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Beyond the Sea
The haunting story of two men stranded at sea pushing against their physical and mental limits to stay alive
Based partly on true events, Paul Lynch’s haunting and sublime novel Beyond the Sea tells the story of two South American fishermen, Bolivar and Hector, who go to sea before a catastrophic storm. Needing cash, Bolivar convinces his boss to let him fish despite the weather. His fishing partner is nowhere to be found, so he brings Hector, a sullen and inexperienced teenager. The storm arrives, and though the two men survive, they’ve been blown hundreds of miles out in the Pacific Ocean with little hope for rescue.
Based partly on true events, Paul Lynch’s haunting and sublime novel Beyond the Sea tells the story of two South American fishermen, Bolivar and Hector, who go to sea before a catastrophic storm. Needing cash, Bolivar convinces his boss to let him fish despite the weather. His fishing partner is nowhere to be found, so he brings Hector, a sullen and inexperienced teenager. The storm arrives, and though the two men survive, they’ve been blown hundreds of miles out in the Pacific Ocean with little hope for rescue.
Coming to terms with their new reality, they are forced to accept their separation from the modern world, their sudden and inescapable intimacy, and the possibilities and limits of faith, hope, and survival. As the days go by, they grapple with the mistakes of their pasts, the severity of their present, and the uncertainty of their future. And though Bolivar and Hector fight to maintain their will to live, nothing in the barren seascape or in their minds promises that they will make it.
Ambitious and profoundly moving, Beyond the Sea explores what it means to be a man, a friend, and a sinner in a fallen world. With evocative prose, Lynch crafts a suspenseful drama that refuses sentimentality or easy answers. Instead, Beyond the Sea is a hard-won and intimate rendering of the extremities of human life, both physical and mental.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 29, 2019
93 people are currently reading
1855 people want to read
About the author
Paul Lynch
5 books1,413 followersPaul Lynch is the internationally-acclaimed, prize-winning author of five novels: PROPHET SONG, BEYOND THE SEA, GRACE, THE BLACK SNOW and RED SKY IN MORNING, and the winner of the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2018, among other prizes.
His debut novel RED SKY IN MORNING was published to critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic in 2013. It was a finalist for France’s Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (Best Foreign Book Prize) and was nominated for the Prix du Premier Roman (First Novel Prize). In the US, it was an Amazon.com Book of the Month and was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, where Lynch was hailed as “a lapidary young master”. It was a book of the year in The Irish Times, The Toronto Star, the Irish Independent and the Sunday Business Post.
THE BLACK SNOW (2014) was an Amazon.com Book of the Month. In France it won the French booksellers’ prize Prix Libr’à Nous for Best Foreign Novel and the inaugural Prix des Lecteurs Privat. It was nominated for the Prix Femina and the Prix du Roman Fnac (Fnac Novel Prize). It was hailed as “masterful” by The Sunday Times, “fierce and stunning” by The Toronto Star and featured on NPR’s All Things Considered where Alan Cheuse said that Lynch’s writing was found “somewhere between that of Nobel poet Seamus Heaney and Cormac McCarthy”.
GRACE was published in 2017 to massive international acclaim. The Washington Post called the book, “a moving work of lyrical and at times hallucinatory beauty… that reads like a hybrid of John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ and Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road'”. It won the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year and was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize and the William Saroyan International Prize. In France it was shortlisted for the Prix Jean Monnet for European Literature, among other prizes. It was a book of the year in the Guardian, the Irish Independent, Kirkus and Esquire, a Staff Pick at The Paris Review and an Editors’ Choice in the New York Times Book Review.
BEYOND THE SEA was published in September 2019 to wide critical acclaim in the UK, Ireland, Australia and the US. The Wall Street Journal called the book "mesmerising"; The Guardian called the book “frightening but beautiful”, while The Sunday Times said it had “echoes of Melville, Dostoyevsky and William Golding”. It was chosen as a book of the year in the Irish Independent by Sebastian Barry who called the book "masterly". In 2021, it was published to wide acclaim in France where it won the 2022 Prix Gens de Mers.
PROHET SONG was published to ravishing praise in August 2023 and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. John Boyne in The Sunday Independent called Prophet Song "entirely original". The Observer called the book "a crucial book for our current times... brilliant, haunting". The TLS called it "thunderously powerful". The Guardian called it "an urgent, important read". The Literary Review called the book "a masterly novel".
Paul Lynch was born in Limerick in 1977, grew up in Co Donegal, and lives in Dublin. He was previously the chief film critic of Ireland’s Sunday Tribune newspaper from 2007 to 2011, and wrote regularly for The Sunday Times on cinema. He is a full-time novelist.
His debut novel RED SKY IN MORNING was published to critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic in 2013. It was a finalist for France’s Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (Best Foreign Book Prize) and was nominated for the Prix du Premier Roman (First Novel Prize). In the US, it was an Amazon.com Book of the Month and was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, where Lynch was hailed as “a lapidary young master”. It was a book of the year in The Irish Times, The Toronto Star, the Irish Independent and the Sunday Business Post.
THE BLACK SNOW (2014) was an Amazon.com Book of the Month. In France it won the French booksellers’ prize Prix Libr’à Nous for Best Foreign Novel and the inaugural Prix des Lecteurs Privat. It was nominated for the Prix Femina and the Prix du Roman Fnac (Fnac Novel Prize). It was hailed as “masterful” by The Sunday Times, “fierce and stunning” by The Toronto Star and featured on NPR’s All Things Considered where Alan Cheuse said that Lynch’s writing was found “somewhere between that of Nobel poet Seamus Heaney and Cormac McCarthy”.
GRACE was published in 2017 to massive international acclaim. The Washington Post called the book, “a moving work of lyrical and at times hallucinatory beauty… that reads like a hybrid of John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ and Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road'”. It won the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year and was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize and the William Saroyan International Prize. In France it was shortlisted for the Prix Jean Monnet for European Literature, among other prizes. It was a book of the year in the Guardian, the Irish Independent, Kirkus and Esquire, a Staff Pick at The Paris Review and an Editors’ Choice in the New York Times Book Review.
BEYOND THE SEA was published in September 2019 to wide critical acclaim in the UK, Ireland, Australia and the US. The Wall Street Journal called the book "mesmerising"; The Guardian called the book “frightening but beautiful”, while The Sunday Times said it had “echoes of Melville, Dostoyevsky and William Golding”. It was chosen as a book of the year in the Irish Independent by Sebastian Barry who called the book "masterly". In 2021, it was published to wide acclaim in France where it won the 2022 Prix Gens de Mers.
PROHET SONG was published to ravishing praise in August 2023 and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. John Boyne in The Sunday Independent called Prophet Song "entirely original". The Observer called the book "a crucial book for our current times... brilliant, haunting". The TLS called it "thunderously powerful". The Guardian called it "an urgent, important read". The Literary Review called the book "a masterly novel".
Paul Lynch was born in Limerick in 1977, grew up in Co Donegal, and lives in Dublin. He was previously the chief film critic of Ireland’s Sunday Tribune newspaper from 2007 to 2011, and wrote regularly for The Sunday Times on cinema. He is a full-time novelist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
September 2, 2019
Wow. Just wow. Mr Lynch is a mindblowing talent who wasn't previously on my radar, but he sure as hell is now. In essence, this is a haunting story of survival but the author also explores deeper topics associated with what it means to be human. This is a book that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride of peaks and troughs, twists and turns and is the most moving novel I've read this year so far despite having read over 1k novels as of this month.
The story follows two fishermen, Bolivar and Hector, who encounter a severe storm whilst crossing the Pacific, but the bulk of the novel focuses on the two men getting to know each other, trying to improve their strained relationship and accepting their circumstances and the very real possibility that they may die out there given that there is no help arriving. It's a sad state of affairs, but as a result, both characters worm their way into your heart.
The parts where they ruminate on their regrets and unfulfilled dreams well and truly tugged at my heartstrings. The situation is a terrifying one to contemplate and Hector and Bolivar are forced to rely on each other as there is no one else they can rely on. It is a powerful read and explores the ability of the human spirit to repeatedly bounce back and its response to both mental and physical challenges experienced under the most trying of circumstances.
