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An Island
An Island | Karen Jennings
36 posts | 33 read | 19 to read
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review
Lesliereadsalot
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

This is a small but powerful book about an old man who is the caretaker of a lighthouse on an island off the coast of Africa. We learn who he is, what his life has been about, and how he lives now. His life changes when a man washes up on his shore, and he is forced to confront his past. Well worth reading.

review
Suet624
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

Read for the #TOB23. A lighthouse keeper who has lived alone for years saves a man who has washed ashore. Then he begins to second guess his decision. This is a short novel that manages to feel very claustrophobic.

Ruthiella I really liked this one too. Sad but with lots to think about. And not too long. Longer might have been unbearable. 2y
56 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
Tamra
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Mehso-so

I‘m uncertain about this one. I do like the writing quite a bit but I don‘t know I fully understood it. It seems rather ambiguous in that the reality of the MC is difficult to discern. (To me anyway.) I was left with questions. It might be more clear in print rather than audio, especially since I mainly listen at bedtime and have to backtrack. 🥱

MicheleinPhilly I had started reading this last weekend and realized I wasn‘t in the right headspace for it so I hibernated it. 2y
jlhammar I think you might be right about this working better in print. I also did audio and it was so-so for me as well. 2y
batsy Yes, think this not translate as well into audio. There's shifts in memory that are clearer in print; I'm imagining it would be easy to lose track while listening. 2y
See All 11 Comments
Tamra @batsy I got the shifts, but I‘m unclear whether the MC was losing his grip on reality (was the “man” real) or was it a case of PTSD that made him lash out. He behaved erratically. (edited) 2y
Tamra @jlhammar good to know! If I see a second hand copy I‘m going to pick it up. 2y
Tamra @MicheleinPhilly I can definitely appreciate that….it also requires focus and sometimes we don‘t have it. (edited) 2y
batsy @Tamra Ah, OK. I had to read it as the man being real but a lot of Samuel's responses to him—the paranoia—made things uncertain and disconcerting. That's what I liked about the book the most but I can understand why it's also a bit frustrating. 2y
Tamra @batsy perhaps then the better interpretation is PTSD, which is understandable given his past and long isolation. I wish we knew more about “the man.” So intriguing - he felt anonymous, though clearly a perceived threat to Samuel. 2y
Ruthiella I think the man is real but later Samuel‘s paranoia get the best of him and he misinterprets things … imagines slights that aren‘t there, etc. 2y
Tamra @Ruthiella the paranoia is definitely gripping and there is a palpable sense of anxiety from the moment the man begs to remain on the island, when Samuel peculiarly locks him in the lighthouse. 2y
batsy @Tamra Yes, I wondered if it was done in a way to involve the reader, or implicate the reader as well. Like how would we react to an unknown person with whom we don't share a language... Is the reader by default going to "side with" Samuel, so to speak. 2y
58 likes11 comments
review
batsy
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

A lighthouse keeper living alone on an island finds a body washed ashore. The body is that of a younger man still alive. Set over four days, the book tackles heavy themes: xenophobia, postcolonial politics, & poverty, yet at no point did I see or expect what was coming next. Up to the last page, I felt unmoored & unsettled, sad & filled with dread. Jennings' language is clean & precise. It's a short, taut book that feels so much larger. #ToB2023

