In 1950s rural Ireland, Denton Wymes is living alone with his dog. He likes it that way. Minimal interactions with people suit him just fine. One day, as he is walking back home from fishing, he spies a car sitting abandoned in a field. With its door hanging open and no one in sight, his first thought is to pass right on by. It’s none of his business. And forever after that, he would wish he had done exactly that.

However, curiosity gets the better of Wymes, and he creeps over for a closer look. Still, that voice in his head urges him to move on. Before he can heed his inner advice, though, he notices a man approaching in what appears to be a panic. His arms are flailing, and he’s yelling some words about his wife having gone missing, a potential drowning victim. The chance for Wymes to get away has long passed now. This must be attended to first. He decides that if he accompanies the man to the house just up the way, maybe the people inside will alert the Garda and he can head home.

"There’s a darkness to the book, and John Banville doesn’t sugarcoat humanity.... It can punch you in the gut, but you will come out the other side a richer person for having read it."

The residents, a married couple, seem oddly unflustered by the fellow’s story. The call to the police is not made right away, and Wymes hangs around, mystified as to what might be going on. It’s almost as if he is unable to tear himself away from the nonsensical situation in which he finds himself. When the Garda do eventually arrive, it’s difficult for them to get the circumstances sorted out. Much later, a greatly relieved Wymes finally does make it home to the welcoming tail wags of his beloved dog, and he hopes to put the entire episode behind him. Unfortunately, the worst is yet to come.

The next day, Detective Inspector Strafford from Dublin is called to work on the case. A very good policeman, he nonetheless has his own troubles to deal with; his estranged wife, Marguerite, is asking for a divorce. (These are the days before divorce was legal in Ireland.) Currently living in London, Marguerite has “found someone else.” To be fair, so has Strafford. But it’s complicated. Plus, he’s now been handed a complex case.

The missing wife from the deserted car has not been found yet, nor has any sign of her body washed ashore. By this point, Strafford has begun to doubt the man’s story about her popping out of the vehicle and running off. While the search goes on, another person disappears. And eyes zero in on a suspect, even though the evidence does not.

THE DROWNED takes a deep look at people and their rash behaviors, their common irrationality, their fears and their faults. Readers examine some of the characters’ emotions and explore the hearts of Strafford, his wife, his lover, Wymes, and several other major players, including the flawed but brilliant pathologist Quirke. The mystery here is an exceptionally strong one, but the true lasting value of the story lies in the complexities of the personalities.

There’s a darkness to the book, and John Banville doesn’t sugarcoat humanity. Far from it, in fact. He drags the reader through some of the rough sides of life, so be prepared to have your emotions assaulted and your heart torn up a bit. It can punch you in the gut, but you will come out the other side a richer person for having read it.