"The past beats inside me like a second heart."
I originally read The Sea a few years back, when I was reeling from the deaths of my brother and my cat. I always embrace the sadness, the melancholy when I am down. I chalk it up to an Irish spirit in me. Depression was abetted with a weekend listening to Neil Young's desperate "ditch trilogy." This sort of thing has always suited me.
"The Sea" is a brilliant study of Max who, after recently losing his wife, flees to a time in his boyhood when the innocence of youth was dealt an unspeakable blow by real life. The storyline is a good one, I did not see the twist at the end the first time out. It is Banville's writing, though, that sets this apart. He makes the sea a heavy presence, a foreboding character holding secrets, regrets, memories. I stumbled along with Max, screamed with him, and felt his anguish in my soul. We struggled to find... whatever it is we are supposed to find in these circumstances.
"The past beats inside me like a second heart."
My partner, Barb, passed away unexpectedly on Christmas Eve-- and this was the only book I could handle. Non-fiction embracing fiction. One of my favorite books ever, it may be a long time before I can visit "The Sea" again.
I originally read The Sea a few years back, when I was reeling from the deaths of my brother and my cat. I always embrace the sadness, the melancholy when I am down. I chalk it up to an Irish spirit in me. Depression was abetted with a weekend listening to Neil Young's desperate "ditch trilogy." This sort of thing has always suited me.
"The Sea" is a brilliant study of Max who, after recently losing his wife, flees to a time in his boyhood when the innocence of youth was dealt an unspeakable blow by real life. The storyline is a good one, I did not see the twist at the end the first time out. It is Banville's writing, though, that sets this apart. He makes the sea a heavy presence, a foreboding character holding secrets, regrets, memories. I stumbled along with Max, screamed with him, and felt his anguish in my soul. We struggled to find... whatever it is we are supposed to find in these circumstances.
"The past beats inside me like a second heart."
My partner, Barb, passed away unexpectedly on Christmas Eve-- and this was the only book I could handle. Non-fiction embracing fiction. One of my favorite books ever, it may be a long time before I can visit "The Sea" again.
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