1950s, rural Ireland. A loner comes across a mysteriously empty car in a field. Knowing he shouldn't approach but unable to hold back, he soon finds himself embroiled in a troubling missing person case, as a husband claims his wife may have thrown herself into the sea. Called in from Dublin to investigate is Detective Inspector Strafford, who soon turns to his old ally—the flawed but brilliant pathologist Quirke—a man he is linked to in increasingly complicated ways. But as the case unfolds, events from the past resurface that may have life-altering ramifications for all involved.
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.