batsy The way the psychological tension builds & gives way to the older man's memories & buried trauma is rendered with great skill. It's as short as a fable, as searing as a tragedy, & as capacious as a historical novel, but doesn't ever feel weighed down. There's a timeless quality to its central question of how to be a friend to a stranger when you're an island unto yourself. One of those rare books that show how the personal & the political clash. 2y
Suet624 Holy Toledo. Now I just have to read this. Thank you for this brilliant review. 2y
paulfrankspencer No man is an island... 2y
See All 18 Comments
MicheleinPhilly Thanks for picking my next book to read! What a review! 2y
jlhammar Great review! I think I should have gone for print on this one instead of audio. 2y
Tamra So many TBR - including this one! 😬 2y
batsy @Suet624 @MicheleinPhilly Thank you! I found it powerful and affecting for such a short book—hope it works for you, too. 2y
batsy @paulfrankspencer I went to look at the poem again 👌🏾 2y
batsy @jlhammar Thank you! It does work well in print; there are those sudden shifts in time within the same page that might not translate as well on audio, I think? 2y
batsy @Tamra Oh, yes! Far too many 😆 2y
Ruthiella “How to be a friend to a stranger when you are an island to yourself” 👍 I too really liked this book although it was so very sad. 2y
Reggie Great review, Batsy. And you‘re right it‘s definitely a house that‘s larger on the inside than it is on the outside. 2y
batsy @Ruthiella It was! Like you said the moment the red hen was mentioned it was an indication of the way it was going to go. 2y
batsy @Reggie Thanks, Reggie! 2y
BarbaraBB Excellent review. This book has been staying with me since I finished it. My favorite of the play-ins for the #ToB23 2y
batsy @BarbaraBB Thank you! So glad you liked it, as well. It's definitely something that will stay with me for a long time. 2y
kwmg40 Great review! I wasn't very enthusiastic about the book myself when I was reading it, but now I find I'm still thinking about it. Well, it's not unusual for me to get a better appreciation for a book after I see others' comments and insights! 2y
batsy @kwmg40 Thank you! That's like me and the Book of Goose—I wasn't totally sold on it but reading others' thoughts on it has made me re-think some aspects 🙂 2y
85 likes3 stack adds18 comments
blurb
Deblovestoread
An Island | Karen Jennings
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#20in4 wrap up. I didn‘t quite make 20 hours as planned and I didn‘t quite read as planned either. I finished How the Penguins Saved Veronica Thursday. I did finish An Island on audio and then decided to listen to The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida instead of diving into The Women Could Fly.

Jari-chan The Penguin one looks cute! 🤭 2y
Andrew65 Still brilliant, well done 👏👏👏🙌🎊🥳🍾🥂😍 2y
43 likes2 comments
review
Ruthiella
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

Heartbreakingly sad but exquisitely written. Samuel has been the lighthouse-keeper on an island off the coast of an unnamed African country for decades. His only contact with the mainland is a bi-weekly supply boat. When a strange man washes up on the island one day, Samuel‘s self-enforced solitude is upended, with tragic consequences. Meanwhile, we get Samuel‘s backstory and what brought him to his isolation.
#ToB2023

Tamra Wonderful review - I have it stacked. 😊 2y
Suet624 I was thinking I wasn‘t going to try this one because of some of the reviews but you make me reconsider. 2y
Hooked_on_books I glad you liked this one! I really liked the parts on the island but didn‘t find the backstory at all engaging. 2y
See All 23 Comments
Ruthiella @Tamra Thanks! I hope you read it. It‘s not a cheery book but I found it worth reading. 2y
Ruthiella @Suet624 It‘s not all that long. If you can get a library copy, maybe give it a go. 2y
Ruthiella @Hooked_on_books For sure the present day scenes were more charged. But I felt the backstory helped show, at least in part, why Samuel acted the way he did. (edited) 2y
Tamra @Ruthiella I have it tagged in Libby now. 😊 2y
Cinfhen Wonderful review 💛For a short book I found myself skimming pages and waiting for the book to end. Your review makes me believe I missed something vital. 2y
Ruthiella @Cinfhen Thanks. 😊 I feel that way all the time about other books that I just don‘t jive with. A good example is Lincoln in the Bardo. I really disliked it. I didn‘t get what other readers got from it. 2y
BarbaraBB We‘re in sync 😀 I hated Lincoln too and enjoyed The Island a lot (my favorite for the play-in round!) 2y
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB It‘s always a good feeling when reading tastes align! 😃 2y
squirrelbrain Great review! I read this such a long time ago that I can‘t really remember much about it, hence it dropped down my list. 2y
batsy Lovely review. I hope to squeeze this in before the Tournament starts. 2y
Cathythoughts Interesting review ♥️ 2y
Chelsea.Poole Great review! This one is high up on my list! 2y
Ruthiella @squirrelbrain I definitely rate books later higher if they stick with me. Sometimes books I didn‘t particularly like end up having more staying power! 😂 2y
Ruthiella @batsy Thanks. I have two books now left to read before March 8! I wish us both luck! 🤞 2y
Ruthiella @Cathythoughts Thanks Cathy! 😊 2y
Ruthiella @Chelsea.Poole Thanks! I think it might make if not my top row, the second row at least. 2y
kwmg40 Great review. I didn't like it as much myself, but I may need to reconsider. In any case, the ToB discussion should be worthwhile. 2y
Ruthiella @kwmg40 Thanks! Discussion almost always deepens my appreciation of a book! 2y
Reggie I liked this book. I can‘t even imagine what it is to be told to leave your home or die. And to try and find footing in a city you‘ve never been to. His whole relationship with the mother of his child. Idk. I really liked this book. It‘s not pretty and it‘s not meant to be. 2y
Ruthiella @Reggie Yes. Samuel never caught a break until the island. I knew when the red hen was introduced, that thus book would break my heart. 2y
66 likes1 stack add23 comments
review
kwmg40
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Mehso-so