As an ardent reader of philosophy, I found the metaphysical musings fascinating. The broaching of the subtopic of existentialism and a reminder that every decision one makes has a resulting consequence, the notion that our thoughts and actions are what define us as people, the difference between reality and perception and the mantras or positive affirmations we recite as a coping mechanism.
With a potent mix of exquisite writing, a heartfelt and powerful plot, and exploration of notions that all of us as humans can relate to, this is an intense, profound and fantastic novel I can see winning awards, and Paul Lynch should be on everyone's to be read list. A breathtaking and mesmerising read. I know one thing for certain: I will remember this for a long time to come. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for an ARC.
The story follows two fishermen, Bolivar and Hector, who encounter a severe storm whilst crossing the Pacific, but the bulk of the novel focuses on the two men getting to know each other, trying to improve their strained relationship and accepting their circumstances and the very real possibility that they may die out there given that there is no help arriving. It's a sad state of affairs, but as a result, both characters worm their way into your heart.
The parts where they ruminate on their regrets and unfulfilled dreams well and truly tugged at my heartstrings. The situation is a terrifying one to contemplate and Hector and Bolivar are forced to rely on each other as there is no one else they can rely on. It is a powerful read and explores the ability of the human spirit to repeatedly bounce back and its response to both mental and physical challenges experienced under the most trying of circumstances.
As an ardent reader of philosophy, I found the metaphysical musings fascinating. The broaching of the subtopic of existentialism and a reminder that every decision one makes has a resulting consequence, the notion that our thoughts and actions are what define us as people, the difference between reality and perception and the mantras or positive affirmations we recite as a coping mechanism.
With a potent mix of exquisite writing, a heartfelt and powerful plot, and exploration of notions that all of us as humans can relate to, this is an intense, profound and fantastic novel I can see winning awards, and Paul Lynch should be on everyone's to be read list. A breathtaking and mesmerising read. I know one thing for certain: I will remember this for a long time to come. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for an ARC.
June 8, 2024
This is not my first Paul Lynch novel, therefore I was aware of his writing style, and had enjoyed what I had read very much.
The setting is a fishing village in South America, and the main character, Bolivar, decides that he wants to go fishing, despite warnings of bad weather conditions. His fishing partner is not around, and is replaced by a teenage boy, Hector, who has little to no experience.
Disaster strikes, of course, and the expected storm batters the boat, which drifts way out to sea, the motor and communication equipment both completely inoperable.
From here on is their story of desperate attempts to stay alive, and the hope of rescue. The relationship between the two men, and their reflections on their lives so far, is beautifully written, as expected - but you will have to read this book to find out their fates!
The setting is a fishing village in South America, and the main character, Bolivar, decides that he wants to go fishing, despite warnings of bad weather conditions. His fishing partner is not around, and is replaced by a teenage boy, Hector, who has little to no experience.
Disaster strikes, of course, and the expected storm batters the boat, which drifts way out to sea, the motor and communication equipment both completely inoperable.
From here on is their story of desperate attempts to stay alive, and the hope of rescue. The relationship between the two men, and their reflections on their lives so far, is beautifully written, as expected - but you will have to read this book to find out their fates!
May 17, 2024
4.5 🌟
I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into when I started this book. I picked it up purely because I love the work of, Irishman, Paul Lynch.
This was a very different and unique style of book to anything I have read before and I must admit it was a refreshing change from the usual.
In essence the book is about two fishermen who know very little of each other but nonetheless set out to sea. They get caught up in a storm off the coast of South America very quickly finding themselves in the Pacific Ocean. With the rescue materials and no boats in sight, these two men must learn to survive with what is around them. But more than that, they must learn to live with each other…
Can strangers become friends in the midst of a storm?
Furthermore…a friend to a brother?
One man, a weathered fisherman, another, an inexperienced young man.
“Tell me, Hector, what is a storm? It is a little windy, that is all…Real fishermen are used to this type of thing…no trouble…It is nothing to be afraid of.”
Lynch depicts how quickly things can change out at sea. Suddenly the radio is no use and they have to admit, they are completely alone, adrift in the Pacific.
While Bolivar bails furiously, Hector talks incessantly to God, begging for protection; Dear God, I don’t want to die. His faith only deepens throughout the course of the book; something Bolivar can’t quite understand.
Not only is the story incredibly gripping but the language used is somewhere between prose and poetry. Pieces of short poetry are scattered throughout the course of the story:
“The ocean is. You are also. But the ocean always is, it is never not.”
The structure is also picturesque in form. It highlights perfectly the unique passing of time.
Day into night and night into day. The months go by…Hector’s mind and body failing more and more daily. All he has left is his faith…Bolivar can’t seem to stand this youth and suddenly what was a supportive friendship is lost to the sea…
“By night, by day, he rests within sleep.”
Will they survive?
“I am only a fisherman.”
I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into when I started this book. I picked it up purely because I love the work of, Irishman, Paul Lynch.
This was a very different and unique style of book to anything I have read before and I must admit it was a refreshing change from the usual.
In essence the book is about two fishermen who know very little of each other but nonetheless set out to sea. They get caught up in a storm off the coast of South America very quickly finding themselves in the Pacific Ocean. With the rescue materials and no boats in sight, these two men must learn to survive with what is around them. But more than that, they must learn to live with each other…
Can strangers become friends in the midst of a storm?
Furthermore…a friend to a brother?
One man, a weathered fisherman, another, an inexperienced young man.
“Tell me, Hector, what is a storm? It is a little windy, that is all…Real fishermen are used to this type of thing…no trouble…It is nothing to be afraid of.”
Lynch depicts how quickly things can change out at sea. Suddenly the radio is no use and they have to admit, they are completely alone, adrift in the Pacific.
While Bolivar bails furiously, Hector talks incessantly to God, begging for protection; Dear God, I don’t want to die. His faith only deepens throughout the course of the book; something Bolivar can’t quite understand.
Not only is the story incredibly gripping but the language used is somewhere between prose and poetry. Pieces of short poetry are scattered throughout the course of the story:
“The ocean is. You are also. But the ocean always is, it is never not.”
The structure is also picturesque in form. It highlights perfectly the unique passing of time.
Day into night and night into day. The months go by…Hector’s mind and body failing more and more daily. All he has left is his faith…Bolivar can’t seem to stand this youth and suddenly what was a supportive friendship is lost to the sea…
“By night, by day, he rests within sleep.”
Will they survive?
“I am only a fisherman.”
September 20, 2025
Vielleicht schreib ich noch mal eine Rezension mit Spoiler, um bisschen mehr zu erzählen, worum es im Roman geht. Aber ich will jetzt auch keine Inhaltsangabe geben.
Sehr schön geschrieben, die beiden Hauptfiguren gut charakterisiert, der Kampf ums Überleben nach der Katastrophe sehr glaubwürdig in Szene gesetzt. Auch wie die beiden ungleichen Fischer miteinander klarkommen, ist sehr authentisch und spannend.
Mir war es insgesamt ein bisschen zu lang, weil nach einer gewissen Zeit kaum neue Aspekte hinzukommen. Hin und wieder hatte ich Fosse-Erinnerungen, der sich in seinen Romanen oft in dieser Zwischenwelt Leben und Tod bewegt.
In gewisser Weise ist das Buch perfekt. Ich denke der Autor hat genau das erreicht was er wollte. Von mir aufgerundete 4 Sterne, wegen etwas eintönigem Lesevergnügen.
Sehr schön geschrieben, die beiden Hauptfiguren gut charakterisiert, der Kampf ums Überleben nach der Katastrophe sehr glaubwürdig in Szene gesetzt. Auch wie die beiden ungleichen Fischer miteinander klarkommen, ist sehr authentisch und spannend.
Mir war es insgesamt ein bisschen zu lang, weil nach einer gewissen Zeit kaum neue Aspekte hinzukommen. Hin und wieder hatte ich Fosse-Erinnerungen, der sich in seinen Romanen oft in dieser Zwischenwelt Leben und Tod bewegt.
In gewisser Weise ist das Buch perfekt. Ich denke der Autor hat genau das erreicht was er wollte. Von mir aufgerundete 4 Sterne, wegen etwas eintönigem Lesevergnügen.
