From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan

FROM A LOW AND QUIET SEA

by DONAL RYAN 

‘Can you imagine how that would be? If a tree is starving, its neighbours will send it food. No one really knows how this can be, but it is. Nutrients will travel in the tunnel made of fungus from the roots of a healthy tree to its starving neighbour, even one of a different species. Trees live, like you and me , long lives, and they know things. They know the rule, the only one that’s real and must be kept. What’s the rule? You know. I’ve told you lots of times before. Be kind.’ 

From a Low and Quiet Sea is Donal Ryan’s most expansive book to date, partially set in Syria and partially in the familiar territory of rural Ireland. 

Farouk’s country has been torn apart by war. Lampy’s heart has been laid waste by Chloe. John’s past torments him as he nears his end. The refugee. The dreamer. The penitent. 

From war-torn Syria to small-town Ireland, three men, scarred by all they have loved and lost, are searching for some version of home. Each is drawn towards a powerful reckoning, one that will bring them together in the most unexpected of ways.

This is a book which has already received a lot of praise from an impressive collection of authors, reviewers and the national press. This is a writer who is referred to as 'outstanding', 'dazzling' and a 'genius'. I must say I approached this novel with some trepidation because of its literary merit - and the fact that when I mentioned to someone that I was about to start reading it, they closed their eyes, put their hand to their heart and told me to prepare myself. 

Well reader, I will now close my eyes, put my hand over my heart and tell you that you must read this book - but prepare yourself. Prepare to be impressed with the beautiful prose and exquisite use of language. Prepare yourself for the carefully structured sentences, paragraphs and chapters. Prepare to revel in the skill of the author as he constructs story arcs which explore separate characters and yet interlink them in a perfectly executed ending. 

At 181 pages I naively expected to read this book quickly. You can't. In fact, I was relieved that the chapters are short - sometimes only a paragraph or so - and that the book is divided into four sections as it follows the plight of the different characters. It is a book that you might want to close for a few moments and absorb the imagery and emotional content before moving on. This is not writing that you want to rush. Ryan's choice of each word - each punctuation mark even - has been so considered and used for such effect that the reader can only do justice by taking the time to appreciate this and enjoy the characterisation it creates. 

This is a novel which is achingly contemporary and that makes it a powerful and important read. It's not conventional in it's form, although I enjoyed the separate sections, the layout and the overall structure of the story. The text is dense and this is a literary read, but it is rewarding and warrants each and every accolade which has been bestowed upon it. 

 I recommend this for those of you who are looking for a rich, literary and fascinating read of a book that is sure to collect some awards and continue to build Ryan's reputation as a talented writer. 

From a Low and Quiet Sea is published by Doubleday on 22nd March.

My thanks to Anne Cater and the publishers for the advance copy of this novel and for inviting me to join the Blog Tour.

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DONAL RYAN

 Donal Ryan is from Nenagh in County Tipperary. His first three novels, The Spinning Heart, The Thing About December and All We Shall Know, and his short story collection A Slanting of the Sun, have all been published to major acclaim. 

The Spinning Heart won the Guardian First Book Award, the EU Prize for Literature (Ireland), and Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards; it was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize, and was recently voted ‘Irish Book of the Decade’. 

His fourth novel, From a Low and Quiet Sea, is published in March 2018. 

A former civil servant, Donal lectures in Creative Writing at the University of Limerick. He lives with his wife Anne Marie and their two children just outside Limerick City.