The author explores many issues in this relatively short novel, including violence, colonialism, trust and redemption. It is a worthy #ToB2023 book but I felt detached from the main character and story throughout the reading.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Ruthiella I just finished this one. I found it so very sad. I can see, however, why it made the Booker longlist too. 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
kwmg40 @Ruthiella Yes, I found it very sad too. Maybe I felt detached from the characters and story because it's much less disturbing that way. 2y
kwmg40 @TheAromofBooks Thanks for stopping by! 2y
41 likes4 comments
review
BkClubCare
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

Hmmmmm. Soft pick. The ending is quite the punch 🥊 to the gut. Stunned, maybe, is what I am feeling. Off to go read a bunch of reviews now as I think how I am reacting, compared to my experience while listening. 😳🤔 #TOB2023

Ruthiella Interesting 🤔… 2y
BarbaraBB Very interesting 2y
BkClubCare @BarbaraBB @Ruthiella - you know, how you are reading along and yep/yep/yep, this happens, that happens, main-char thinks this then rethinks that, something else happens… and then WHAM. The end. 2y
BarbaraBB That‘s the book in a nutshell! It is my favorite for the play-in round of #LitsyTob23 2y
BkClubCare @BarbaraBB - 👏👏👏 2y
48 likes5 comments
review
Chelsea.Poole
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

A short, dark read from the #tob2023 shortlist. Not my favorite, but I did appreciate the ominous build to the inevitable ending. I much preferred the action on the island to the past memories. A low pick.

On a side note: Finally recovered my iPad to read on from my sons after they upgraded for Christmas. I had forgotten how nice it is to read ebooks on this. 🙌

JamieArc I just noticed the shape of the wave along the beach looks like the outline of a person‘s face. Interesting. 2y
Megabooks Glad you liked this. It was just okay for me. 2y
Chelsea.Poole @jamiearc yes! I like this cover art better than the other I've seen. Though I think this cover could be easily mistaken for a lighter beach read to some unsuspecting browsers! 😬 2y
See All 9 Comments
squirrelbrain I liked this one when I read it, but can‘t remember much about it now. 🤷‍♀️ 2y
Cinfhen Meh for me and yes, reading on an iPad vs phone is HUGE😂 2y
rmaclean4 I loved this book and it has grown on me since I read it last year. 2y
Ruthiella Definitely curious about this one. It‘s going to be maybe too allegorical for me. 2y
Hooked_on_books The cover looks gorgeous on your iPad! I for sure agree about preferring the action on the island for this one. 2y
sarahbarnes I remember liking this when I read it off the Booker list, but not loving it. An interesting pick for the shortlist I think. 2y
105 likes9 comments
review
jlhammar
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Mehso-so

I feel like a grump with my reviews this week, but this was only okay for me. I just never felt invested in the story or in Samuel as a character. Not sure exactly why. I went with audio, but I wonder if this one might work better in print. Oh well, another #ToB23 contender done and dusted.

AllDebooks Oh dear, I hope something better comes along x 2y
jlhammar @AllDebooks I've got some great books in progress at least with The Book of Eels, Infused: Adventures in Tea and The Corner That Held Them. 2y
batsy I hope our #nunlitquarterly pick is still going strong for you among your current reads. I just finished it and loved it. 2y
jlhammar @batsy I'm still loving Corner. Look forward to your review! 2y
cariashley I‘m really debating audio vs print for this one. 2y
67 likes5 comments
review
ImperfectCJ
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

A former accidental political prisoner living alone on an island is catapulted into memory by the arrival of a newcomer. This novel explores patterns of violence, from the highest levels downward, that keep us unable to connect with others or even to recognize friend from foe. The reader feels a main character without a moral center attempting to cobble an ethos and a worldview from experiences he cannot translate. #tob2023

ImperfectCJ I listened to the first half of this one while recovering from sedation, which made the MC's confusion all the more relatable. I don't think I confused anything as big as he does, but I did keep leaving emails open and then forgetting I'd checked email and thinking someone else had been reading my messages, so I can kind of relate. 2y
BarbaraBB Gorgeous rebiew 2y
BkClubCare FABULOUS review 2y
49 likes3 comments
review
Jas16
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Mehso-so

Another #tob23 book read and another I liked but didn‘t love. A man living alone on an island finds someone washed up on the beach and takes him into his home. Having a stranger with him causes him to revisit his past and the events that brought him to the island. A short book that touches on the lasting impact of trauma, refugees, and political upheaval after colonialism. The beginning hooked me but it felt too short to deliver great impact.

