A review by tevreads
An Island by Karen Jennings

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.