The Sea (Man Booker Prize)

The Sea is a beautifully written novel about love, loss, and the unpredictable power of memory.

The narrator, Max Morden, returns to his childhood seaside town after his wife's death, where he recollects his memories of the Grace family, with whom he experienced both love and death for the first time.

Through interwoven memories of his wife and life now, Max comes to understand the past's indelible effects on him.

With incandescent prose, beautifully textured characterization, and transparent narratives, The Sea is among John Banville's finest works, a ringing affirmation of his writing.