Reggie Yes, very kinda surface level. 2y
54 likes1 comment
quote
Sophronisba
An Island | Karen Jennings
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It was the first time that an oil drum had washed up on the scattered pebbles of the island shore. Other items had arrived over the years--ragged shirts, bits of rope,, . . . There had been bodies, too, as there was today. The length of it stretched out beside the drum, one hand reaching forward as though to indicate that they had made the journey together and did not now wish to be parted.

#FridayReads #FirstLineFriday

review
Reggie
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

I want to not give this a pick because of the ending but I think I understand it. We meet Samuel, a lighthouse keeper and sole inhabitant of an island off Africa. One day a body washes upon his shore and it turns out to still be living forcing him to think about his past. His village family forced from their home into the city and poverty by colonization to revolution to dictatorship back to revolution. Sometimes the violence and shame of 👇🏼

Reggie acts done or not done never leave you. 2y
SamAnne Wow—also quite the cover. 2y
Cathythoughts Great review! I have this one stacked already 👍🏻♥️ 2y
Reggie @SamAnne @Cathythoughts I think this book suffers from its short length. It‘s a good story but we‘re missing some meat and potatoes. Like instead of eating we‘re just seeing the picture on the menu. 2y
65 likes2 stack adds4 comments
blurb
Graywacke
An Island | Karen Jennings
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#12booksof2022 May was my favorite reading month this year. I went through several shorter Booker longlist books from 2021 and actually liked all of them. An Island gets a nod. But here are others I finished that month that were terrific:

Bewilderment by Richard Powers - Booker list
Second Place by Rachel Cusk - Booker list
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
The Complete Stories by Clarice Lispector

Andrew65 Some good choices. Loved Ethan Frome. 2y
Graywacke @Andrew65 thanks. EF was terrific. 2y
TheBookHippie I love Clarice!!! Love. 2y
Graywacke @TheBookHippie that collection was an experience. 👍 2y
41 likes5 comments
review
Hooked_on_books
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Mehso-so

I feel like a book takes a risk when there are multiple storylines. Here, it‘s a non-linear story, which I often love, but the current and past stories for the character are so disparate from one another they feel very separate. I found the current storyline really compelling and wanted it to be more fleshed out, and I didn‘t connect with the past storyline at all. #tob23

Cinfhen This was a so-so for me as well. The premise was good but I never warmed to the story. Great review 💜 2y
BarbaraBB I agree with you about the two storylines. 2y
squirrelbrain I really liked this when I read it, but can‘t remember much about it now…. 🤷‍♀️ 2y
58 likes3 comments
review
Megabooks
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

I had a Tyra Bank ANTM “We were all rooting for you!” moment with this one. I wanted to like it and found the premise interesting, but it‘s another low pick on the #tobshortlist.

A man once held prisoner by a dictator struggles to live outside prison walls. Unable to thrive in a community, he operates a light house on an island alone. When a refugee from another country washes up on shore, he must wrestle with his demons.

New holiday booksleeve!

