Islands, The: Stories

The Islandsfollows the lives of Jamaican womenimmigrants or the
descendants of immigrantswho have relocated all over the world to escape the ghosts of colonialism on what they call the Island. Set in the United States, Jamaica, and Europe, these international stories examine the lives of anuncertain and unsettled cast of characters. In one story, a woman and herhusband impulsively leave San Francisco and move to Florida with wild dreamsof American reinvention only to unearth the cracks in their marriage.In another, the only Jamaican motherwho is also a touring comedienneat aprep school feels pressure to volunteer in the schools International Day.Meanwhile, in a third story, a travel writer finally connects with the mother who once abandoned her.

Set in locations and times ranging from 1950s London to 1960s Panama tomodern-day New Jersey, Dionne Irving reveals the intricacies of immigration and assimilation in this debut, establishing a new and unforgettable voice inCaribbean-American literature. Restless, displaced, and disconnected, thesecharacters try to ground themselvesto grow where they find themselvesplantedin a world in which the tension between whats said and unsaid canbend the soul.