January 10, 2021
This was terrific. On the surface it's a harrowing survival story of two Latin American fishermen lost at sea after a storm sweeps their boat away. But really it is a powerful existential fable that feels at times as though it were a lost chapter from The Odyssey.
Spare and lyrical, it moves in waves from immediate realism to hallucinatory spiritualism, from McCarthy to Hemingway to Coelho and back again. Very good; I look forward to reading more of his work.
Spare and lyrical, it moves in waves from immediate realism to hallucinatory spiritualism, from McCarthy to Hemingway to Coelho and back again. Very good; I look forward to reading more of his work.
March 29, 2020
What a fantastic read. It's a short novel that packs a real punch and is very fitting for our times of pandemic and quarantine.
Two fishermen take out a boat despite storm warnings and find themselves lost at sea. Initially Bolivar and Hector are intent on staying alive, eat fish, capture birds and tell each other about regrets and memories of their past. Their company keeps them going as well as the hope that they may be rescued, that they do everything in their power to stay alert of changing weather conditions.
'He thinks what is life but waiting. He closes his eyes and listens. Always waiting upon the awaited thing... Watching how the wave travels then folds, falls upon another that carries the passing energy within it, the life and death of the sea.'
The situation they find themselves in seems to make the past worries slip away. The urgency of staying alive is gripping and their attempts of finding purpose in the smallest of victories is palpable.
'Life on the panga isn't so bad. That out here, for the first time, everything has fallen away. The weight you carry in your heart ... The pain and problems of living.
The insights offered are those we face to a much lesser degree right now. Lock downs around the planet, the appeal to stay at home and make do with limited social contact is somewhat similar to the situation the two fishermen find themselves in. They experience fear, anxiety but also hope and they have a lot of time to reflect on what's essential, what matters when normal life, connections with family, friends and foes fall away. It's a great read that I highly recommend!
Two fishermen take out a boat despite storm warnings and find themselves lost at sea. Initially Bolivar and Hector are intent on staying alive, eat fish, capture birds and tell each other about regrets and memories of their past. Their company keeps them going as well as the hope that they may be rescued, that they do everything in their power to stay alert of changing weather conditions.
'He thinks what is life but waiting. He closes his eyes and listens. Always waiting upon the awaited thing... Watching how the wave travels then folds, falls upon another that carries the passing energy within it, the life and death of the sea.'
The situation they find themselves in seems to make the past worries slip away. The urgency of staying alive is gripping and their attempts of finding purpose in the smallest of victories is palpable.
'Life on the panga isn't so bad. That out here, for the first time, everything has fallen away. The weight you carry in your heart ... The pain and problems of living.
The insights offered are those we face to a much lesser degree right now. Lock downs around the planet, the appeal to stay at home and make do with limited social contact is somewhat similar to the situation the two fishermen find themselves in. They experience fear, anxiety but also hope and they have a lot of time to reflect on what's essential, what matters when normal life, connections with family, friends and foes fall away. It's a great read that I highly recommend!
August 12, 2022
I've not read Irish writer Lynch's earlier novels all set in Ireland about Ireland, but this one is set far from Ireland, in an unnamed South or Central American country. Based on a true story, that of two Salvadoran fishermen caught in a storm and at sea for many months (and contained in a nonfiction account by another writer), this is elemental, reminiscent, as far as I can recall, of Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea. The main character is Bolivar, who calls himself a simple fisherman, a man with a past that is not known, living a simple life fishing, drinking, trying out his wiles on Rosa, the woman who owns the cafe where he drinks. Despite warnings of an oncoming storm, Boliva wants to go out, several miles out to fish overnight, and when his usual partner isn't around, he's given a last-minute substitute, teenager Hector. Out they go, and in comes the storm, and when it finally clears, the two realize they've been blown far out to sea. Adrift and alone, the boat's motor is dead, the GPS and radio waterlogged and useless. Will they survive? The prose is concise, often with off-kilter syntax, and there is, even bobbing there alone on the water, much action - between the two men, their present, their pasts, their hopes or dreams or nightmares, how they get along or don't, their different views about life and how to live, as well as what the sea throws up. The prose, often poetic, also carries substantial intellectual weight, brief sentences that nonetheless do not translate into quick reading, but rather encourage the reader to stop and consider. At its core what does one do, lost at sea, or on land in one's life? Do you deny the state of affairs, hold out for something else, for the future, or live as best you can in the circumstances? A fascinating, heartbreaking, and beautiful novel.
September 28, 2025
#️⃣5️⃣0️⃣4️⃣ Read & Reviewed in 2025 💔🩸
Date : 🚀 Wednesday, September 24, 2025 🚫🔻❌
Word Count📃: 47k Words 🧨🔪🎈
⋆⭒𓆟⋆｡˚𖦹𓆜✩⋆ >-;;;;€ᐷ °‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡
( ˶°ㅁ°) !! My 78th read in "READING AS MANY BOOKS AS I CANNN 😢 cuz smth....happened.....irl.........😥" September ⚡
5️⃣🌟, Porky.
——————————————————————
➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗
Porky loses fishing partner
Porky gets another partner who is a teenage boy who's very arrogant and immature.
Porky fishes
Porky goes through a storm
Porky and teenage boy gets stranded on an island and then everything gets crazy there
his name is not Porky.
This is sort of written like The Old Man & The Sea but this is certainly leaning more into quotable lines and a direct approach when it comes to the messaging. It doesn't hide itself through fishing symbolisms but the common grounds that the two fishermen converses with each other is the one where it gets all the substance. The book is primarily just the two of them talking with each other and it couldn't be more perfect than that. You will learn many things about life and share the journey with Bolivar (Bolivar is Porky, people call him that and i will CONTINUE to call him that way because it's cute and funny)
Date : 🚀 Wednesday, September 24, 2025 🚫🔻❌
Word Count📃: 47k Words 🧨🔪🎈
⋆⭒𓆟⋆｡˚𖦹𓆜✩⋆ >-;;;;€ᐷ °‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡
( ˶°ㅁ°) !! My 78th read in "READING AS MANY BOOKS AS I CANNN 😢 cuz smth....happened.....irl.........😥" September ⚡
5️⃣🌟, Porky.
——————————————————————
➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗
Porky loses fishing partner
Porky gets another partner who is a teenage boy who's very arrogant and immature.
Porky fishes
Porky goes through a storm
Porky and teenage boy gets stranded on an island and then everything gets crazy there
his name is not Porky.
This is sort of written like The Old Man & The Sea but this is certainly leaning more into quotable lines and a direct approach when it comes to the messaging. It doesn't hide itself through fishing symbolisms but the common grounds that the two fishermen converses with each other is the one where it gets all the substance. The book is primarily just the two of them talking with each other and it couldn't be more perfect than that. You will learn many things about life and share the journey with Bolivar (Bolivar is Porky, people call him that and i will CONTINUE to call him that way because it's cute and funny)
June 24, 2024
Came across this unintentionally and liked the sound of it, and it's up there as the best read of the year so far.
Lynch is an Irish writer (surprise surprise, another Irish writer delivering a book that is impossible to put down), and a Booker Prize-winning author of five novels.
Beyond the Sea begins in a fishing village in South America. A fisherman named Bolivar goes out to sea one day despite warnings of an incoming storm. His usual companion isn't around, so he enlists the help of a cocky young man called Hector.
It isn't long before the storm comes, and they're left out at sea with very little drinkable water and no food. The pasts of both men unravel, their mistakes, the burden of masculinity. Gradually, time becomes irrelevant, basically ceases to exist.
Lynch portrays these moments of distress, the human will, hope, and determination to survive, impeccably. The contrast of an excruciating wish to get back home, coupled with a growing admiration of the simplicity at sea where no trivial anxieties and stresses plague them.
A very moreish book with characters so vivid you begin to obsess over them, willing them to get home.
Will be getting hold of more Paul Lynch. 100% recommend.
Lynch is an Irish writer (surprise surprise, another Irish writer delivering a book that is impossible to put down), and a Booker Prize-winning author of five novels.
Beyond the Sea begins in a fishing village in South America. A fisherman named Bolivar goes out to sea one day despite warnings of an incoming storm. His usual companion isn't around, so he enlists the help of a cocky young man called Hector.
It isn't long before the storm comes, and they're left out at sea with very little drinkable water and no food. The pasts of both men unravel, their mistakes, the burden of masculinity. Gradually, time becomes irrelevant, basically ceases to exist.