KarenUK Ha ha ha!!!! I love the ANTM reference!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏 2y
squirrelbrain I liked this when I read it, I think around a year ago, but it didn‘t stick with me. 2y
BarbaraBB I am with @squirrelbrain I really enjoyed it but it didn‘t stick 2y
See All 12 Comments
Cinfhen I gave this one a so-so but your holiday sleeve gets a #HellYeah ❤️💚Love it 2y
Ruthiella That book sleeve is adorable! ❤️🐶 I‘m down with a book that doesn‘t knock my socks off, I guess? It seems now like the list is 1/2 yeah and 1/2 meh. 😲🫤 2y
TNbookworm Great review, and love the book sleeve🙂 2y
Megabooks @Ruthiella @Cinfhen @TNbookworm thanks for the booksleeve love! 💜🎄🐶 Jena rarely does dog prints, so I had to jump on this! 2y
Megabooks @KarenUK that was such an iconic moment!! 2y
Megabooks @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB I already don‘t remember exactly how it ended and I finished it less than 48 hours ago. Not the best contender! 2y
Megabooks @Cinfhen I probably should‘ve given it a so-so. 2y
Hooked_on_books Hmmm, interesting. This is one I wanted to read even before the longlist came out. I‘m curious how I‘ll respond to it! 2y
Megabooks @Hooked_on_books me too. I was fascinated by it when the Booker list came out, but it just didn‘t quite click for me. V curious what you‘ll think. 2y
82 likes12 comments
blurb
MicheleinPhilly
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Heads up, American TOB-ers! #TOB2023

Graywacke (And it‘s terrific. 🙃 Well, my take. ) 2y
batsy @Graywacke Happy to hear it! This is one on the #ToB2023 shortlist that I've been looking forward to. 2y
batsy @squirrelbrain Nice! Excited to get to it. @Graywacke 2y
Bklover Thank you!!!!!!😀 2y
41 likes5 comments
review
vlwelser
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

This is really good but very dark. And I feel like I read it too quickly.

Graywacke Yay. I really enjoyed this. It does make you want to read a little faster. 3y
44 likes1 comment
review
BarbaraBB
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

Samuel is self-exiled on an island tending a lighthouse. One day a stranger washes ashore - and everything changes. Samuel is suspicious and scared, feelings that bring back memories of the time he lived on the mainland. Times when a revolution made an end to colonialism only to lead to a corrupt government, ending in another revolution and a new dictatorship.

Samuel‘s story is that of Africa, betrayed so many times.

#ReadingAfrica2022 🇿🇦⬇️

BarbaraBB Karen Jennings is South African, and I read somewhere that the setting is Dassen Island, northwest of Cape Town. 3y
Librarybelle I like the cover of this one…it seems to help set the mood of an isolated island, just judging by the descriptions I‘ve read about this book. 3y
Graywacke I didn‘t know about Dessen Island. Glad you enjoyed (or at least gave it a pick). It‘s still, I think, my favorite from the Booker longlist. (I haven‘t read No One is Talking About This) 3y
See All 11 Comments
Graywacke (Also, entertaining background) 3y
BarbaraBB @Librarybelle Yes the cover suits the story! 3y
BarbaraBB @Graywacke I definitely enjoyed it. Quite atmospheric. I loved No One though! 3y
BarbaraBB @Graywacke 😉 my book pictures are sort of my visual diary and the highlight of today is my brandnew cutlery 🍴 3y
Graywacke @BarbaraBB Ah, new cutlery! Nice. Looks good…seriously. I took it as comment on the novel. 3y
BarbaraBB @Graywacke I can‘t blame you 😉 it‘s quite in your face! 3y
sarahbarnes Great review. I really liked this one, too. 3y
Megabooks Great review! 3y
69 likes11 comments
review
JoyBlue
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Mehso-so

The key sociopolitical points of this novel are not exclusive to South Africa. Read my full review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#an-island

blurb
BarbaraBB
An Island | Karen Jennings
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#WeeklyForecast 21/22

I am reading both The Still Point (nautical novel for #Booked2022) and Blood River (for #ReadingAfrica2022) at the moment and hope to finish them soon. Next will be the tagged one and then I may have time to start one of the books that‘s been eyeing me (Three, Tell me how to Be, The Swimmers, Seven Days in June, Anatomy of a Scandal)… we‘ll see!

Cinfhen Still point has a gorgeous cover!! Is that the same author as 3y
Cinfhen Can‘t wait to see what you pick up during the week…many I read and enjoyed and a few I‘m curious about 3y
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen Yes it is and it‘s just as unsatisfying 🤣 3y
See All 6 Comments
Megabooks Exciting! You so rarely mood read, so I‘m interested to see what you pick. 3y
Hooked_on_books Pretty covers! 3y
BarbaraBB @Megabooks And I forgot to mention All the Lovers! But I‘ll probably save that for my holidays! 3y
61 likes6 comments
review
Cinfhen
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Mehso-so

I don‘t do well with allegories and this book was so short I didn‘t have time to connect to Samuel, a lighthouse keeper living alone on an isolated island with his memories & demons. Set in an unnamed African country, a body washes ashore surprising Samuel when he discovers the body is still breathing. I wanted to like this book but honestly I was bored. #NetGalley #ARC

review
Graywacke
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

Easily my favorite from the 2021 Booker longlist. A lighthouse caretaker on an otherwise empty spare island finds a body washed up, a still living man. As we begin to get a sense of this place, we see the flickers of the caretakers past. The Adjectives dystopian, bleak, ambiguous come mind. It‘s a terrific novel, tightly constructed, creating wonder and discomfort.

