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A review by byronic_reader
An Island by Karen Jennings
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.