Books: “The Drowned” by John Banville

I just finished reading The Drowned by John Banville.

This is the latest in the series of Irish mystery novels featuring Dublin pathologist Quirke and police inspector Strafford. Banville’s first seven Quirke novels were published under the pseudonym Benjamin Black. Some of these earlier stories, such as Christine Falls, were made into movies starring Gabriel Byrne.

The story, set in 1950s Ireland, involves a college professor whose wife is missing and possibly drowned at the Irish coast. Questions persist as her body has not yet been found and it’s not clear if it was an accident, a suicide, or… murder. Police detective Strafford is assigned to investigate.

This mystery shares the stage with the personal stories and strained relationships amongst those involved. Quirke’s daughter is involved with Strafford, who is married but estranged from his wife. There may also be some shared history between other characters involved in the investigation. All this brings depth to the characters without feeling like a soap opera.

This is not the Feel-Good Story of the Year. Like April in Spain, which I read a couple years ago, it is low-key and sometimes somber. I can’t speak for most of Banville’s writing, but I suspect that any stories with Quirke — an alcoholic medical examiner — as an ingredient probably don’t spend a lot of time in the Happy Zone. But I did enjoy reading it.

Goodreads currently gives The Drowned an average rating of 3.73 and I’d say that’s about right for me, too.