2023 Booker Longlist: How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney

How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney marks the approximate halfway point for our panelists as we make our way through the 2023 Booker longlist.

Elaine Feeney is an award-winning poet, novelist, short story writer and playwright from the west of Ireland. Her works often center around themes of national and cultural identity. She started off as a slam poet in her 20s and her debut novel, As you Were, won the Dalkey Emerging writer award. How to Build a Boat is her second novel and is set in the West of Ireland.

Synopsis taken from Booker Prize website: 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 the age of 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.

Sound interesting? You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Our panelists were really divided on this one. Keep reading to find out how we ranked it.

BookWorm’s Thoughts:  This book really spoke to me I love the way it is written from the point of view of a special young boy who speaks how he sees regardless of what others may think of that.

The central theme of the book is dealing with grief and loss and how different people do that. For Jamie the boat building is a way to process his loss, to connect with his mother and a doorway to new friendships. For the others involved in the project it opens up a new way of being in and of seeing the world.

Add in some marital problems, misogyny, bullying and romance and you have a fully rounded story.

This does lose marks on originality as it reminded me of Bewilderment by Richard Powers similar themes and ideas.

Writing quality: 4/5
Originality: 2/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot development: 3/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Total: 14/20

Tracy’s Thoughts: I wanted to love this book so much. The flashes of brilliance at the beginning and the epilogue were so wonderful. But the middle was like a Pumpkin Spice Oreo. Just Yuck.

The representation of Jamie, the boy with autism, was done fairly well.

But to make it sound like no one understands- when he’s coming from an elementary school to the only boy’s school in town- and no one else knows how he is? And for the principal/priest to not be willing to make accommodations for him in the 21st century? Don’t care that it’s Ireland. It was done for him at his elementary school.

OK, rant over. There were other issues with this one- there was a romance thrown in that really didn’t belong, and there were plot points that weren’t logical, and others that were just dropped.

I feel like this should have been edited better- it just didn’t feel realistic or finished. And that’s too bad- I loved the premise. And the epilogue shows that Feeney has a lot of talent for poetic description.

Writing quality: 2/5
Originality: 2/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot: 1/4
Enjoyment: 0.5/2
Total: 7.5/20

Jen’s Thoughts: Overall, I enjoyed How to Build a Boat. I found it nice to have a break from all the very bleak longlist novels that we have read so far. But unfortunately this novel felt very Oprah book club (yes, I know I’m sounding like a book snob) and less like a top literary novel.

I’ve read several novels featuring neurodivergent characters that felt more authentic than this novel. At times I found the book treading very close to stereotypes and while I think the author pulled back before crossing that line, it still felt a bit artificial. Jamie’s voice did not feel particularly real to me. I also found other characters in the book to be mostly one-dimensional and I often confused the two head boys, O’Toole and Jonesy with each other. In terms of plot development, there was just too much packed into the storyline and too much left unresolved. Dense plots with lots of threads can be interesting reading in some cases when they make you reflect on the threads but in this case many threads simply felt like they had been started and then forgotten. The book had bullying, alcoholic parents, seemingly abusive parents, loss of parents, and a romance that had me yelling out loud, “please don’t go there”. There was also an implication of pedophilia with one of the school administrators that was simply dropped into the plot and never resolved.

The book would most likely make a great book club selection and movie, but should it be considered one of the best novels of 2022-23? Not in my opinion.

Writing quality: 3/5
Originality: 2/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 2/4
Overall enjoyment:2/2
Total: 11/20

Nicole’s review: Am I gaslighting myself or did I really love this book? Honestly, I think I loved it and let me explain.

Reading the blurb (which I didn’t read until after I finished the book) this sounds like a Frederick Bachman novel and that is not my jam at all. I like dark books, I don’t like “feel good” stories, and sometimes characters like Jamie grate my last nerve. Maybe I was just in the right headspace. It was that story – where a bullied-misfit kid with all the odds against him ends up with a group of people supporting him on a project. Some of the characters were flawed and amazing and some were caricatures. None the less the great ones were really great.

I liked the writing and the way the author wove in really beautiful moments into the building of a boat. It made my cold, dark, heart … happy. Though the story has been done before I found 3 of the 4 main characters really interesting and I thought building the message into the boat was a unique perspective. I kind of think this is going to be shortlisted.

Writing quality: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot development: 4/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Total: 17/20

Have you read this one? Let us know what you thought. Which judges did you agree with?

Our panel’s rankings

1. The House of Doors: 16.5
2. A spell of Good things: 15.38
3. If I survive you: 15.2
4. Old God’s Time: 13.20
5. Western Lane: 12.5
6. How to Build a Boat: 12.38