1 of 1 copy available
“An Island by Karen Jennings is quite simply a revelation—a ferocious, swift chess game of a novel.”—Paul Yoon, author of Run Me to Earth
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Vulture
Samuel has lived alone on an island off the coast of an unnamed African country for more than two decades. He tends to his garden, his lighthouse, and his chickens, content with a solitary life. Routinely, the nameless bodies of refugees wash ashore, but Samuel—who understands that the government only values certain lives, certain deaths—always buries them himself.
One day, though, he finds that one of these bodies is still breathing. As he nurses the stranger back to life, Samuel—feeling strangely threatened—is soon swept up in memories of his former life as a political prisoner on the mainland. This was a life that saw his country exploited under colonial rule, followed by a period of revolution and a brief, hard-won independence—only for the cycle of suffering to continue under a cruel dictator. And he can’t help but recall his own shameful role in that history. In this stranger’s presence, he begins to consider, as he did in his youth: What does it mean to own land, or to belong to it? And what does it cost to have, and lose, a home?
A timeless and gripping portrait of regret, terror, and the extraordinary stakes of companionship, An Island is a story as page-turning as it is profound.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 17, 2022 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593607008
- File size: 156050 KB
- Duration: 05:25:06
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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June 6, 2022
South African writer Jennings’s unsettling U.S. debut explores a lighthouse keeper’s legacy of terror and tragedy. Samuel lives a quiet and isolated life on an island off the coast of an unnamed African country. Though he’s regularly visited by a supply boat, he has little contact with the outside world. His life is hard: he breaks rocks to maintain the sea wall and tends a small vegetable garden and a few chickens. He also buries the bodies of refugees who sometimes wash ashore. One morning he discovers a man washed up on the beach who is still breathing. He hides the stranger in his cottage when the supply boat comes, and soon the refugee’s presence triggers Samuel’s painful memories of torture as a political prisoner, and he grows more and more paranoid, convinced the man intends to displace him. With shifts to Samuel’s horrific past, Jennings shows his suffering and the compounded losses of family and country. Though some readers are sure to be upset by the shocking ending, Jennings succeeds at revealing what made her protagonist’s heart so dark, and his path to redemption so twisted. There’s little hope to be found here, but the author harnesses an undeniable power with this unflinching gaze into the abyss. Agent: Cecile Barendsma, Cecile B Literary Agency. -
Tense, thought-provoking, and timely, this audiobook is a must-listen. Narrator Ben Onwukwe pulls listeners in immediately with the story of Samuel, a man who lives alone on an unnamed island off the coast of Africa. His solitary existence is simple, but he is witness to the violence around him as the bodies of refugees wash up on his island and he buries them. One day, a stranger washes up still breathing, and his story unfolds as Samuel takes care of him. The tale is dark and heartbreaking but is also important to hear in order to understand the life-changing consequences of dispossession, survival, and hope. Onwukwe captures the tragedy of this story, which listeners will still be thinking about long after it ends. K.S.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine -
September 1, 2022
Having lived alone on an island off the coast of an African country for more than 20 years, Samuel's world is shaken when a refugee has washed ashore and is still alive. As he nurses the man back to health, Samuel experiences flashbacks to his former life as a political prisoner, watching his country suffer under colonial rule and then a cruel dictator and ultimately making him question what it means to have a home. With emotional depth, Ben Onwukwe narrates the story and deftly portrays Samuel's life as he lives through war and a dictatorial regime and eventually gains freedom. This winding novel is a look back on a character shaped by events beyond his control and what it means to make a life despite all the challenges. VERDICT Jennings makes her U.S. debut with this novel that was longlisted for the Booker Prize. It will appeal to fans of literary novels looking for a quick listen and will leave them wrestling with the same questions as Samuel.--Elyssa Everling
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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