Book Review: Paul Lynch, Beyond The Sea

Winner of the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year for his outstanding Grace, Paul Lynch is rightly considered one of Ireland’s rising literary stars.

His new novella, Beyond The Sea, tells the story of two mismatched South American fishermen – runaway father Bolivar and idle teenager Hector – who get cast out into the Pacific Ocean during a storm.

An unflinching look at the physical, mental and emotional mechanisms which humans use for surviving the most extreme conditions, the novella glistens with potent dialogue and lyrical descriptions of an expansive, but unforgiving, environment.

Beyond The Sea acts as parable: about hope vs despair and man vs nature (with subtle climate change warnings running throughout). It’s also a heart-rending story about relationships and redemption.