Play Book Tag discussion

From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan - 3 stars - My Review

“But if you observe a man closely and properly you’ll eventually come to know the shade of his soul. No soul is brilliant white, save for the souls of infants. But there are men alive who will do evil without pause, who are without mercy, and there are men alive who would rather die than harm another, and all of the rest of us fall somewhere in between.”

I was not expecting this book to open with three seemingly disparate 50-page short stories. I loved the opening story. Farouk, his wife, and daughter flee Syria in a boat arranged by traffickers. I found this story tremendously moving and thought it a perfect setup for the rest of the novel. However, the next section abruptly shifts to Lampy, a young man pining for a lost love, who drives a bus for elderly patients in Ireland. There is no apparent connection, and I was left wondering why we left Farouk at a critical juncture. I attempted to forget about Farouk and concentrate on Lampy, but the next story shifts again to a completely different scenario. We now follow John, also in Ireland, who makes a confession about the horrible things he has done in his life as a lobbyist. Again, I was left wondering why the story abruptly shifted.

In the final section, it eventually becomes obvious that these characters do have a common connection; however, by that time, it was too late for me to become fully engaged. So, I recommend going into this book with the expectation that it is a series of short stories. I think the reader’s appreciation for the book will be in direct proportion to how well the ending is received. It would have worked better for me if there were a few hints about the interrelatedness along the way.

Donal Ryan writes beautiful prose throughout the book, except for the dialogue, which is filled with more profanity than I would expect in a work of literature. If this had been Farouk’s story, or if the stories had been more connected, I probably would have loved it. As it is, I enjoyed the prose and will probably read another of his books at some point.

While I rated this book a 4, the last line of my review is:

I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. That is my recommendation, perhaps you will love it.

Yes, I didn't love it either, but I liked it overall. I think the author is worth following to see what he writes next.

Joy D wrote: "Yes, I didn't love it either, but I liked it overall. I think the author is worth following to see what he writes next."

I saw the value of it, the writing ability and liked some of the characters, but it was not a book I enjoyed reading.

I feel much the same. If there had been some linkages between the stories I might have enjoyed it more.