One Boat by Jonathan Buckley

 

The action in this novel takes place in a small Greek town on the coast.  Teresa is a tourist who came here nine years ago when her mother died.  Now her father has passed away and she has come again to take stock of her life.   The first time she came she got to know several of the town's inhabitants.  Xanthe was a waitress in Teresa's favorite cafe.  Petros was an expatriate who had lived in the town for decades and was a mechanic whom Teresa had long talks with as they sat by the coast accompanied by his dog.  Nico was a dive instructor with whom Teresa had a week long affair.  John was another tourist who had come to grieve his nephew and decide if he would take revenge on the man who killed him.

This time life has moved on.  Xanthe has married and had a daughter; she now owns the restaurant she had waitressed at.  Nico has also married and has a child.  Petros has become almost a hermit; he rarely talks to anyone.  His dog has died and he has another.  Teresa seems to be trying very hard to recapture the feelings she had nine years ago but her life has moved on as well.

Jonathan Buckley is an English author and this is his twelfth novel.  It is longlisted for the Booker Prize.  In it, Buckley explores questions such as how do we form relationships with others and do our connections mean the same things to the other person.  Why do we let life push us along without time for reflection?  What is our purpose if any?  I liked the first half of the novel more than the second as the book seemed to get away a bit from the author towards the end.  This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.