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A review by shanaqui
The Fourth Island by Sarah Tolmie
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Fourth Island is a fascinating book which is clearly frustrating for a lot of people who want a story that goes from A to B to C, and comes to a solid conclusion. For me, it read like the author started with the idea of the Aran sweater whose pattern nobody recognised, and then explored from there -- how could such a thing come to be? And what does that mean?
In the end, if you want a solid answer -- this thing happened for that reason -- then it's somewhat unsatisfying. It's not clear how each character who ends up on the Fourth Island gets there, why they're chosen and not others. In part it reads like it's questioning that: why are some people saved and not others? That is how our world works, and we always crave to know why and see a higher purpose in it, but here Tolmie makes it small: why would people be chosen to come to this tiny island when lost? And does that have a weight on the world, a cost?
It's not a traditional fantasy story, for sure; I guess you could say it's magic realism. There's some beautiful writing in it, and I was totally absorbed in the mystery of it, without needing it to also give me the answers.
In the end, if you want a solid answer -- this thing happened for that reason -- then it's somewhat unsatisfying. It's not clear how each character who ends up on the Fourth Island gets there, why they're chosen and not others. In part it reads like it's questioning that: why are some people saved and not others? That is how our world works, and we always crave to know why and see a higher purpose in it, but here Tolmie makes it small: why would people be chosen to come to this tiny island when lost? And does that have a weight on the world, a cost?
It's not a traditional fantasy story, for sure; I guess you could say it's magic realism. There's some beautiful writing in it, and I was totally absorbed in the mystery of it, without needing it to also give me the answers.