The Sea

What should be the insufferable, late stage reminiscing of a recently widowed man returning to a childhood haunt is instead a beautifully rendered story that sparkles at every line. This was my first foray into audiobooks and I found myself listening at natural speed to better luxuriate in the language (despite my penchant for 1.5x or faster speeds listening to podcasts)

Our protagonist meanders back and forth across the years recalling childhood crushes, current griefs, and a middling career in-between. This should be as tedious as a garrulous old man sitting next to you at the pub regaling you with shaggy dog stories and teary eyed laments. Indeed nothing seems to happen for most of the book, but Banville manages to captivate with his language.