Swept Away by The Sea

Good heavens what a gem. Beautiful, lush, exquisite writing. A haunting story that lingers inside you long after you've put the book down.

I'm a bit late in coming to this book, I know, but I much prefer to purchase books as paperbacks, and if I can get them on sale, all the better! (Sorry, Mr. Banville). And I suppose I was a bit hesitant to read The Sea because of all the fanfare – too often I've been let down by an author due in part to the abundance of media hype and accolades that sadly  rarely live up to the actual novel. In fact, lately I've been making a habit of not reading book reviews before I pick up a book, so that my mental palette is somewhat 'clean' when I dive into the story. Does anyone else do this? Anyway, the main reason I chose to read The Sea was because the delightful young lady who works at at Book City in The Bloor West Village raved about it, and her taste in books is exquisite (though we did part ways with Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Ugh).

I don't want to go into too much detail about the story, and really, for some there may appear to be not much of  a story at all. Max Morden is a middle-aged Irishman who is grieving over the recent death of his wife. He decides to go back to the seaside town where he spent his summer holidays as a child, as a means of coping with the loss of his wife, but also to travel back in time to the one summer when he met the Graces, an intriguing family who had a powerful hold over him as a child, and in fact the events of that one summer with the Graces changes Max forever. But really, this description of the story does it no justice at all.

This is not a novel full of action-packed detail, but rather a deep internal dialogue of one man's struggle to cope with the many disappointments of his life. Personally, I love this kind of novel more than any other, I think. The phrase based on a true story really turns my stomach. Give me fiction in all its beauty and lies, because that's where I can find the truths that I can really hold onto. Does that make any sense? As I read this novel, I could not help but think of my own life, and my own past, and the secrets and sufferings that haunt me. Max's story is I think the sad private struggle that everyone experiences, for doesn't the past beat inside all of us like a second heart?

Comments

[Kristy]

Thanks....for this. I've been considering this novel but I do fear the hype factor with books.

[Danielle]

The writing was really lovely, wasn't it. I am trying, too, to avoid reviews now if I really want to read something. I hate it when reviewers give away important details! While it is nice to learn about good, new books, I also don't want to be turned off by a review. The clean palette phrase says it nicely.

[Heather]

Danielle's review and now your review have lead me to add this book to the top of the TBR Mountain. Thanks for that!

[Andrew]

I totally agree. I loved this book, the eloquence really was a pleasure.
Your last para is 100% true for me. I love these types of novels. Haruki Murakami is someone you might enjoy for the same reasons, specifically Norwegian Wood.

[Kate S.]

It makes perfect sense! Very eloquently put. I loved "The Sea" as well. It was one of my ten favourite reads in 2005.

Like you, I avoid reading the reviews before I've read the book. I love reading them afterwards though to see whether others agree or disagree with my conclusions about the book, and if they saw anything in it that I hadn't picked up on. You and I are definitely in accord on "The Sea"!

[Julie]

I avoid reviews like the plague. In addition to the problem of the book never living up to the hype, reviews often have spoilers. And I'm so tired of the phrase "luminous prose."

However, this totally does not apply to reviews written by bloggers. Some of the best books I've read in the last two years have been recommended by bloggers. And I'm definitely adding The Sea to my stack because of your intriguing review. :)

[Dheeraj]

Hmm.. I don't read reviews before reading books either.And about the book in question,ahh..I reviewed it on my blog first and have started looking for other reviews now..Just out of curiosity to see how others liked it.I came across yours and I thought I'd drop a comment.. A nice review of a nice book. :)
Btw,if you're interested in my review,you could have a look at this.
http://irrationalrationalities.blogspot.com/