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A review by page100
On the Isle of Antioch by Amin Maalouf
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Thank you to Net Galley and World Editions for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
On the Isle of Antioch takes place on a small and isolated archipelago, where a comic artist has settled. It is told through his daily diary entries, which can be difficult to pull off, but the author seems to have no trouble creating a believable voice. The description is a bit misleading, his island is inhabited by just him and one other person, but they have access to a larger island through a causeway at low-tide. It is not so much of a doomsday armageddon tale as I first thought. He and Eve (the other Antioch settler) do form a stronger relationship because of the technology blackout, however he forms relationships with others on the island, as well as welcomes his niece and her boyfriend to the island later in the novel.
I thought the "friends of Empedocles" were a very fresh take on the idea of a more advanced group of beings coming into contact with our society. I enjoyed the political allegory involved when considering how the USA (an otherwise untouched global superpower) would react if they were unseated from their position in the world.
I also bought in to the love story, and specifically enjoyed how it seemed to form naturally. This quote exemplifies this energy the two main characters have between them:
‘How to resist the urge to believe her? How to resist the urge to love her?’
Unfortunately, I didn't quite like the turn the story took where (Eve became pregnant ). I thought it felt patched onto the end where it wasn't entirely necessary.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was captivating, and I wanted to continue learning with the characters about the mysterious new people who had suddenly emerged. I will definitely be reading more of Maalouf's work.
On the Isle of Antioch takes place on a small and isolated archipelago, where a comic artist has settled. It is told through his daily diary entries, which can be difficult to pull off, but the author seems to have no trouble creating a believable voice. The description is a bit misleading, his island is inhabited by just him and one other person, but they have access to a larger island through a causeway at low-tide. It is not so much of a doomsday armageddon tale as I first thought. He and Eve (the other Antioch settler) do form a stronger relationship because of the technology blackout, however he forms relationships with others on the island, as well as welcomes his niece and her boyfriend to the island later in the novel.
I thought the "friends of Empedocles" were a very fresh take on the idea of a more advanced group of beings coming into contact with our society. I enjoyed the political allegory involved when considering how the USA (an otherwise untouched global superpower) would react if they were unseated from their position in the world.
I also bought in to the love story, and specifically enjoyed how it seemed to form naturally. This quote exemplifies this energy the two main characters have between them:
‘How to resist the urge to believe her? How to resist the urge to love her?’
Unfortunately, I didn't quite like the turn the story took where (
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was captivating, and I wanted to continue learning with the characters about the mysterious new people who had suddenly emerged. I will definitely be reading more of Maalouf's work.