Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Colum McCann. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!
Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright, is assigned to cover the underwater cables that carry the world’s information. Fennell’s journey brings him to the west coast of Africa, where he uncovers a story about the raw human labor behind the task of fixing these cables when things go wrong. . He meets a fellow Irishman, John Conway, the chief of mission on a cable repair ship. The mysterious Conway is a skilled engineer and a freediver capable of reaching extraordinary depths. He is also in love with a South African actress, Zanele, who must leave to go on her own literary adventure to London.
I thought this subject matter of this book was fascinating – a look into the cables running under the oceans that carry the fiberoptic communication lines that allow us to use the internet and our cellphones. Do any of us normal mortals ever think about all that goes on behind the scenes to allow us to use our devices? What happens when they break? But the main attraction in this book is the beautiful writing of Colum McCann. It was so immersive and atmospheric that it pulls the reader into another world; it’s tense and slow at the same time. Plus, there are multiple mysteries and themes – can we fix our past? How imperative is communication to life itself?
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