AN ISLAND BY KAREN JENNINGS

BOOK NAME: AN ISLAND

AUTHOR NAME: KAREN JENNINGS

GENRE: LITERARY / CONTEMPORARY FICTION

PUBLISHER: PICADOR / PANMACMILLAN INDIA

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/Island-Longlisted-2021-Booker-Prize/dp/9389104203

BOOK COVER IMAGE

BOOK REVIEW

Another great book, and writing let down by weak execution. I totally understand why it was not the booker favourite of many in 2021. Samuel, the 70-year-old lighthouse keeper, is the sole resident of his island after having fled from the mainland. He cooks for himself, cleans and maintains the lighthouse, feeds his hens, tends to his farmland and occasionally disposes off the bodies of refugees that wash up on the shore. Though he is old and lonely and survives on the weekly ration that comes by boat, he is content to stay in a place that he can finally call his home.

One day, the body of a young foreign refugee shows up on the shore, and he is surprised to find him alive. He gets to spend four days with this man on his island, and instead of handing him over to the police, Samuel decides to protect him. During these days, Samuel is confronted by the ghosts of his past, reminding him of his days of cowardice. Samuel is transported to the days when the mainland suffered colonialism followed by tyranny and how his father and friends chose to fight against it while he chose the easier path.

Samuel wonders if this young refugee is now trying to take over the island after getting too comfortable in his place. Every action of his becomes suspicious, though Samuel knows well that the man doesn't mean any harm. Samuel's paranoia takes over, and he fights his inner demon constantly while seeking answers. 

This small book explores the definition of home and to what lengths a man would go to sustain his home. It questions the concept of belonging and property and whether anyone should claim a place where they feel at home. Though the ending was jarred and came as a surprise to me, Samuel's past was pretty ordinary. I wanted to like Samuel in many places but failed because of his meekness and cunning history.

I understand that the book is about the mainland's history of colonialism and the dictatorship that followed their independence. Still, it got tucked in between pages of Samuel's present and past lives. I would say it was a one-time read for me; like if you ask me about the book a year later, I wouldn't remember anything about it, but I wouldn't want to reread it, too. It could have easily become one of my favourite books if not for the confusing timelines and a messed-up main character. 

MY REVIEW: 3/5

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