Graywacke @Hooked_on_books Saturday‘s mission is accomplished. 🙂 I really enjoyed this. 3y
Tamra Intriguing! 3y
See All 10 Comments
BarbaraBB Wow, your favorite! That means a lot #stacked 3y
BarbaraBB … I mean #bought 🤣, found a copy online for 5€ 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3y
Cathythoughts Stacking 👍🏻❤️ 3y
Graywacke @BarbaraBB oh, how fun! It‘s a quick read. Enjoy. 3y
Graywacke @Tamra @Cathythoughts recommended to both of you 😈…😇 3y
Tamra Ordered from the library! 👏🏾 3y
Graywacke @Tamra ❤️ 👍 3y
57 likes4 stack adds10 comments
review
ReadingEnvy
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Mehso-so

This was longlisted (but not shortlisted) for the Booker Prize in 2021 but is just now coming out in the United States later this month. I had early access from Random House in audio.↘️

ReadingEnvy Karen Jennings is a white South African writer, and I only say this because the narrative voice and audiobook narrator (Ben Onwukwe) are definitely Black. The narrator in the story is African but the country of origin is unnamed. This made me a little squirmy for sure - Africa is a varied and complex place and I don't think it hurts anyone to just go ahead and place the story relating to a specific time and place. ↘️ 3y
ReadingEnvy The story is about Samuel, who has been tending a lighthouse on an island off the coast of "somewhere in Africa" for two decades. He has regular deliveries of supplies but lives mostly on his own. Some kind of conflict has sent the occasional dead body to his shore, and he always buries them. One day, one of the bodies is still alive and it puts his small life and his personal history in a spin. 3y
48 likes2 comments
blurb
Graywacke
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Working, still, through the 2021 Booker longlist. I‘ve so far only read this over yesterday‘s and today‘s lunch breaks. The first 40 pages are terrific - one lighthouse keeper on a neglected island, and a living body washes up.

vlwelser I def want to read this one. It's one of the few I have left from the list. 3y
BarbaraBB That sounds terrific indeed. Looking forward to your review! 3y
sarahbarnes I liked this one a lot! 3y
Graywacke @sarahbarnes yay. I‘m really into it. 3y
Graywacke @vlwelser @BarbaraBB I will report back once I finish. I think I have four others from the longlist yet, but they are all short. 3y
53 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
mjtwo
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

9-24 Feb 22
#Booker 10
Samuel is self-exiled on an island tending a lighthouse. Until a body washes ashore - not unusual except this body is still alive. He is wary of the stranger, a refugee. Samuel recalls life in an African country and his role in the failed revolt against a dictator who seized power after independence. A role for which he is jailed.
This is a tense, concise and compelling allegory of post-colonialism and treatment of refugees.

quote
charl08
An Island | Karen Jennings
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"What colour are they? The bodies. What colour?" He was silent.
"What I am asking is, are they darker than us - their skin - that is what I want to know. Are they darker than you or me?"
"I think so."
"And their faces?...."
"I don't know. ... They look like children."
"Listen, we're busy people. We have real crimes to deal with.... We cannot come out to the island every time another country's refugees flee and drown. It's not our problem."

rmaclean4 Loved this novel! 3y
charl08 @rmaclean4 I am enjoying her writing v much. 3y
Brimful I liked this one very much. One of the hidden gems of the Booker list. 3y
charl08 @Brimful but what an ending! I had no idea *that* was going to happen. 3y
43 likes2 stack adds4 comments
review
NovelNancyM
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

This is an amazing novel about the tragedy of war and violence. It reinforces that violence is never the answer even in the most desperate of times. Those affected by it may never recover.

review
ClairesReads
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

An Island is a short but complex novel that explores human behaviour and the way we understand the actions of others, as well as complex ideas about colonialism and post-colonialism. Jennings has mastered the art of slow-burning tension- Through dual narratives, Jennings offers Samuel and the refugee both as a geopolitical allegory, and as a story about how our actions and choices are all built cumulatively from our complex past experiences.

