Donal Ryan’s novel All We Shall Know got a lot of attention a couple of years ago – for its beautiful writing style more than anything. I tried to read it and found it just wasn’t the right book at the right time for me, but I figured From a Low and Quiet Sea might be a better fit. So when it was nominated for the Man Booker, it seemed like a great time to pick it up and find out what all the fuss was about.
If I’m completely honest, I’m not sure I really get it, even after having finished the book.
This book is split into four sections – three from the perspectives of different characters, and one final section that draws the story to a close. The first story stands out, because it is that of Farouk, a Syrian refugee who fled his homeland with his family to seek safety in Europe. The other two are Irish characters in Ireland, and therefore much more similar and requiring less big picture context. The first is Lampy, a young man who is still getting over being dumped by his girlfriend and trying to find his place in the world. He is working as a driver at an elderly care facility, after having failed out of college. The second is John, an older man looking back over his life and confessing his various sins and regrets. Which are many, and horrific. Though they are both contextually similar, they are at opposing ends of the life spectrum.
One of the things that has been criticized about this book is that the first section is too generic. I believe Ryan has said it was inspired by a newspaper article, and while I’m sure he will have done further research, there’s a really marked difference between the scene-setting and character building in that section and that of the Irish characters. In another book I think Farouk’s story would have been very good – but because Ryan is so talented at creating the feeling of a character and place with which he is familiar, there is a contrast between the two. You can really tell that he’s writing the first section from the outside in, while he’s writing the other two from the inside out.
That said, the first section was actually stronger in terms of plot and pacing. I found myself drawn along and interested to find out what would become of the character. The other two sections I struggled with. I felt that, though the entire book is short, and each section is about 1/4 of it, there was still a lot that could have been cut. I found myself literally counting down pages to get to the end of each section, particularly the final character who was unlikable and who had done things in his life that were unforgivable.
My biggest issue with this book was the structure. By dividing it into quarters and only dealing with one character in each, then abandoning them when it was over, there was no sense of inter-connection or overlap. Once you were done with one character, there really wasn’t any need to think of them again until the last section of the book. And by that time, I didn’t care much to re-visit them. As much as I often dislike alternating points of view switching chapter by chapter throughout a book, I do think this story would have been more cohesive if Ryan had structured it in such a way. It would have kept all the characters in mind, and it also would have avoided the situation I found myself in where there was just too much about one character for me to take in in one go, and so much tangential detail that it felt meandering and lacking a clear purpose.
One thing everyone has agreed on so far in their reviews of this book is that Ryan’s writing is beautiful. And it is, when it’s not overdoing useless information. His ability to capture the feel of an Irish town and the texture of life within it is unparalleled. I felt like I had stepped into his setting, and was seeing and feeling everything he described. When he is writing what he knows, no one could possibly do it any better. Had the structure of the novel been more cohesive and the characters’ narratives more concise, I think this would be a brilliant book. As it is I can see why his writing is so well-regarded, and I would like to try reading another of his books at some point to see if a different plot and structure makes a more even reading experience.
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. – Goodreads
Book Title: From a Low and Quiet Sea
Author: Donal Ryan
Series: No
Edition: Hardback
Published By: Doubleday
Released: March 22, 2018
Genre: Fiction, Immigration, Syria, Ireland, Family
Pages: 192
Date Read: August 10 – September 10, 2018
Rating: 6/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.95/5 (1,237 ratings)
I hate that. Sometimes I read books that are all “awarded” and I feel like I missed something. I don’t get it. Sometimes I wonder if there are pages missing. *sigh