The Sea by John Banville (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of The Sea by John Banville. It provides a thorough exploration of the novel’s plot, characters and main themes, including bereavement, the power of memory and the various forms that life can take. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 56-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of John Banville
• Presentation of The Sea
• Summary of The Sea
• Character study
  • Max Morden
  • Chloe Grace
  • Myles Grace
  • Anna Morden
  • Rose Vavasour
  • Connie and Carlo Grace
  • Claire Morden
  • The Colonel
• Analysis of The Sea
  • Structure and style
  • Themes

About The Sea

The Sea is a measured, introspective reflection on grief, memory and childhood, and on the connections between love and death. It tells the story of Max Morden, who has recently lost his wife to cancer and has subsequently decided to return to the house where he spent the most memorable summer of his childhood. At the Cedars, his memories of his late wife blur into his recollections of the Graces, an irresistibly charming but dysfunctional family who left an indelible mark on his impressionable young mind. The Sea won the 2005 Man Booker Prize, and was adapted into a film starring Ciarán Hinds and Charlotte Rampling in 2013.

About John Banville

John Banville is an Irish novelist and screenwriter whose work has won a number of prestigious awards, including the Irish PEN Award and the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature, as well as the 2005 Man Booker Prize for his novel The Sea. Although he primarily writes literary fiction, he also publishes crime fiction under the pseudonym Benjamin Black, notably the Quirke series, which has been adapted into a television miniseries by the BBC and RTÉ. He also penned the screenplay for the 2013 film adaptation of The Sea.