The Sea

In this luminous and deeply reflective novel, John Banville introduces us to Max Morden, a middle-aged Irishman who returns to the seaside town of his childhood in the wake of his wife’s death. Seeking solace, Max finds himself drawn back not just to the familiar shorelines, but to haunting memories of one pivotal summer—the summer he first encountered the Grace family, whose elegance and tragedy left an indelible mark on his life.

As Max unravels the layers of memory and grief, what emerges is a quiet reckoning with love, loss, and the lingering shadows of the past. Poetic, poignant, and exquisitely crafted, The Sea stands among Banville’s most accomplished works—a meditation on the tides of memory and the emotional landscapes we carry within us.

A National Bestseller. Winner of Booker Prize.