few pages.
The tonal shifts between the stories can be disquieting. Farouk is articulate, and very self aware. Lampy is angry, terse and only has moments of instrospection. John is relective, unstinting in his confession, in his recognition of the many wrongs he committed (although also prideful in how he would manipulate people), yet not recognising the impact on his pyche of his childhood grief.
This is the story of three very different men which , told in three separate parts , appears to be about life experiences that have no connection save that it tells you about how men react to the tragedies , missteps ,obstacles that arise in an individuals life.
The first part is the heart-breaking story of Farouk a Doctor who flees an unnamed middle Eastern country when fighters take over and impose strict Islamic law and atrocities become the norm. Farouk , his wife and child escape after paying for boat passage to Europe. I cannot say any more about this section save that it humanises the plight of refugees and was a hard emotional read at the end.
Then we move to modern day Dublin and a young man Lampy who lives with his mother and grandfather . In his early 20's he drives a care home bus but as he delivers his charges one day we learn through his story about a childhood in which his anger is pronounced and he is an isolated young man because of his temper. As he contemplates the loss of his girlfriend who is moving beyond his stalled future his anger grows as does his despair and his grandfather , a perpetually joking man reflects on his own role in the Lampy's development.
Finally we meet John who at a formative age experiences a tragedy which seems to mould his future character as a devious , manipulative and apparently heartless man who refusing to allow anyone to get the better of him engineers an act of violence which has repercussions.
The book finishes with a final chapter and at the end of the book I felt drained by the events. The writing is subtle in that I grew to understand all three men and the way they are driven emotionally, I liked that things are teased out for the reader such as John's sister who in the aftermath of the tragedy physically abuses her younger siblings and verbally attacks John but John emotionally hurt himself responds in a way that perhaps marks his future ability to empathise with others.
This is a short book but I immersed myself in the lives of these men and it is that diversity of lives that makes the ending satisfying. Thus there are many books which start from an event and then show the reader how the characters have arrived there, by doing it the other way around we as readers can reflect upon the fact that life is like that , we all have friends acquaintances colleagues or even people we barely know but sometimes our lives interconnect which I felt was well done. But overall it was the writers ability to create believable characters with understandable emotions that I especially enjoyed.
The first part is the heart-breaking story of Farouk a Doctor who flees an unnamed middle Eastern country when fighters take over and impose strict Islamic law and atrocities become the norm. Farouk , his wife and child escape after paying for boat passage to Europe. I cannot say any more about this section save that it humanises the plight of refugees and was a hard emotional read at the end.
Then we move to modern day Dublin and a young man Lampy who lives with his mother and grandfather . In his early 20's he drives a care home bus but as he delivers his charges one day we learn through his story about a childhood in which his anger is pronounced and he is an isolated young man because of his temper. As he contemplates the loss of his girlfriend who is moving beyond his stalled future his anger grows as does his despair and his grandfather , a perpetually joking man reflects on his own role in the Lampy's development.
Finally we meet John who at a formative age experiences a tragedy which seems to mould his future character as a devious , manipulative and apparently heartless man who refusing to allow anyone to get the better of him engineers an act of violence which has repercussions.
The book finishes with a final chapter and at the end of the book I felt drained by the events. The writing is subtle in that I grew to understand all three men and the way they are driven emotionally, I liked that things are teased out for the reader such as John's sister who in the aftermath of the tragedy physically abuses her younger siblings and verbally attacks John but John emotionally hurt himself responds in a way that perhaps marks his future ability to empathise with others.
This is a short book but I immersed myself in the lives of these men and it is that diversity of lives that makes the ending satisfying. Thus there are many books which start from an event and then show the reader how the characters have arrived there, by doing it the other way around we as readers can reflect upon the fact that life is like that , we all have friends acquaintances colleagues or even people we barely know but sometimes our lives interconnect which I felt was well done. But overall it was the writers ability to create believable characters with understandable emotions that I especially enjoyed.