A beautifully crafted and heartbreaking novel about friendship, love and loss from an award winning author. This was originally published in Canada in 2001 as L’iguane and was Denis Theriault’s debut. Once I knew it was written by the author of the beautifully haunting The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman my expectations soared, and rightly so; The Boy Who Belonged to the Sea is as deeply touching, descriptive and is a truly distinctive read. Theriault has such a beautiful melodic way with words, his sentences have the ability to raise an eyebrow, to dazzle, as they simultaneously speak to the soul and are daubed vividly across your imagination. Joy and sorrow walk closely, touching hand to hand, shoulder to shoulder and the intriguing mix of the magic of childhood exploration combined with the agonising tragedy of loss, ambushes your senses and constantly surprises. This really is a book to recommend, it deserves high praise and to sit within easy reach on the bookshelf, with well worn covers and much loved pages. ~ Liz Robinson
The first novel by the author of The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman is a beautifully touching story of friendship, hope and despair - richly imaginative and stunningly lyrical.It is a sense of remoteness and abandon that first draws the two boys together. Each having lost a parent, they are trying to come to terms with their places in the world and find a sense of hope once more.As they struggle to understand where they've come from, they construct a wild, underwater fantasy land where they look for the keys to solving problems in the world above. It is this shared adventure and spirit that sets the boys apart as being unusual and isolated, and firmly bonds their friendship. However, as the lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur, their search for belonging takes them on a perilous journey that will ultimately have tragic consequences.
'Enchanting, philosophically astute and deeply poignant' John Burnside
'Quirky and charming' The Guardian
'A beguiling story about love, loneliness and the modern world, all but the most hardened of readers will fall for the thrill, and the sadness' The Independent
'Peppered with delightful insights' TLS
Author
About Denis Thériault
Denis Thériault is an award-winning author, playwright and screenwriter living in Montreal. He has long been fascinated by Japan, and Japanese poetry in particular. Haikus were central to his The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman, which was an international bestseller, translated into sixteen languages across the world, won the Japan-Canada Book Prize and was selected for the Radio 2 Book Club in the UK. The Samurai of the Red Carnation once again revolves around traditional Japanese verse, and is set during the medieval golden age of poetry in Japan.
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