A review by literaturesciencealliance
The Fourth Island by Sarah Tolmie

reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

I do think this is a book where you need to be in the right mood and want to engage with the themes of this work for it to fully capture you. I was not quite in the "right" mood when I picked it up but I still really appreciated this novella and what it explored. There is a secret island that we learn about when a man is found dead on shore with a cable knit sweater that has a pattern nobody recognizes, later on with the help of this sweater a character gets transporter to this island that collects lost things. Thematically this story is about loss, despair and how our emotional energies can affect ourselves and our community. It has those soft magic/magical realism vibes that are there to give the themes and writing a scaffolding and its a lovely if a bit somber exploration of these themes.