The Sea is where Max Morden, a middle-aged art historian, retreats after his wife dies of cancer. Max goes to the Irish seaside village of Ballyless where he once spent a holiday as a boy. While there, he alternately remembers his life with his wife and that summer holiday where he became infatuated with the wealthy and sophisticated Grace family, first with the mother, and then with the daughter. These relationships with these three women were the uneasy mess of life that helped define who he has come to be. Even now in retrospect, Max must remember even the most difficult truths if he is to find solace in them.
Beautifully written - probably should be read aloud to garner its full effect. Get out your dictionaries Banville's vocabulary is astonishing wide.
ReplyDeleteI love to discover the hidden meanings authors sprinkle throughout their books. Morden frequently refers to the Graces as gods. The original Graces were figures in classical mythology. They represented joy, charm, and beauty. The mythological Graces presided over banquets, dances, and all other pleasurable social events. The daughters of the god Zeus and the nymph Eurynome, they were the special attendants of the divinities of love, Aphrodite and Eros. What about the Graces in The Sea makes them godlike? What distinguishes the Graces from Max's own unhappily human family? Are the Grace's still godlike at the novel's end?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this novel despite what I found to be its' sad/depressing tone.
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