The Boy from the Sea

A tremendous story about a family changed by the arrival of a strange boy, which feels like an instant classic . . . huge hearted, masterful . . . Told in a captivating communal voice like nothing I've ever read before . . . The Boy from the Sea is a dazzling exploration of the ties that make and bind us

Lauren Brown, The Bookseller, Book of the Month

A ruefully funny portrait of a dysfunctional family in a struggling town, The Boy from the Sea rings painfully true. I was gripped

Emma Donoghue, bestselling author of Room

Beautifully written - gorgeous modern folklore

Sarah Moss, author of Summerwater

Stunning

Good Housekeeping

Outstanding . . . one of those beautiful books that soothe the soul

Prima Magazine

The Boy from the Sea is an utterly engrossing read. Atmospheric and incredibly moving, I was captivated by the trials and triumphs of the Bonnars. A bittersweet ballad of a novel I'll be thinking about for a very long time

Jan Carson, author of The Raptures

The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr captures the changing feelings and textures of the latter decades of the twentieth century in Ireland more precisely than any other recent novel I could name. Its language and sensibility reflects the sly humour of its Donegal setting, and the reader is riveted by the heroic efforts of its characters to hold on to one another in the face of gale-force winds of historical change

Niamh Mulvey, author of The Amendments

An original and rambunctious Irish seafaring novel that vividly portrays a community moving through changing times and tides—as lively a portrait as it is convincing. With a refreshing narrative approach, The Boy From the Sea excels in its clarity and particularity of voice

Caoilinn Hughes, author of The Alternatives

The Boy from the Sea has that rare quality I often find myself searching for in a novel – narrative intimacy among the vastness of life. Garrett Carr is meticulous and precise in his writing – the skilled invisibility of a true craftsman

Rónán Hession, author of Ghost Mountain

The Boy from the Sea is a single-generation family saga as dazzlingly compact as it is comprehensively insightful, a love story in which the tenderness and forbearance are all the more moving for the eloquence with which the hardships and reticence are rendered. This is as impressively wise and idiosyncratic a novel as I’ve read in years

Jim Shepard, author of The Book of Aron

A lyrical, beautifully written portrait of a place and its people

Mail on Sunday

Lyrical

The i

Hypnotic . . . Carr has a terrific knack for detail, both poetic and quotidian . . . This is a surprising, tender and warm-hearted novel about a real place and real people: a gentle gift for spring

The Guardian

The son of a Killybegs fisherman, Carr writes from knowledge and reflects with good humour on his characters' inability to understand themselves . . . plenty of emotion and feeling

Daily Mirror

Charming . . . humorous . . . a fresh perspective

Financial Times

Wry, observant, various and thoughtful, this novel does something only art can

Irish Times

Expansive and intimate, funny and warm . . . it carries a cargo hold full of feeling beneath decks

The Herald

Beautifully observed, funny and poignant. I didn't want it to ever end

Jennie Godfrey, Sunday Times bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things

A delectably warm, communal voice through which the reader bears witness to one family’s most private moments

The Observer

A mesmerising, meditative debut; reminiscent of John McGahern and Jon McGregor

Irish Independent

This stunning literary offering holds your heart in its hands from the first page to the last. Masterfully crafted, mischievous and moving

The Courier

Charming . . . a quiet meditation on how family, community and industry intertwine around the bountiful but perilous Atlantic . . . Carr’s biggest strength lies in capturing the fishbowl quality of small-town life

The List

Beautiful, funny, utterly glorious

Nina Stibbe, author of Love, Nina

Really impressed by The Boy From the Sea . . . a fascinating family dynamic and an unusual narrative voice. Highly recommended.

John Boyne, author of The Heart's Invisible Furies

Poignant and humane, this work expertly depicts a close-knit community, hardscrabble lives and sibling rivalries

The Economist

Lyrical

The i

Charming . . . offers a sort of Irish silver-tongued devilry some where between Sebastian Barry and Donal Ryan

The Critic

Epitomizing great storytelling from the get-go . . . beautifully observed

Woman's Weekly

[Carr] displays a well honed gift for crafting an involving story

Evening Standard

Expansive . . . an ode to Donegal and its no-nonsense people

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