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Published: 20/04/2023
Uplifting without ever lapsing into sentimentality, How to Build a Boat introduces an unforgettable thirteen-year-old protagonist whose fervent desire to create a perpetual motion machine elucidates a masterly study in grief and overcoming loss.
Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023
Jamie O'Neill loves the colour red. He also loves tall trees, patterns, rain that comes with wind, the curvature of many objects, books with dust jackets, cats, rivers and Edgar Allan Poe. At age 13 there are two things he especially wants 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, where all else is disorientating and overwhelming, he finds two people who might just be able to help him.
How to Build a Boat is the story of how one boy and his mission transforms the lives of his teachers, Tess and Tadhg, and brings together a community. Written with tenderness and verve, it's about love, family and connection, the power of imagination, and how our greatest adventures never happen alone.
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
ISBN: 9781787303454
Number of pages: 304
Weight: 422 g
Dimensions: 222 x 144 x 29 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'One 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
'A heart-stopping read and a stunning, resonant exploration of a community, a motherless boy and living an authentic life.' - Sinead Gleeson
'What a gorgeous book. Unsentimental but generous, sharp as a teacher's side-eye and bursting with soul.' - Lisa McInerney
'How to Build a Boat is a gentle tsunami of a novel, so beautifully and tenderly crafted you don't even notice you're being swept along. It gets right to the heart of what it means to be broken and searching for community. I can't wait for readers to fall in love with Jamie's refreshingly sideways take on life.' - Jan Carson
'A story of absence, love, loss, courage and resilience lit up from within, Elaine Feeney's How To Build A Boat is an emotionally resonant tour-de-force very much in keeping with the unforgettable spirit of her debut As You Were.' - Alan McMonagle
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“Booker Longlisted 2023”
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