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ClairesReads
An Island | Karen Jennings
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rmaclean4
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

3.5 ? this books packs a strong political punch. Asks what is courage and what is weakness. Talks about past trauma and the violence that seeds in a person from that trauma. Talks about racism and the danger of "the other." A book I will think about for a while.

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Simona
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

In the span of four days, we get to know the claustrophobic world of Samuel, who works as a lighthouse keeper in an unnamed African country on an unnamed island, where he finds a corpse every now and then ... until one day he finds a barely alive refugee on the shore and that triggers in Samuel various memories from his past. The basic thread of the story is the legacy of colonialism, where the now ‘free‘ state is falling from one extreme … 👇

Simona … to the other. Nothing experimental in the structure, simple/clean prose without any metaphors, scarcely in dialogues, but the story of the lonely old man on the island is very powerful, effective and interesting view on the race/racism, freedom, solitude and inner demons. Uncomplicated, quite story on the surface, but with strong undertow. #BookerPrize2021 3y
merelybookish Great review, especially last sentence! 3y
sarahbarnes Great review! I haven‘t been able to get ahold of a copy of this one yet. 3y
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BarbaraBB Wonderful review! How are you doing with the longlist? 3y
Megabooks Fantastic review! 3y
batsy Great review, Simona. I also saw a very positive review of this on Goodreads today and I'm super keen to read this! 3y
Simona Thanks @BarbaraBB I finished the longlist two weeks ago (well, except Bewilderment), but I didn‘t posted reviews primarily because I was too lazy, and secondly because I was pondering about few books with which I couldn‘t figure it out what to do with them - I literally didn‘t have nothing to say about them.Those were China Room,The Sweetnesses of Water,No One is Talking About This and Klara and the Sun. Finally I decided to not review them🤷🏻‍♀️ 3y
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squirrelbrain
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Pickpick

The last book for me on the #bookerlonglist and another great read. It‘s only a short book but packs a powerful punch; Samuel has exiled himself onto an island, following revolution and imprisonment in an unnamed (African?) country.

Samuel is used to dead bodies washing up on his shore, but this time someone is alive. We see how this impacts on Samuel‘s state of mind and ultimately on his life on the island. I can see this making the shortlist.

TrishB That sounds more like a Booker book! 3y
squirrelbrain It was a bit more Bookerish @TrishB, but still very readable! 3y
BarbaraBB I hope you‘ll post your shortlist! 3y
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Cathythoughts Well done Helen, you‘ve read them all 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 3y
squirrelbrain I‘m going to post it sometime this week @BarbaraBB - although it might be two lists…one being my favourites and the other being those that I think the judges will choose. 3y
squirrelbrain Nearly all @cathythoughts - apart from the one that isn‘t published yet! 😁 3y
BarbaraBB Looking forward to it! 🤍 3y
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squirrelbrain
An Island | Karen Jennings
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Looking good at the hairdressers! 🤣

Enjoying the tagged book - yet another from the #bookerlonglist that I like…. it‘s been a very unusual year for the Booker Prize in that respect!

Caroline2 It‘s a good look!! 😆 I think the Booker judges have finally listened to people wanting decent books to read not just weirdo, they-like-it-because-it‘s-different books. 3y
Cathythoughts I love this picture 👍🏻😁 I‘d like to see the finished look .. you will be gorg 👍🏻❤️…. Another good Booker book !! What is the world coming to ?! I must have a look 3y
julesG How many radio stations are you receiving? 😜 Can't believe the Booker books are readable for a change. 3y
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Cathythoughts @julesG Radio stations 😂😂 3y
squirrelbrain @Caroline2 @Cathythoughts @julesG - going for a more ‘natural‘ look to cover the grey seems to involve a lot more fuss / radio stations!! 🤣 3y
LeahBergen 😆 I so need my hair done again! 3y
Megabooks Gotta love getting in all those foils!! I‘m trying to decide if I want to cover my gray. I‘m just starting to get it. 3y
BarbaraBB Great pic! You‘ll be looking beautiful on your birthday 🤍 3y
squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB -it‘ll take more than foils to do that! 🤣 @Megabooks - I used to get a flat colour which then looks really obvious when it grows out. Now I still have ‘grey‘ as well as some colour but it looks quite natural. 3y
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