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seaswift14's review
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
abooth202's review
4.0
One of those stories that just kind of creeps up on you. A story about angst, anxiety, politics, loneliness, longing, friendship and regret, amongst many other things - it really builds to a peak, just as the main character is becoming overwhelmed.
A bit of a hard one to describe, but I enjoyed it a lot.
A bit of a hard one to describe, but I enjoyed it a lot.
byronic_reader's review against another edition
3.0
I am disturbed by this book. It is such a short book, with relatively easy prose and yet, here I am, disturbed by it. An Island follows Samuel, a lighthouse keeper who lives in exile and detached from the mainland except for the supply refills every fortnight. He usually finds bodies washing up the shore and buries them using chipped rocks. Just another Tuesday in his life.
There is a shift in this mundanity when Samuel finds a washed-up person alive instead of dead. We can feel a coldness creeping into the narrative right from this point. Samuel is so used to have the island for himself starts to get paranoid with a new man present along with a whole lot of memories from his past.
What I found interesting about the book is the layer of events and characters. Jennings in her interview with the Guardian said that she had the whole of the African continent in her mind while writing the story. And we can see the traces of it everywhere. Like a boomerang, it goes forth between democracy and dictatorship and democracy in a post-colonial world. I sensed a detachment in the narrative that made me uncomfortable. Samuel is an interesting character. His life is continually shaped and marked by acts of violence and yet we find him hesitating in committing violent acts.
His involvement in the struggle for independence that later leads to his incarceration seems forced and unclear. Samuel is a common man, comfortable in his cowardice and can be influenced easily by others. At one point, he admits that he has been faithful only to himself. This complex mix of traits made his character look standoffish? I don't know how to put it in words. And there is this interesting connection I made between Samuel and the dictator. In many ways, the character of the dictator felt opposite to Samuel's connected only by their paranoia.
While the dictator's wish of having the mainland to himself was quashed, Samuel had got the land to himself. In my opinion, this is the story of how a common man treats the "other" when given a chance and of course, when he has an upper hand in the situation. The way Jennings has written refugee crisis feels close to home and universal at the same time. We had a similar situation in India that put refugees in a difficult situation (read: humanitarian crisis) with media feeding into the paranoia of people.
And the main reason why I felt uncomfortable with the book is, it kind of brought out my own biases and hypocrisy. It also brought out the violence that lies dormant in most people that shows its head only when they know they will not be punished for it. Because that's what happened with Samuel and I so didn't see that end coming.
With that all said, I can see why this didn't make it into the shortlist. Another year, it could've. But with all the tomes this year, this one fell just a little flat.
There is a shift in this mundanity when Samuel finds a washed-up person alive instead of dead. We can feel a coldness creeping into the narrative right from this point. Samuel is so used to have the island for himself starts to get paranoid with a new man present along with a whole lot of memories from his past.
What I found interesting about the book is the layer of events and characters. Jennings in her interview with the Guardian said that she had the whole of the African continent in her mind while writing the story. And we can see the traces of it everywhere. Like a boomerang, it goes forth between democracy and dictatorship and democracy in a post-colonial world. I sensed a detachment in the narrative that made me uncomfortable. Samuel is an interesting character. His life is continually shaped and marked by acts of violence and yet we find him hesitating in committing violent acts.
His involvement in the struggle for independence that later leads to his incarceration seems forced and unclear. Samuel is a common man, comfortable in his cowardice and can be influenced easily by others. At one point, he admits that he has been faithful only to himself. This complex mix of traits made his character look standoffish? I don't know how to put it in words. And there is this interesting connection I made between Samuel and the dictator. In many ways, the character of the dictator felt opposite to Samuel's connected only by their paranoia.
While the dictator's wish of having the mainland to himself was quashed, Samuel had got the land to himself. In my opinion, this is the story of how a common man treats the "other" when given a chance and of course, when he has an upper hand in the situation. The way Jennings has written refugee crisis feels close to home and universal at the same time. We had a similar situation in India that put refugees in a difficult situation (read: humanitarian crisis) with media feeding into the paranoia of people.
And the main reason why I felt uncomfortable with the book is, it kind of brought out my own biases and hypocrisy. It also brought out the violence that lies dormant in most people that shows its head only when they know they will not be punished for it. Because that's what happened with Samuel and I so didn't see that end coming.
With that all said, I can see why this didn't make it into the shortlist. Another year, it could've. But with all the tomes this year, this one fell just a little flat.
leahreadsalot's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating but unsettling/depressing. Themes of violence, fear, “the other” , set on an island . I think it is a powerful read, and certainly doesn’t leave you with a good feeling—it’s not supposed to.
Not sure why the author opted to not name the country in Africa, and read as an allegory for post colonialism I just thought the novel seemed a little too short / simple ?
Not sure why the author opted to not name the country in Africa, and read as an allegory for post colonialism I just thought the novel seemed a little too short / simple ?
kybrz's review against another edition
4.0
A crushing book, chock-full of inequality, desperation, and a tension that never lets up.
adam613's review
4.0
4.5 stars
"It would continue, this relentless ebb and flow, the sea bringing what it chose. Let it come."
