Reviews

An Island by Karen Jennings

kumipaul's review against another edition

4.0

So many deep thoughts in a short book. Somewhere in Africa, Samuel has been isolated for many years as a political prisoner. Used to solitude, he takes a job as a lighthouse keeper in a tiny island where he is the only inhabitant, and has been for years. Occasionally a refugee's body will wash up on his shore, but other than that the only company he cares to receive are the twice monthly supply deliveries. However, when a refugee washes up on his shore - his island - and they don't speak the same language, Samuel has to come to terms with the idea of home and of ownership. Solitude gives way to misunderstanding and mistrust of the other man. Is the unnamed man the only refugee, or is Samuel also a refugee?

jennylimmy's review

4.0

Not an enjoyable read, but a consistent and sound one with a strong ending. The book is clearly not meant to be enjoyed, and I appreciate the author’s commitment to subject and style.

charlie1000r's review

4.0

This book was a thoughtful, solemn meditation on connection and solitude and society as a whole. The prose was absolutely beautiful without being flowery, matching the stark setting of the lighthouse and its island. Another thing to recommend it is its length; although very short, it was fully developed and I didn’t think it was lacking for anything. I would readily recommend An Island to anyone, but especially to those who liked Camus’s The Stranger.


Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

kelbi's review against another edition

3.0

I read this because I’m reading most of the Booker long list. However I found it deeply depressing. Yes, I can see it deserved its place in the list but it was not for me. No hope for humanity in it

araumi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging lighthearted mysterious 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

3.0

hannahballard's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

gorecki's review against another edition

3.0

There’s this popular saying, “No man is an island”, which I generally consider true, except when it comes to this book by Karen Jennings. Because here man and island often seem to merge together and to become synonyms.

Samuel is an old lighthouse keeper on a small island off the coast of an un-named country in Africa. He is the only person living on the island, which he never leaves, and if it’s not for the weekly shipment of supplies he’s being brought from the mainland, he would probably never even speak to anyone. One day, though, a half-dead stranger is washed up on the island’s shore, and while they only spend four days together, Samuel’s whole life unravels before us during this time.

An Island is a short book that compresses a lot of major issues such as political oppression, xenophobia, justice, lack of justice, and much more. With it’s tightly packed narrative, An Island shows Samuel as a metaphor for all of these things. Through his turbulent life and the way Samuel has become a remote and isolated version of his former self, Jennings shows us all of these complex topics and feelings, and how easy it is to cross the border from one to the other, especially if you are facing the need to defend what’s yours. I think this is one of those books you gain more from if you read up on Jennings and her experience in writing it and if you read this with someone else and discuss it. There is something about discussing it that adds an extra layer of meaning which you don’t seem to catch iff you’re on your own with it. And while I was left with quite a few questions, I think this was an eye-opening experience to a topic I don’t read much about.

madzsmiled's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An Island was haunting and kept you guessing at every turn, unfolding a troubled life of political turmoil and poverty. Samuel's journey from hopeful youth to reluctant warrior to distrustful old man is poignant and familiar. As his country shakes off the chains of colonialism, he's thrust into a life of corruption and military rule. The refugee who washes up on his island is a victim of similar abuse, fleeing a war-torn country, only to meet an equally broken Samuel. While the end felt inevitable, it was only in retrospect that you realize how Samuel's trauma lives on. 

I wouldn't be surprised if this became required reading one day - it's a masterfully spun tale. I can't believe this is Jennings' debut novel. 

snuckols's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

tevreads's review against another edition

4.0

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021. Now having read most of the list, this had a very different feel to the other, unsurprising as the only novel on the list from a smaller publishing house. ‘An Island’ by Karen Jennings follows the story of an old man, Samuel, who lives alone on an island as a lighthouse keeper. His solitude is ended by a refugee who washes up on his shores, and what follows is a suspenseful interaction between the two, their intentions both unclear. Samuel ruminates on his previous life of poverty, rebellion, and subsequent imprisonment for 25 years under the hands of the ‘Dictator’ and his authoritarian state. ‘An Island’ is a peculiar story that will entice readers, one I could see shortlisted too.