Lynch portrays these moments of distress, the human will, hope, and determination to survive, impeccably. The contrast of an excruciating wish to get back home, coupled with a growing admiration of the simplicity at sea where no trivial anxieties and stresses plague them.
A very moreish book with characters so vivid you begin to obsess over them, willing them to get home.
Will be getting hold of more Paul Lynch. 100% recommend.
December 15, 2024
4,5* Ідеального обсягу річ, щоб заповнити безсоння. Як Життя Пі, тільки коротше рази в три.
August 15, 2025
Rezensionstitel: Auf hoher See und vor Gericht ist man allein in Gottes Hand!
Kurzmeinung: Prätentiös – dennoch dichter Text über das Ausgesetzsein des Menschen
Bolivar, ein bärbeißiger Fischer mittlerer Jahre hat sich in Schwierigkeiten gebracht, er braucht sofort Geld, sonst sieht er vor seinem geistigen Auge seine abgeschnittenen Ohren im Sand am Strand liegen. Wie kommt ein Fischer an Geld? Indem er einen Fang verkauft, möglichst einen lohnenden. Verschlafen und verkatert sitzt er in der heruntergekommenen Strandbar (nur ein paar Bretter), glubscht die Barfrau an, die dort in einer Hängematte auch nächtigt, und schwatzt mit seinem Boss und Freund Arturo. Dieser sieht einen heftigen Sturm heraufziehen und rät von einer Ausfahrt ab. Aber Bolivar will nicht hören, ist er doch ein erfahrener Fischer, der schon manchem Sturm getrotzt hat. Nur braucht er noch einen Beimann, weil sein alter Kumpel Angel nicht auftaucht wie verabredet, mit dem er sonst hinausfährt. Sie sind ein eingeschworenes Team. Da Angel nicht zur Verfügung steht und sonst keiner mit hinaus will, nimmt er schließlich den viel jüngeren Hector mehr widerwillig als begeistert mit.
Der Kommentar und das Leseerlebnis.
Ein Lynch. Ein typischer Lynchroman mit den für diesen Autor typischen Stilelementen. Viele wunderbare Metaphern – und leider auch viele nicht gelungene Wortkonstruktionen, die man nicht versteht, auch wenn man sie zwei- oder dreimal liest. Die Beurteilung, ob das Kunst ist oder weg kann, liegt im Auge/Urteil des Betrachters/Lesers. Mir gelingt es nicht, über diese Unebenheiten, Manieriertheiten und künstlicher Aufgeblasenheit der Sprache hinwegzusehen; solche „Experimente“ (wenn sie nicht geglückt sind), führen zu Punktabzug. Dabei ist der Übersetzer in diesem Fall unschuldig, der Originaltext ist ebenso angelegt.
Also, wenn man Lynch liest, weiß man, dass man auch Lynch bekommt. Damit muss man leben. Lynch ist ein Lyriker und einer, der mit Sprache experimentiert. Punkt.
Davon abgesehen, gelingt es dem Autor auf schmalem Raum, keine 200 Seiten ist der Roman lang, einen fesselnden Existenzkampf auf Leben und Tod in vielerlei Facetten aufzustellen. Die beiden Fischer, so unterschiedlich sie sind, kämpfen jeder auf seine Art um das Überleben, nachdem der Sturm ihnen quasi alles genommen hat ausser dem nackten Leben und dem schier unverwüstlichen Boot. Der eine klammert sich an Mutter Maria und an seine Erinnerungen an sein Mädchen, der andere gibt den Glauben, dass das Meer ihm nichts antun kann, nie auf. Das Meer ist wie ein Selbstbedienungsladen, meint er – und hat damit nicht unrecht.
Mir hat sehr gut gefallen, wie die Männer, abgesehen von den äußeren Kalamitäten – sie verbringen mehr als 2 Monate auf hoher See, mit ihren inneren Dämonen ringen.
Das Ende lässt Paul Lynch listigerweise offen. Entweder interpretiert man es in Richtung Mystik oder man bleibt ganz irdisch. Bis zur letzten Seite weiss man nicht, wohin Lynch Bolivars Panga letztendlich steuern wird, an die Küste oder ins Nirwana.
Fazit: Viele Facetten werden in diesem packenden Existenzkampf verhandelt, das zähe Aushalten der Zeit, Durst und Todesangst, Kameradschaft auf Leben und Tod, die Größe der Natur und ihre Schönheit, ihre Unbezwingbarkeit durch den Menschen, Vergangenheitsbewältigung und die Plastikverschmutzung. Alles drin. Insofern ist Lynch ein ganz großer. Allerdings bleiben seine sprachlichen Ausrutscher ein Manko.
Kategorie: Anspruchsvolle Literatur
Verlag: Klett Cotta 2025
Kurzmeinung: Prätentiös – dennoch dichter Text über das Ausgesetzsein des Menschen
Bolivar, ein bärbeißiger Fischer mittlerer Jahre hat sich in Schwierigkeiten gebracht, er braucht sofort Geld, sonst sieht er vor seinem geistigen Auge seine abgeschnittenen Ohren im Sand am Strand liegen. Wie kommt ein Fischer an Geld? Indem er einen Fang verkauft, möglichst einen lohnenden. Verschlafen und verkatert sitzt er in der heruntergekommenen Strandbar (nur ein paar Bretter), glubscht die Barfrau an, die dort in einer Hängematte auch nächtigt, und schwatzt mit seinem Boss und Freund Arturo. Dieser sieht einen heftigen Sturm heraufziehen und rät von einer Ausfahrt ab. Aber Bolivar will nicht hören, ist er doch ein erfahrener Fischer, der schon manchem Sturm getrotzt hat. Nur braucht er noch einen Beimann, weil sein alter Kumpel Angel nicht auftaucht wie verabredet, mit dem er sonst hinausfährt. Sie sind ein eingeschworenes Team. Da Angel nicht zur Verfügung steht und sonst keiner mit hinaus will, nimmt er schließlich den viel jüngeren Hector mehr widerwillig als begeistert mit.
Der Kommentar und das Leseerlebnis.
Ein Lynch. Ein typischer Lynchroman mit den für diesen Autor typischen Stilelementen. Viele wunderbare Metaphern – und leider auch viele nicht gelungene Wortkonstruktionen, die man nicht versteht, auch wenn man sie zwei- oder dreimal liest. Die Beurteilung, ob das Kunst ist oder weg kann, liegt im Auge/Urteil des Betrachters/Lesers. Mir gelingt es nicht, über diese Unebenheiten, Manieriertheiten und künstlicher Aufgeblasenheit der Sprache hinwegzusehen; solche „Experimente“ (wenn sie nicht geglückt sind), führen zu Punktabzug. Dabei ist der Übersetzer in diesem Fall unschuldig, der Originaltext ist ebenso angelegt.
Also, wenn man Lynch liest, weiß man, dass man auch Lynch bekommt. Damit muss man leben. Lynch ist ein Lyriker und einer, der mit Sprache experimentiert. Punkt.
Davon abgesehen, gelingt es dem Autor auf schmalem Raum, keine 200 Seiten ist der Roman lang, einen fesselnden Existenzkampf auf Leben und Tod in vielerlei Facetten aufzustellen. Die beiden Fischer, so unterschiedlich sie sind, kämpfen jeder auf seine Art um das Überleben, nachdem der Sturm ihnen quasi alles genommen hat ausser dem nackten Leben und dem schier unverwüstlichen Boot. Der eine klammert sich an Mutter Maria und an seine Erinnerungen an sein Mädchen, der andere gibt den Glauben, dass das Meer ihm nichts antun kann, nie auf. Das Meer ist wie ein Selbstbedienungsladen, meint er – und hat damit nicht unrecht.
Mir hat sehr gut gefallen, wie die Männer, abgesehen von den äußeren Kalamitäten – sie verbringen mehr als 2 Monate auf hoher See, mit ihren inneren Dämonen ringen.
Das Ende lässt Paul Lynch listigerweise offen. Entweder interpretiert man es in Richtung Mystik oder man bleibt ganz irdisch. Bis zur letzten Seite weiss man nicht, wohin Lynch Bolivars Panga letztendlich steuern wird, an die Küste oder ins Nirwana.
