All the characters in this fastidiously written novel are emotionally wounded; all are rendered with poignant precision as they struggle to get on with their lives, minus the solace of traditional comforts ... It seems unlikely the year will produce a more affecting literary thriller than The Drowned.
There is much to savor in Banville’s build-up, a sequence of scenes rich in intrigue, infused with dread, and full of simmering dramatic tension ... No pulse-pounding thriller but rather a slow-burning atmospheric mystery, one that subtly ratchets up the suspense and stealthily exerts a grip.
Soaring, atmospheric ... While luxuriating in prose, Banville never pauses long ... Banville clearly enjoys being transported to the vanished Ireland of his youth, a pleasure that resonates with readers. Atmospheric portraits of scenery, dress and climate are painted in each scene, but through human failings, secrets and crimes the author shares his most evocative memories of Dublin.
Banville is as much concerned with the emotional life of this central duo as he is with the book’s driving mystery ... Tight-lipped humour thrums amid the drizzly downbeat ambience ... Suspenseful on its own terms.
Enriched by Banford's attention to detail, the narrative grows more compelling in its telling by these and other characters, each suffering more or less alone even when they are married, partnered, or set next to immediate family ... Through these intricacies and its murky sense of foreboding, this inexorable novel will continue to advance Banville's considerable reputation.
Lyrical but lugubrious ... None of the novel’s domestic drama is particularly gripping, and the solution to the mystery is both underwhelming and too tangled in series lore. It’s a case of atmosphere over action that’s unlikely to satisfy most mystery fans.