Samuel is a man haunted by his memories of the colonization of his homeland. Told in alternating timelines between past and present, we come to see how Samuel has become the man he is today living in isolation on an island off the coast from his homeland. That is until one day, a man washes up on the shore which stirs up all sorts of tension over their four days together on the island.
"He felt the answers rise up in his chest. These memories, these memories, hunting him down, taking possession of him. These memories and a word now, just a word remembered, that moved inside him, sat on his tongue, waiting there, until he spoke it out loud."
Haunting, mysterious and claustrophobic, An Island is a well-written book filled with strain between Samuel's past and present. Samuel is a conflicted and confused individual who has been traumatized by his experiences in his country from the days of his youth. Now as an older man, he is still baffled and attempting to reconcile his past with his current state.
"This is the land. I have tasted it. It is in my blood. It is my body and my body is it. I vow to the land without fear. If I die then I will return to the land and be born again. I vow with blood and with fire, for the land is mine and I am the land."
With logical and coherent transitions of timelines, Karen Jennings has composed a stirring and sensational book where Samuel is revealed as a sympathetic and relatable protagonist. The theme of aging and how we get there is a prominent and relatable theme in An Island. The use of flashbacks and alternating timelines helped to explore more aspects of colonization and identity. While exploring ideas of war, colonization, environment and trauma, Karen Jennings' An Island has written one of my favourite books of the year.
"It would continue, this relentless ebb and flow, the sea bringing what it chose. Let it come."
Samuel is a man haunted by his memories of the colonization of his homeland. Told in alternating timelines between past and present, we come to see how Samuel has become the man he is today living in isolation on an island off the coast from his homeland. That is until one day, a man washes up on the shore which stirs up all sorts of tension over their four days together on the island.
"He felt the answers rise up in his chest. These memories, these memories, hunting him down, taking possession of him. These memories and a word now, just a word remembered, that moved inside him, sat on his tongue, waiting there, until he spoke it out loud."
Haunting, mysterious and claustrophobic, An Island is a well-written book filled with strain between Samuel's past and present. Samuel is a conflicted and confused individual who has been traumatized by his experiences in his country from the days of his youth. Now as an older man, he is still baffled and attempting to reconcile his past with his current state.
"This is the land. I have tasted it. It is in my blood. It is my body and my body is it. I vow to the land without fear. If I die then I will return to the land and be born again. I vow with blood and with fire, for the land is mine and I am the land."
With logical and coherent transitions of timelines, Karen Jennings has composed a stirring and sensational book where Samuel is revealed as a sympathetic and relatable protagonist. The theme of aging and how we get there is a prominent and relatable theme in An Island. The use of flashbacks and alternating timelines helped to explore more aspects of colonization and identity. While exploring ideas of war, colonization, environment and trauma, Karen Jennings' An Island has written one of my favourite books of the year.
kate66's review against another edition
5.0
Booker longlisted but none the worse for that.
This tells the story of an unnamed man living as the lighthouse keeper on an island off the coast of an unnamed African country. The old man has, in his own mind, been a coward all his life but this changes when a body is washed ashore.
You are taken back through the history of the country in a series of flashbacks over the course of a four day period, telling the story of dictatorships, revolution and the story of the old man and his family.
The book may seem short but it is densely packed. Recommended. An interesting read.
This tells the story of an unnamed man living as the lighthouse keeper on an island off the coast of an unnamed African country. The old man has, in his own mind, been a coward all his life but this changes when a body is washed ashore.
You are taken back through the history of the country in a series of flashbacks over the course of a four day period, telling the story of dictatorships, revolution and the story of the old man and his family.
The book may seem short but it is densely packed. Recommended. An interesting read.
laurajh77's review against another edition
3.0
This was ok. It’s pretty short and I can imagine it becoming quite a standard for analysis in exam years, given that there are many comparisons to be drawn between Samuel’s life before the island and the events of the few days on it. But it didn’t grab me. It’s beautifully written and evocative, sure, but it wasn’t the sort of thing I would be recommending to others.
rebelqueen's review against another edition
3.0
A lot to unpack in this. Solitude, violence, the struggle for redemption, rage, land ownership. Jennings asks us to consider whether human nature is inherently good or evil in this. The time jumps were jarring and confusing. The ending was wow.
fantlisasy's review
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Pros:
-poetic language
-vivid description of the island
-development of Samuel’s paranoid thoughts
-deals with important topics such as violence, dictatorship, poverty, death, colonialism and xenophobia
-interesting concept
-suspenseful and dark ending
Cons:
-lack of detail: no specific setting
-unlikeable characters (especially the protagonist)
-randomly appearing flashbacks
-confusing political development in Samuel’s past
-lack of interaction between Samuel and the stranger
-wasted potential for more in depth exploration of the characters personality and identity
-poetic language
-vivid description of the island
-development of Samuel’s paranoid thoughts
-deals with important topics such as violence, dictatorship, poverty, death, colonialism and xenophobia
-interesting concept
-suspenseful and dark ending
Cons:
-lack of detail: no specific setting
-unlikeable characters (especially the protagonist)
-randomly appearing flashbacks
-confusing political development in Samuel’s past
-lack of interaction between Samuel and the stranger
-wasted potential for more in depth exploration of the characters personality and identity