Fazit: Viele Facetten werden in diesem packenden Existenzkampf verhandelt, das zähe Aushalten der Zeit, Durst und Todesangst, Kameradschaft auf Leben und Tod, die Größe der Natur und ihre Schönheit, ihre Unbezwingbarkeit durch den Menschen, Vergangenheitsbewältigung und die Plastikverschmutzung. Alles drin. Insofern ist Lynch ein ganz großer. Allerdings bleiben seine sprachlichen Ausrutscher ein Manko.
Kategorie: Anspruchsvolle Literatur
Verlag: Klett Cotta 2025
May 11, 2019
This review is based on an advance copy of Beyond the Sea provided with thanks from the author, Netgalley and Oneworld publications.
Sometimes a book stands out and arrives at the moment that you need it. When I began reading Beyond the Sea I was immediately transported into the world of Bolivar, a Fisherman and his panga boat Camille. Hector joins the South American fisherman and together they face the challenge of survival. But it isn't only about survival it is an exploration of what it means to be human. It is choices and consequences, thoughts and actions, reality and the hallucinations we create to make meaning.
Paul Lynch weaves words in a way that mesmerises and I was in awe of the way each sentence held its place in this richly woven epic sea adventure. Its simplicity and brevity rich in detail, with writing that captures the movement of the sea. Starting first in the small village where we explore the ordinary world of Bolivar, the fishing village, rich with vivd imagery. Getting to know Bolivar a simple fisherman was like meeting a new friend, with wisdom that resonated and thoughts that caused me to reflect on life, its meaning and its meaning for Bolivar. Hector added a new dimension and their interchange and exploration was both pleasant and haunting. Then the sea and the way it came to life swallowing everything in its path, and its challenges even in stillness.
"How an hour becomes a life."
Beyond the Sea is one of those special stories that sit with you long after you put the book down.
Sometimes a book stands out and arrives at the moment that you need it. When I began reading Beyond the Sea I was immediately transported into the world of Bolivar, a Fisherman and his panga boat Camille. Hector joins the South American fisherman and together they face the challenge of survival. But it isn't only about survival it is an exploration of what it means to be human. It is choices and consequences, thoughts and actions, reality and the hallucinations we create to make meaning.
Paul Lynch weaves words in a way that mesmerises and I was in awe of the way each sentence held its place in this richly woven epic sea adventure. Its simplicity and brevity rich in detail, with writing that captures the movement of the sea. Starting first in the small village where we explore the ordinary world of Bolivar, the fishing village, rich with vivd imagery. Getting to know Bolivar a simple fisherman was like meeting a new friend, with wisdom that resonated and thoughts that caused me to reflect on life, its meaning and its meaning for Bolivar. Hector added a new dimension and their interchange and exploration was both pleasant and haunting. Then the sea and the way it came to life swallowing everything in its path, and its challenges even in stillness.
"How an hour becomes a life."
Beyond the Sea is one of those special stories that sit with you long after you put the book down.
July 11, 2025
Bolivar fuhr niemals ohne seinen zweiten Mann Angel zum Fischen. Als Angel an diesem Tag nicht zur Arbeit kommt, fährt Bolivar trotz ausdrücklicher Warnung seines Chefs vor dem nahenden Sturm mit dem unerfahrenen Hector hinaus. Hectors Vater war ein Vetter von Arturos zweitem Mann Ernesto, so ging das eben. Andere Boote bleiben im Hafen, Bolivar jedoch ist überzeugt, dass er als besserer Mann mit dem besseren Boot wie immer weiter hinaus fahren kann als andere Fischer. Weiter hinaus bedeutet, dass er in ein Fanggebiet fährt, in dem geschmuggelt und illegal Müll verklappt wird – und das so weit entfernt liegt, dass im Notfall niemand den Männern zur Rettung nachfahren wird. In diesem Niemandsland bleibt Bolivars Boot tatsächlich liegen – und der erfahrene wie der unerfahrene Fischer hat jeweils seinen unabwendbaren Tod vor Augen. Bolivar fischte aus einem Panga, einem offenen Motor-Boot für die Küstenfischerei, das nun in der Strömung treibt. Auch wenn sie hier draußen Regenwasser auffangen und Fische und Vögel mit der Hand fangen, können sie in dem Gewässer voller Haie keine Rettung erwarten. Wahn und Wirklichkeit verschwimmen, Luftspiegelungen gaukeln den Männern eine Fantasiewelt vor. Ihre unmittelbare Umgebung konfrontiert die Schiffbrüchigen mit den Folgen menschlichen Handelns: die gefangene Schildkröte hat den Magen voller Plastikpellets; eine schwimmende Styroporplatte ist zum Lebensraum von Muscheln geworden. Beide Männer grübeln über an Land zurückgelassene nahe Menschen; Hector über seine Freundin, der gealterte Bolivar über Partnerin und Tochter, die er im Streit verließ.
Fazit
„Jenseits der See“ lässt zunächst an einen alten Mann und seinen größten Fisch denken. Der zugleich wortkarge wie poetische Roman zeigt jedoch auch ein vom Menschen zerstörtes Ökosystem, das den nahenden Tod der Fischer beschleunigen wird …
Fazit
„Jenseits der See“ lässt zunächst an einen alten Mann und seinen größten Fisch denken. Der zugleich wortkarge wie poetische Roman zeigt jedoch auch ein vom Menschen zerstörtes Ökosystem, das den nahenden Tod der Fischer beschleunigen wird …
August 17, 2025
Lesenswertes, herausforderndes Kammerspiel und eine Parabel über das Menschlichsein und die verschiedenen Sichtweisen (Glaube, Schicksal, Existentialismus). Für mich hat das hier besser funktioniert, als in "Schiffbruch mit Tiger"
May 31, 2024
You know what I don't like? Novels that don't use quotation marks for dialogue. I realise it's a style choice, but it's one I can't get behind. I just don't like it. This books used that style choice, and it does distract me when reading.
That being said, this book is sparsely written, it is short, and it's essentially a survival story with heart and depth. I couldn't identify a real plot to the story, unless the plot was simply about philosophising about one's life (past and present) while being stranded in the vast ocean. That's the book in a nutshell. It felt odd that the characters call and think of themselves as simple fisherman, maybe even simple men, but carry out abstract thoughts and conversations about life, love, fate, faith, courage, and fear. I think the point of it was to point out that every man can be wise. Don't judge a book, that sort of thing. I quite enjoyed the philosophical aspects of this book. I'm not sure I enjoyed the melodramatic moments as much, but maybe if you're stranded in the ocean, and suffering from thirst, hunger, and potential sunstroke, you may earn the right to be melodramatic. But those moments were often not as elegantly written as the rest of this story.
What I thought was interesting about this book is the two men don't have any character growth. I felt that, despite their terrible predicament and likely death at sea, and with the philosophical thoughts, they remain the same as when they started. They don't change. You can see they desire to, they talk about wanting to change, but at heart they don't. Maybe part of this book is about do situations change who were truly are. Maybe they don't. Maybe it depends on the outcome?
Whatever you take from this book, if you should choose to read it, is that the two men almost feel like a message in a bottle. They drift, they provide their thoughts, but for all the time they spend at sea what they are does not change. They are still the same message they were at the beginning of the story, as if we popped the cork and pulled out the pages to read what they wrote.
That being said, this book is sparsely written, it is short, and it's essentially a survival story with heart and depth. I couldn't identify a real plot to the story, unless the plot was simply about philosophising about one's life (past and present) while being stranded in the vast ocean. That's the book in a nutshell. It felt odd that the characters call and think of themselves as simple fisherman, maybe even simple men, but carry out abstract thoughts and conversations about life, love, fate, faith, courage, and fear. I think the point of it was to point out that every man can be wise. Don't judge a book, that sort of thing. I quite enjoyed the philosophical aspects of this book. I'm not sure I enjoyed the melodramatic moments as much, but maybe if you're stranded in the ocean, and suffering from thirst, hunger, and potential sunstroke, you may earn the right to be melodramatic. But those moments were often not as elegantly written as the rest of this story.
