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The Boy from the Sea

the heart-wrenching story of an ordinary Irish coastal town and an extraordinary boy

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About this listen

As read on BBC Radio 4
A Sunday Times Best Book of the Year
An Observer Best Debut of the Year

'Compassionate, lyrical and full of devilment' - Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses
'A joy . . . vivid, loving and genuinely funny' - The Sunday Times
'I didn't want it to ever end' - Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things

The Boy from the Sea is Garrett Carr's brilliantly moving tale of an abandoned baby who rocks a small Irish town, bringing together a community - and igniting lifelong rivalries.

Perfect for fans of Kate Atkinson and Claire Keegan.

In 1973 on the west coast of Ireland, a baby is found abandoned on the beach. Who is he? Where is he from?

Ambrose, a local fisherman, is far more interested in who he will become and – with a curious community looking on – takes the baby home and adopts him. But for Declan, the baby’s new brother, this arrival is surely bad news. Rivalries can be decades in the making . . .

Set over twenty years, The Boy from the Sea is about a restless boy trying to find his place, in a town caught in the storm of a rapidly changing world.

Fans love The Boy from the Sea:

'Left me feeling warm and satisfied when I finished it and I’ve thought about it daily since then' *****
'Books are meant to change you, to shape you, and to heal you, and The Boy from the Sea does all those things' *****
'You feel like you’re right there in the village' *****
'Stunning. I found myself waking up at 5am because I was desperate to read more' *****
'Felt like I was stepping off life's treadmill and immersing myself in another world' *****

 Coming of Age Family Life Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Small Town & Rural World Literature Funny

Critic reviews

Compulsive reading . . . Compassionate, lyrical and full of devilment (Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses)
Warm, funny, full of lightly worn wisdom and wit. In short, it is a joy . . . the power of Carr’s novel lies in the contrast between its warm hilarity and the cold truths those jokes contain . . . vivid, loving and genuinely funny
A beautifully written, tragi-comic triumph
A novel of heart-bumping power and sparkling vividness. This is a strange, beautiful, truly compelling triumph, a story about a very specific place that somehow comes to seem an everywhere and a people who feel familiar as faces in mirrors. A breathtaking achievement (Joseph O'Connor, author of Star of the Sea and My Father's House)
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
Outstanding . . . one of those beautiful books that soothe the soul
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)
All stars
Most relevant
Great sense of place and time. Gives a real feel for 1970’s/80’s rural Ireland. Just a wonderful book.

Excellent narration and story.

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There is so much great Irish prose writing today, bit it does sometimes feel as though theres a style that is almost a trope and it can feel exclusive to the non-Irish reader. When the writer leans into the trope of poetic ‘Oirishness’ so much that all flaws in the characters and the plot are forgiven (or expected to be) on account of their Irishness. Something you dear reader, must just accept, because you are not a part of this club and cant be ver criticize it (though they may). Such a style has put me off more than one well received novel. That is not the case here.
This well written book manages to bring to life a time and place with a clear eye, and the necessary distance. Evoking its strengths and weaknesses (as they are exhibited in its people) and never excluding the reader. I really enjoyed the narrators voice and felt he was in sync with the story at all times.
The title evokes a fairy tale (and it is meant to) but the author turns away from any overtly poetic tropes and reminds us regularly that these people are grounded and even (unusual for its time and place) irreligious. Something not prone to flights of fancy.
I enjoyed the story of the fisherman, his wife and sons, especially the sense of an ordinary family with its various emotional pushes and pulls, and the inter-generational impact of the characters and their parenting.
I found the denouement a little weak, but it didn’t hurt my overall enjoyment of the novel.

Wholly believable family saga

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Felt the story was weak, didn’t live up to the early expectations.
Became so grim , miserable and at times revolting it was hard to keep going with it.

The narrator was excellent

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This was a great listen. It’s a story about family, relationships and how people change when circumstances do. Very well narrated. Elements of humour and loss in a small fishing community.

Family Feuds in Donegal

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Stanley Townsend could read the phone book to me. Wonderful narrator.
A beautiful story of a generous community, shame the world isn’t so. Loved it.

A lesson in humanity

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