How to Build a Boat

Description

Longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize Shortlisted for the 2023 An Post Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year One of theGlobe and Mails Sixty-Two Books to Read This Fall One of theGlobe100s Best Books of 2023 ANew YorkerBest Book of 2023 A NYPL Book of the DayJamie ONeill loves the colour red. He also loves tall trees, patterns, rain that comes with wind, the curvature of certain objects, books with dust jackets, rivers, cats, and Edgar Allan Poe. At age thirteen, there are two things he wants most in life: to build a Perpetual Motion Machine, and to connect with his mother, Noelle, who died when he was born. In his mind, these things are intimately linked, and at his new school, despite the daily barrage of bullies and cathedral bells, he meets two teachers who might be able to help him, though each struggles against inertias of their own.How to Build a Boatis the story of how one boys irrepressible dream finds expression through a community propelled by love out of grief. Lyrical and compassionate, its a novel about the courage of conviction and the power of the imagination to transformand how sometimes the best way to break free of old walls is to build something beautiful within them.Praise forHow to Build a BoatThe interweaving stories of Jamie, a teenage boy trying to make sense of the world, and Tess, a teacher at his school, make up this humorous and insightful novel about family and the need for connection. Feeney has written an absorbing coming-of-age story which also explores the restrictions of class and education in a small community. A complex and genuinely moving novel.The Booker Prize 2023 judgesAtmospheric [] Feeneys prose is both careful and relaxeddetailed in its description of place and character and of the effortful human urge to find order in the natural world; casual in its approach to storytelling.Sophie Ward,New York TimesThis tender novel, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize, follows a boy as he works to build a perpetual motion machine, which to him is not just an engineering project, but a way to get closer to the mother he never knew.New York TimesThe Irish novelist and poets second novel centres on a neuro-atypical boy called Jamie as he dreams of creating a perpetual-motion machine to connect with his mother, who died giving birth to him. When that proves untenable, a kindly shop teacher at his school gets him to help build a curracha traditional Irish boat that will usefully serve as both vessel and metaphor.Globe and MailFeeneys titular boat, a handcrafted currach technically, features prominently in the novels final pages, and damned if I wasnt wiping tears and holding back sniffles as the thing floated downriver. [] Fumbling but continuing to strive to give lifes terminal messiness some shape, Feeneys trio [of characters] captivate with their everyday heroism of muddling though; they ask important questions and make do with provisional answers.Toronto StarA wonderful book that earned its rightful place on this years Booker Prize longlist.Minneapolis Star TribuneFeeneys skill at interweaving characters, at once as simple and complex as the currach, make for an enjoyable read.Winnipeg Free PressHarrowing and brilliant.New York MagazineElaine Feeneys new novel,How to Build a Boat, concerns how families come into being, stay together and come apart.Times Literary SupplementOne of those rare books that leaves you feeling less lonely. An uplifting tale of community, healing and the small connections that can change a life. A gorgeous gift of a novel, hopeful and full of humanity.Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize-winning author ofShuggie BainIn her second novel after her 2020 debutAs You Were, Irish writer Elaine Feeney [] creates real, fiercely believable people, the kind you will never want to forget. [] It is a privilege to read such a novel, and it richly deserves its place on this years Booker longlist. It is suffused with generosity, wisdom and understanding.Financial TimesHow to Build a Boat[] is a heart-rending and delightful voyage in the company of 13-year-old Jamie ONeill and his currach. The author Elaine Feeney has a poets way with words and uncanny understanding of human frailty.The GuardianThe authors skill at laying bare her characters anxieties gave this book an intimacy I wasnt expecting, while at the same time taking a sharp look at issues of class.ZoomerFeeney has a genius for showing us the anxieties of each character lovely, sensitive, intelligent.The Miramichi ReaderThis is a book that should be read by every child and adult who is convinced he doesnt fit in. A book whose allusions and concerns broaden our view of the world.Arts FuseAbsolutely gorgeous novel: a post-modern fairytale, feels like, a parable of togetherness, and the writing so achingly spare. [] I loved every word.Conor OCallaghan, author ofWe Are Not in the WorldFeeney has crafted a novelfrom setting to voicethat manages to feel completely fresh yet still timeless, full of human frailties and failings, yet covered with goodwill.Shelf Awareness[Feeney] has a beautiful, crystal-clear prose style that penetrates to the emotional core of her three main characters, whose hurts and desires are achingly rendered on the way to a quietly triumphant ending.Publishers WeeklyHow to Build a Boatis a novel about the pressure that people face to mold to the expectations of othersand the relief of being able to shove that pressure aside.Foreword ReviewsThe novel is an intensive probe of contemporary Irish society; the islands culture of shame and silence is picked apart [] as is the continuing influence of the Catholic church. [] Feeney has insights into boyhood and, more importantly, has written a great boy to help her tell them.Kirkus Reviews[Feeneys] impressionistic second novel follows a pupil and teacher as they navigate the social codes of rural Ireland.The GuardianElaine Feeneys writing lights up with that brilliant combination of hilarity and tenderness.Electric LiteratureLyrical, compassionate the book sails to a tender and almost heartbreaking crescendo of hope forged through honesty and imagination.Daily MailA beautiful meditation on love.Irish TimesA beautifully-written, tenderhearted story.RTE IrelandPoignant, poetic.Irish ExaminerFeeneys debut novelAs You Werewon her legions of fansMargaret Atwood, Douglas Stuart and Marian Keyes among them. Her second novel will only win over more.I NewspaperElaine Feeneys second novel is a beautifully told story that features a memorable cast of characters that ring true.Business Post IrelandHow to Build a Boatconjures images of rural Ireland and the Irish sea. It explores how motherhood shapes people in many ways. [] Fractured lives [] come together beautifully in this novel that explores humanity, love, and grief.Hindustan TimesElaine Feeneys honest prose pilots this creative boy and his whole Irish community toward renewal.Christian Science MonitorPraise forAs You WereThe novel reads almost like a humorous screen adaptation of an illness memoir, its gaze trained more on the lived experience inside a hospital than on looming death.New York TimesI read this in one gulp! FunnySadCuttingBadHistoryElatingLyrical (new word). #Ireland #hospitals um what else?Margaret Atwood on Twitter[A] brilliant debut Never sentimental, and full of well-crafted dialogue and rich descriptions This powerful work perfectly balances tragedy and hope.Publishers Weekly(starred review)In a novel that paints a picture of modern Ireland that isnt by Sally Rooney, women in an oncology ward come to terms with secrets, illnesses, and how to deal with their families through text and emoji-speak and existential humor. Perfect for Sad Girl Fall.NylonA mighty, turbulent firestorm of a book, with a pulsing, rhythmic narrative voice. A compelling cast of characters with pitch perfect dialogue, it is tender, nuanced, forensically controlled and thrillingly unrestrained.2021 Dalkey Emerging Writer Award Jury