What I thought was interesting about this book is the two men don't have any character growth. I felt that, despite their terrible predicament and likely death at sea, and with the philosophical thoughts, they remain the same as when they started. They don't change. You can see they desire to, they talk about wanting to change, but at heart they don't. Maybe part of this book is about do situations change who were truly are. Maybe they don't. Maybe it depends on the outcome?
Whatever you take from this book, if you should choose to read it, is that the two men almost feel like a message in a bottle. They drift, they provide their thoughts, but for all the time they spend at sea what they are does not change. They are still the same message they were at the beginning of the story, as if we popped the cork and pulled out the pages to read what they wrote.
November 15, 2024
this book fell flat for me i wish i could say more but it left so much to be desired!!! i enjoyed maybe 20% of it otherwise it was too much of a snooze.
April 7, 2025
The talent is there but this is nowhere near as good or strong as Prophet Song. PS made me want to read all his work, this one has put a stop to it.
May 10, 2025
sehr schön und lyrisch geschrieben und mochte die zweite hälfte voll aber die erste war bisschen lw tbh
June 11, 2025
3.25 - Beyond The Sea went beyond my understanding. It was extremely reflective and artistic. I loved the writing, it was beautiful and so eloquent. However, the concepts of the book were, for the most part, an absolute bore. I don’t know what else to say because it was truly too much for my brain to comprehend.
March 22, 2025
Скупая на эмоции, но стильная история, повествующая об суровых рыбаках, одиночестве моря, отчаянии, борьбе со своими демонами, безумии, остервенении, смирении и, конечно, надежде.
Моя оценка: 3.75 из 5 (неплохо, но далеко не отлично).
Моя оценка: 3.75 из 5 (неплохо, но далеко не отлично).
August 20, 2019
Visit the lcocations in the book
Given the setting, it’s very apt that this book and its story has lingered with me and I’ve felt its ripples long after finishing it. It’s a simple premise – two men who get stuck on a boat drifting in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, lost at sea.
This is a slow moving read and one where you are carried along on the language of it as it takes you through life’s ups and downs, quite literally at times.
Bolivar and Hector sail out in Bolivar’s boat Camille. The action takes place on this tiny boat in the middle of a vast ocean. Survival is key. The feeling is one of claustrophobia and danger. However, it’s also about two men, brought together in the most extreme of circumstances. The novel explores what it means to be human, what it takes to be strong when life throws a curve ball, what it means to survive any which way you can.
Of course time on the boat is not easy.Life has been paused for a bit. There’s a sense of eerie calm but also extreme fear of what might happen soon. Is there a good end in sight? What has life meant until now? Who might they leave behind and how do you deal with that thought? When they start to hallucinate, the study of these two men becomes even more symbolic and insightful.
I loved the simplicity of this on the surface and the complexity of it when you look underneath. Like that duck, or that iceberg or whatever metaphor you care to use.
We are controlled by the water around us, the stillness, the vast expanse of it can keep us alive or can swallow us whole. A very thought provoking read.
March 19, 2020
This is a novella about survival in extreme conditions as two mismatched South American fishermen, absent father Bolivar and an idle teenager Hector, are pitted against the Pacific Ocean during a ferocious storm. Apart from the subliminal climate change message that recurs throughout, for the large part, though told with attractive prosaic writing, this is nothing new; a hope versus despair, man versus nature situation.
Life Of Pi and Jamrach’s Menagerie come to mind, but the closer comparisons are Cynan Jines’s The Cove , and the Colombian author Tomas Gonzalez’s The Storm. All are good, but there’s certainly room in the “Ocean Survivals” genre for another, if it can break new ground...
As the two drift in the ocean, things happen slowly, and they each examine their lives in the face of impending doom, their regrets and losses, interspersed with survival drills for thirst, hunger and shelter. Pretty much as expected, but just as the reader is confident of predicting one of two outcomes, Lynch cleverly changes track, and cleaves the narrative open with a healthy drenching of Gothic horror. It couldn’t come soon enough, and it transforms an ordinary novel into a memorable one.
Interestingly it’s very similar in style to both Jones’s and Gonzalez’s novels; both who flirt with some horror also, but as I say, there’s room for them all - this effort from Lynch, a close runner-up to Gonzalez..
Life Of Pi and Jamrach’s Menagerie come to mind, but the closer comparisons are Cynan Jines’s The Cove , and the Colombian author Tomas Gonzalez’s The Storm. All are good, but there’s certainly room in the “Ocean Survivals” genre for another, if it can break new ground...
As the two drift in the ocean, things happen slowly, and they each examine their lives in the face of impending doom, their regrets and losses, interspersed with survival drills for thirst, hunger and shelter. Pretty much as expected, but just as the reader is confident of predicting one of two outcomes, Lynch cleverly changes track, and cleaves the narrative open with a healthy drenching of Gothic horror. It couldn’t come soon enough, and it transforms an ordinary novel into a memorable one.
Interestingly it’s very similar in style to both Jones’s and Gonzalez’s novels; both who flirt with some horror also, but as I say, there’s room for them all - this effort from Lynch, a close runner-up to Gonzalez..
April 14, 2024
Trei motive pentru a citi “Dincolo de mare” de Paul Lynch (2019)
Paul Lynch, pentru cine își aduce aminte, a câștigat anul trecut Booker-ul cu „Prophet Song”, o minunată carte ce mi-a rămas vie în minte. Așa că m-am oprit la “Beyond the Sea” pentru o nouă experiență de neuitat. Am fost surprinsă: stilul la care mă așteptam, pe care Lynch în folosește în „Prophet Song” (fraze lungi, interminabile, fluxuri de perspective schimbătoare) nu este prezent în această carte. De fapt, stilul e total diferit: acum totul e format din fraze scurte, cuvintele sunt foarte simple, propozițiile sunt esențializate, imaginile sunt precum poemele. Cartea aceasta pare scrisă de alt scriitor, însă la final emoțiile și imaginile pe care ți le provoacă sunt la fel de puternice și de neuitat ca în „Prophet Song”. Cum reușește Lynch asta, să te facă să simți că este cartea lui, deși scrie total diferit? Aceasta este chiar un motiv de a-l citi.
Cât am citit acest roman m-am tot gândit la „Bâtrânul și marea”, deși poveștile nu seamănă foarte mult. Scurtimea poveștii, scriitura, locul în care se desfășoară acțiunea, încordarea tăcută dintre mare și om, totul mi-a amintit de faimosul roman. Cine iubește cartea lui Hemingway are un bun motiv de alege acest volum.
Povestea este extrem de simplă: Bolivar, un pescar dintr-un oraș din America Latină se hotărăște să iasă cu barca în larg, în ciuda prognozei de furtună și îl ia cu el pe tânărul și neexperimentatul Hector, pe care nu îl cunoaște prea bine, dar de care are nevoie în lipsa partenerului obișnuit de pescuit. Cum e de așteptat, furtuna lovește și cei doi plutesc luni în șir în derivă, fără ca cineva să plece să îi caute și fără a avea norocul de a fi descoperiți de vreun vapor. Iată cadrul: o barcă devastată de furtună, apă sărată, soare necruțător, lipsa ustensilelor pentru supraviețuire și doi bărbați puși față în față. Acest „față în față” se schimbă continuu în carte: pentru că nu sunt doar unul în fața celuilalt, ci și în fața mării, a morții, a vieții, a fricii, a bolii, a nebuniei, a instinctelor, a secretelor, a trecutului, a credinței, a iertării și a pierderii. Toate marile înfruntări vor avea loc pe mare, într-o totală singurătate și tăcere divină. Vor trece cei doi dincolo de mare? Acesta este cel de-al treilea motiv petnru care cred că acest roman ar trebui citit.
Paul Lynch, pentru cine își aduce aminte, a câștigat anul trecut Booker-ul cu „Prophet Song”, o minunată carte ce mi-a rămas vie în minte. Așa că m-am oprit la “Beyond the Sea” pentru o nouă experiență de neuitat. Am fost surprinsă: stilul la care mă așteptam, pe care Lynch în folosește în „Prophet Song” (fraze lungi, interminabile, fluxuri de perspective schimbătoare) nu este prezent în această carte. De fapt, stilul e total diferit: acum totul e format din fraze scurte, cuvintele sunt foarte simple, propozițiile sunt esențializate, imaginile sunt precum poemele. Cartea aceasta pare scrisă de alt scriitor, însă la final emoțiile și imaginile pe care ți le provoacă sunt la fel de puternice și de neuitat ca în „Prophet Song”. Cum reușește Lynch asta, să te facă să simți că este cartea lui, deși scrie total diferit? Aceasta este chiar un motiv de a-l citi.
