An Island

Name: An Island
Brand: Penguin Random House NZ
SKU: 9781922458490
Price: 34.0 NZD
Availability: InStock

Longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize

By Karen Jennings

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3.54

( 4,047 ratings, 613 reviews)

Summary

An Island by Karen Jennings follows the solitary life of a lighthouse keeper living on a small, unnamed island off the African coast. His routine is disrupted when a refugee washes ashore, prompting reflections on human connection and isolation. This quietly powerful narrative explores themes of memory, identity, and the complexity of compassion.
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Format: Paperback / softback

$34⁰⁰

Elsewhere:

~~$37⁰⁰~~

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An Island

$34⁰⁰

Elsewhere:

~~$37⁰⁰~~

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy thought-provoking narratives about isolation, memory, and the human condition. Set against the backdrop of a secluded island, it explores themes of solitude and the unexpected bonds that form between unlikely characters. Perfect for readers intrigued by deep character studies and atmospheric settings.

An Island

Description

An Island, longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize, is a powerful and suspenseful literary novel set on an island off the African coast. While the story takes place across four days, it reveals the echoes of decades of civil war, rebellion, and loss.

Samuel is now an old man. For many years he has lived alone on a small island where he serves as the lighthouse keeper. Until the day when a young refugee washes up on the beach, all but dead. Samuel nurses him back to life, but he is unsettled by the intruder. He cannot understand a word the stranger says, and his presence stirs traumatic memories of Samuel's days on the mainland—memories of rebellion, betrayal, tyranny, and imprisonment.

Who is the stranger? Why has he come? What does he want? The island belongs to Samuel now. But what does land mean? Who should own and control it? How far can you go to protect what is yours?

Karen Jennings' An Island explores ideas that are as old as stories themselves—about guilt and fear, friendship and rejection, the meaning of home.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Karen Jennings's An Island has been praised for its chilling and immersive portrayal of Samuel, a lighthouse keeper on a remote island. Reviewers highlight the novel's exploration of themes such as loss, political upheaval, and identity through majestic prose. The book is described as a powerful work that combines political critique with tender narratives, and it is noted for exposing human frailties and the plight of modern refugees. Jennings is applauded for her immaculate narrative craft, which provides a story of striking contrasts and depth.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781922458490

Publisher: Text Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 24 August 2021

Country: Australia

Imprint: The Text Publishing Company

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 14.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 232.0mm

Weight: 259g

Pages: 192

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Karen Jennings Literary Fiction Penguin Books

About the Author

Karen Jennings was born in Cape Town in 1982. She has published five works of fiction (Finding Soutbek, Away from the Dead, Travels with my Father, Upturned Earth and An Island) as well as a collection of poetry, Space Inhabited by Echoes. She divides her time between South Africa and Brazil.

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