Beyond the Sea

First time in Russian—a novel by contemporary Irish classic Paul Lynch, winner of the 2023 Booker Prize for the novel “The Song of the Prophet,” already being called “Irish 1984” and the new “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Bolivar and Ector set out to fish from their South American village on a small boat barely big enough for two fishermen and a refrigerator crate. Suddenly, a ferocious storm sweeps them far out into the Pacific Ocean and knocks out the engine, radio, and navigator. There’s nowhere to wait for help—hope is only in their own strength, and it’s still unclear which battle is more dangerous: against the elements or against their own demons…
“A powerful epic of the unthinkable. Lynch manages to turn a shipwreck story into a thrilling existential quest” (Le Monde).