Cât am citit acest roman m-am tot gândit la „Bâtrânul și marea”, deși poveștile nu seamănă foarte mult. Scurtimea poveștii, scriitura, locul în care se desfășoară acțiunea, încordarea tăcută dintre mare și om, totul mi-a amintit de faimosul roman. Cine iubește cartea lui Hemingway are un bun motiv de alege acest volum.
Povestea este extrem de simplă: Bolivar, un pescar dintr-un oraș din America Latină se hotărăște să iasă cu barca în larg, în ciuda prognozei de furtună și îl ia cu el pe tânărul și neexperimentatul Hector, pe care nu îl cunoaște prea bine, dar de care are nevoie în lipsa partenerului obișnuit de pescuit. Cum e de așteptat, furtuna lovește și cei doi plutesc luni în șir în derivă, fără ca cineva să plece să îi caute și fără a avea norocul de a fi descoperiți de vreun vapor. Iată cadrul: o barcă devastată de furtună, apă sărată, soare necruțător, lipsa ustensilelor pentru supraviețuire și doi bărbați puși față în față. Acest „față în față” se schimbă continuu în carte: pentru că nu sunt doar unul în fața celuilalt, ci și în fața mării, a morții, a vieții, a fricii, a bolii, a nebuniei, a instinctelor, a secretelor, a trecutului, a credinței, a iertării și a pierderii. Toate marile înfruntări vor avea loc pe mare, într-o totală singurătate și tăcere divină. Vor trece cei doi dincolo de mare? Acesta este cel de-al treilea motiv petnru care cred că acest roman ar trebui citit.
August 28, 2025
»Jenseits der See« ist ein Buch für jene, die im Meer eine Drohung sehen. Ein Ort, an dem Sonne, Wasser und die Einsamkeit darin um die Wette eifern uns zuzusetzen. Und doch ist das Meer nur, was die kleine Bühne trägt, auf die Paul Lynch unseren Blick lenkt.
Bolivar ist Fischer an der mexikanischen Küste. Chronisch knapp bei Kasse, wie man sagt, doch ein Mann der Tat. Während die anderen Fischer vor dem angeblich aufkommenden Sturm an Land fliehen, fahren er und der junge Hector aufs Meer hinaus.
Sie wollen weit nach draußen, wo Bolivar die fischreichsten Plätze kennt. Doch der Sturm erreicht ihr Boot und bald kauert Hector betend in der Ecke, unfähig dem wasserschöpfenden Bolivar zur Hand zu gehen.
Als das Meer sich beruhigt, ist der Motor kaputt und das Funkgerät auch. Der Fischer und sein Helfer sind allein.
Hector mit Bolivar, der ihn in diese Situation brachte. Bolivar, der nicht einmal unter den widrigsten Umständen aufgibt und der Hectors Verzweiflung als eine beinahe ebenso große Bürde empfindet wie den Durst. Zwei Männer, die sich so lange sterbend aneinanderklammern, bis nicht einmal der lebensrettende Regen ihnen Hoffnung gibt. Bis einer der beiden die Hand nach dem anderen nicht einmal mehr hebt, um ihn zu schlagen.
Lynch hat seine Figuren mit Tiefe ausgestattet, die wir zu keinem Zeitpunkt ernsthaft auszuloten in der Lage sind. Die beiden sind grundverschieden und doch teilen sie mehr als nur wenige Quadratmeter Boot im unendlich weiten Ozean: Ihre Selbstversunkenheit und ihre Unnahbarkeit.
Es sind in ihrem Kern glaubwürdige Figuren, die ihren tiefsitzenden Schmerz nur zögerlich und gegen den eigenen Willen erforschen.
Dabei ist es nicht leicht zwischen dem, was Bolivar oder Hector sagen, und dem, was wir erzählt bekommen, zu unterscheiden. Lynch verzichtet auf Anführungszeichen, fügt das Gesagte nahtlos in das Gezeigte ein. Genau das spiegelt sich in seinen Figuren: Sie können die Grenzen zwischen Wirklichkeit und abscheulichen Halluzinationen bald kaum noch unterscheiden.
Doch weder wir noch die Figuren sind dadurch verwirrt, ist doch dieser Unterschied bald nicht mehr von Belang. Weil es sonst nur Sonne, Meer und Elend gibt, ist ihr Blick ohnehin stets nach Innen gekehrt.
Die Sprache des Autors passt zu diesem Dahintreiben auf dem Ozean und ist trüb wie die See an einem Regentag, mit Fragen, die wie das Brennen der Mittagssonne auf der Haut noch tagelang zu spüren sein können.
Mit »Jenseits der See« ist Paul Lynch mehr gelungen als ein klassischer Schiffbruchroman. Seine nahtlos zwischen Wirklichkeit und Traum changierende Sprache, seine widerspenstigen Figuren: Sie machen das Buch zu einem erschütternden Gleichnis über die Zerbrechlichkeit menschlichen Lebens.
Bolivar ist Fischer an der mexikanischen Küste. Chronisch knapp bei Kasse, wie man sagt, doch ein Mann der Tat. Während die anderen Fischer vor dem angeblich aufkommenden Sturm an Land fliehen, fahren er und der junge Hector aufs Meer hinaus.
Sie wollen weit nach draußen, wo Bolivar die fischreichsten Plätze kennt. Doch der Sturm erreicht ihr Boot und bald kauert Hector betend in der Ecke, unfähig dem wasserschöpfenden Bolivar zur Hand zu gehen.
Als das Meer sich beruhigt, ist der Motor kaputt und das Funkgerät auch. Der Fischer und sein Helfer sind allein.
Hector mit Bolivar, der ihn in diese Situation brachte. Bolivar, der nicht einmal unter den widrigsten Umständen aufgibt und der Hectors Verzweiflung als eine beinahe ebenso große Bürde empfindet wie den Durst. Zwei Männer, die sich so lange sterbend aneinanderklammern, bis nicht einmal der lebensrettende Regen ihnen Hoffnung gibt. Bis einer der beiden die Hand nach dem anderen nicht einmal mehr hebt, um ihn zu schlagen.
Lynch hat seine Figuren mit Tiefe ausgestattet, die wir zu keinem Zeitpunkt ernsthaft auszuloten in der Lage sind. Die beiden sind grundverschieden und doch teilen sie mehr als nur wenige Quadratmeter Boot im unendlich weiten Ozean: Ihre Selbstversunkenheit und ihre Unnahbarkeit.
Es sind in ihrem Kern glaubwürdige Figuren, die ihren tiefsitzenden Schmerz nur zögerlich und gegen den eigenen Willen erforschen.
Dabei ist es nicht leicht zwischen dem, was Bolivar oder Hector sagen, und dem, was wir erzählt bekommen, zu unterscheiden. Lynch verzichtet auf Anführungszeichen, fügt das Gesagte nahtlos in das Gezeigte ein. Genau das spiegelt sich in seinen Figuren: Sie können die Grenzen zwischen Wirklichkeit und abscheulichen Halluzinationen bald kaum noch unterscheiden.
Doch weder wir noch die Figuren sind dadurch verwirrt, ist doch dieser Unterschied bald nicht mehr von Belang. Weil es sonst nur Sonne, Meer und Elend gibt, ist ihr Blick ohnehin stets nach Innen gekehrt.
Die Sprache des Autors passt zu diesem Dahintreiben auf dem Ozean und ist trüb wie die See an einem Regentag, mit Fragen, die wie das Brennen der Mittagssonne auf der Haut noch tagelang zu spüren sein können.
Mit »Jenseits der See« ist Paul Lynch mehr gelungen als ein klassischer Schiffbruchroman. Seine nahtlos zwischen Wirklichkeit und Traum changierende Sprache, seine widerspenstigen Figuren: Sie machen das Buch zu einem erschütternden Gleichnis über die Zerbrechlichkeit menschlichen Lebens.
