Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Drowned by William John Banville

William John Banville is an Irish novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. He’s published around a dozen novels to international acclaim, winning a range of prizes. Under the name Benjamin Black he wrote a historical crime fiction series about an Irish pathologist named Quirke in 1950s Dublin, releasing seven books between 2006 and 2015. The series resumed in 2021 under Banville’s name.

The Drowned (Hanover Square Press, 1 October 2024) is the ninth book featuring Quirke. Detective Inspector Strafford with whom he has an uneasy relationship is also involved. A recluse near the coastal town of Wicklow discovered an abandoned Mercedes in a field, with the key still in the ignition and the engine still running. As he lingers in indecision another man wanders up to say that his wife has disappeared and he is looking for her. He fears she has jumped from one of the nearby cliffs into the sea. The recluse draws him to the nearest house for help, where the residents call the local Garda, who in turn quickly call in reinforcements from Dublin.

The writing is possibly the most beautiful I have ever seen: melodic, flowing, and cogent. About a third into the book is a poignant multi-page meditation on grief. It describes the feeling with the clarity and understanding that only someone who has experienced deep sorrow can have.

On the other hand, the characters conveyed by this exquisitely beautiful writing are among the most unhappy I have ever seen stroll across the pages of a book. They are caught up in sordid situations, some of their own making, and it speaks volumes for the quality of the writing and the intricacies of the plot that I continued to read about these deeply unpleasant people.

The resolution is neatly imagined and completely unexpected, another plus for this complicated book.

Starred review from Kirkus: "Banville remains a master of suspense; it’s not easy to stop turning the pages until the novel’s genuinely surprising end. This is yet another fine thriller from an author at the top of his game. Excellent writing and a clever plot make this one stand out."

 

·       Publisher: ‎Hanover Square Press; Original edition (October 1, 2024)

·       Language: ‎English

·       Hardcover: ‎336 pages

·       ISBN-10: ‎1335000593

·       ISBN-13: ‎978-1335000590

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Tu1cx7

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024

 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.