though i have always had reservations about reading such prize winning books especially after life of pi by yann martel, i felt that i must give these prize winners another chance and decided to try out the sea.
it is about a man who has recently lost his wife and is in a sort of holiday home. this home turns out to be in the same place where he spent some of his childhood holidays. the children he played with used to live in the very same house which is now a "home."
the story revolves around the lives of this widower as a child and that of the twins with whom he played on the beach. the twins behavoiur, that of their parents and of the nanny are narrated and the point of reference is that of an adult, looking back and reflecting, making sense of the memories.
the sea touches lightly on the dead wife of the protagonist, and their daughter. it has a haunting sense of trying to capture and make sense of past events, while grappling with the day to day issues of dealing with the other occupants of the 'home', the daughter's unsuitable suitor etc.
just like real life...makes for an interesting read specially since it is also a slim volume and does not get tedious.