December 28, 2024
Very cleverly written. I like how as bolivar gets more tired and deranged the writing gets further and further apart as if we can feel how close to death he is
September 18, 2025
An intense tale of survival that sees two South American fishermen - Bolivar and Hector - fight for their lives. Best parts of this chaotic novel are dozens of stories and fateful regrets they share when they're under extreme duress. Stupendous and harrowing tale.
September 21, 2024
3.75 stars
This book has confirmed my fear of the ocean
This book has confirmed my fear of the ocean
January 5, 2024
Libro completamente incentrato su una lunghissima e drammatica deriva che vede i protagonisti dispersi in pieno Oceano; due pescatori, compagni non per libera scelta di una battuta di pesca per la quale sarebbe stato saggio non partire, essendo la tempesta già all’orizzonte.
Ma i due salpano, e salpano verso un’avventura spaventosa che li mette difronte alla straordinaria potenza della Natura, alla crudeltà delle circostanze, alla nudità della loro essenza.
Tutto del loro tentativo di sopravvivenza verrà in ogni momento ricodificato, spezzato, scarnificato e riorganizzato, che si tratti di questioni legate alla contingenza o del rapporto tra i due, tra le loro profonde differenze che spaziano tra il renderli complementari e inconciliabili.
In quell’infinito abisso blu, indifferente e generoso a suo modo, magnifico e tremendo, con i giorni che scorrono e che asciugano e sfiniscono i corpi, e l’anima stessa dei due, emergono le verità nascoste e profonde di queste due esistenze.
Il tempo scorre svuotato del valore che l’uomo sa dargli. È pura astrazione dilatata come é dilatata la mente ormai allucinata dei due pescatori. Ma é proprio dentro questo marasma che si compie un’elaborazione assai intima, un’espiazione che redime, piega, inginocchia.
C’è molto di più in queste pagine disperate, qualcosa che é bene affrontare a mente libera. Ciascuno troverà in qualcosa di diverso la forza del silenzio di una Natura che non ci parla e ci mette difronte a noi stessi, che sia la tempesta, la “fine del mondo”, o la vastità del mare calmo che si confonde con il cielo, che ingloba tutto in una tranquillità inquietante, o in quei segni che ogni volta riagganciano alla speranza, alla vita. Un romanzo, credo, nel quale ognuno troverà una sua prospettiva di lettura.
Dalla mia di prospettiva, é mancata una spinta che attraversasse tutto il racconto il quale, invece, mi ha toccato davvero solo a tratti.
Ma i due salpano, e salpano verso un’avventura spaventosa che li mette difronte alla straordinaria potenza della Natura, alla crudeltà delle circostanze, alla nudità della loro essenza.
Tutto del loro tentativo di sopravvivenza verrà in ogni momento ricodificato, spezzato, scarnificato e riorganizzato, che si tratti di questioni legate alla contingenza o del rapporto tra i due, tra le loro profonde differenze che spaziano tra il renderli complementari e inconciliabili.
In quell’infinito abisso blu, indifferente e generoso a suo modo, magnifico e tremendo, con i giorni che scorrono e che asciugano e sfiniscono i corpi, e l’anima stessa dei due, emergono le verità nascoste e profonde di queste due esistenze.
Il tempo scorre svuotato del valore che l’uomo sa dargli. È pura astrazione dilatata come é dilatata la mente ormai allucinata dei due pescatori. Ma é proprio dentro questo marasma che si compie un’elaborazione assai intima, un’espiazione che redime, piega, inginocchia.
C’è molto di più in queste pagine disperate, qualcosa che é bene affrontare a mente libera. Ciascuno troverà in qualcosa di diverso la forza del silenzio di una Natura che non ci parla e ci mette difronte a noi stessi, che sia la tempesta, la “fine del mondo”, o la vastità del mare calmo che si confonde con il cielo, che ingloba tutto in una tranquillità inquietante, o in quei segni che ogni volta riagganciano alla speranza, alla vita. Un romanzo, credo, nel quale ognuno troverà una sua prospettiva di lettura.
Dalla mia di prospettiva, é mancata una spinta che attraversasse tutto il racconto il quale, invece, mi ha toccato davvero solo a tratti.
August 23, 2024
Livre lu dans le cadre du club de lecture. Il a été choisi en raison des critiques excellentes ainsi que les nombreux prix dont l'auteur est le récipiendaire. Et le thème de la mer est un thème important pour la personne qui nous l'a suggéré. La prémisse est très intéressante. Un huis clos de deux personnes, deux hommes qui ne se connaissent pas, sur un tout petit bateau, en mode survie. Ça laisse présager des scènes intenses. Il y en a eu, mais pas intenses de manières positives. Les deux personnages étaient absolument antipathiques dans tous les aspects de leur personnalité. Ils étaient égoistes, sans écoute, sans débrouillardise, sans jugement, sans courage, sans gentillesse. Bref, deux personnes qui ne seraient certainement pas mes amis. Ils enchainaient mauvaise décision sur mauvaise décision. S'il y a bien quelque chose que je déteste chez des personnages, c'est bien ça. Donnez-nous au moins une chance d'y croire ! J'aurais aimé le mode survivaliste s'ils avaient vraiment essayé de survivre au lieu de juste se chamailler et d'essayer d'avoir raison. Des niaiseries d'enfants, mais entre hommes. Combien de fois j'ai soupiré et roulé des yeux ! Et l'écriture n'était même pas si jolie. Je n'ai pas surlign�� de phrase qui me parlaient. A un moment donné ce pendant, le roman a viré au récit d'horreur avec hallucinations diaboliques et besoin d'expiation de péchés. Vouloir devenir une meilleure personne était prévisible, mais ce n'était pas pour de bonnes raisons. Donc encore plus irritée par les personnages. Bref, c'est un tout petit roman, mais il m'a paru bien long. Si vous le lisez, dites-moi ce que vous en avez pensé. De mon côté, je n'ai pas du tout aimé et c'est aussi le cas des filles du club de lecture.
May 8, 2022
I read that book because I read another book from the same author that I really liked (The black snow) and.... with this one, I was badly disappointed.
Lynch is amazing when he narrates terrible stories about his native Ireland but, in my view, ill-inspired when he moves away from it like in this book.
Here we are somewhere in (I think) Central America, with a fisherman desperate for some money goes fishing even though the storm is threatening. He goes with a young guy as his mate with whom he usually goes is nowhere to be seen.
And what should have happened happens as the storm comes and the boat is thrown in the middle of the ocean with all radio equipment broken and no way to communicate with anyone.
This is the first 30 pages, and there are 150 pages to come with the two castaways on the boat drifting in the middle of the ocean.
This pages are split in small paragraphs each one talking about things that happened in this kind of situation : finding food and drinking water, living with the other person, thinking of your beloved left ashore, how you mistreated them and how you could have behaved better, delirium that ends up coming in this dire circumstances, dreams also and so on...
It seems varied, it is in fact extremely repetitive, quite unstructured, you lose the plot... in fact you don't lose anything as there is no plot. I quickly lost interest and I have to admit that I read the last pages without paying much attention to what I was reading.
I give total credit to Paul Lynch and will, no doubt, read other of his "Irish" novels, for the other ones... I am not sure.
Lynch is amazing when he narrates terrible stories about his native Ireland but, in my view, ill-inspired when he moves away from it like in this book.
Here we are somewhere in (I think) Central America, with a fisherman desperate for some money goes fishing even though the storm is threatening. He goes with a young guy as his mate with whom he usually goes is nowhere to be seen.
And what should have happened happens as the storm comes and the boat is thrown in the middle of the ocean with all radio equipment broken and no way to communicate with anyone.
This is the first 30 pages, and there are 150 pages to come with the two castaways on the boat drifting in the middle of the ocean.
This pages are split in small paragraphs each one talking about things that happened in this kind of situation : finding food and drinking water, living with the other person, thinking of your beloved left ashore, how you mistreated them and how you could have behaved better, delirium that ends up coming in this dire circumstances, dreams also and so on...
It seems varied, it is in fact extremely repetitive, quite unstructured, you lose the plot... in fact you don't lose anything as there is no plot. I quickly lost interest and I have to admit that I read the last pages without paying much attention to what I was reading.
I give total credit to Paul Lynch and will, no doubt, read other of his "Irish" novels, for the other ones... I am not sure.
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