Samar Nosair Nosair itibaren Zhemchuzhne, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrayna itibaren Zhemchuzhne, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrayna

Had a rather hard time in the beginning, with keeping everyone straight and the names/positions/status, but by the end I was laughing out loud so hard I was almost in tears.

The Island is a complex thriller set in an Indian paradise. This novel is told from three viewpoints. Firstly, there is Otto. An eighteen year old boy obsessed with photography and is every part the voyeur. Secondly, there is Charlotte who has been Otto’s best friend for years. She is a very practical person and seemed much more mature than her friend. Thirdly, there is Jen. A one time a girlfriend of Otto’s, she is an ethereal character who exists partly in the real world and partly in a world of spirits, auras and psychic intuition. The Island is really a rather strange and beguiling book. At first, I thought I’d never get beyond the half way point. Otto begins to tell his story. He has arrived in Goa. He has met a British girl called Maria and he lusts after her. The opening chapters are very voyeuristic. Otto is completely self-obsessed and obnoxious. I just couldn’t like him at all and his character viewpoint is so pretentious that it alienated me. But then Maria dies in most mysterious circumstances having stood Otto up. And the story goes back in time to Charlotte’s viewpoint and tells of how she and Otto first met Jen. From there the story was much more engaging. I liked Charlotte. Her viewpoint was much more down to earth and practical. She is hugely frustrated by Otto. She has been in love with him forever but although he notices every other girl who wanders past, he doesn’t see his best friend as a potential love interest. Charlotte is incredibly patient with Otto and essentially waits for the day that he will notice her. Anyway, the three characters plan a trip to India in their gap year and this brings us to the story of Otto and the murder of Maria. The three viewpoints then tend to alternate in the telling of the story of the revellers on the beach and the identity of Maria’s murderer. The Island has a complex structure which moves between the past and the present. It is not the sort of book that you should pick up if you’re after a spot of light humour. It is the sort of book you should pick up if you really want to challenge yourself and do battle with something. You will win the battle if you stick with it. The story is exotic and I loved the location and all the cultural references. It was completely refreshing to read a novel set in India. For all my struggling with the opening, I am so glad that I persisted. Now I’ve finished The Island I’m dying to know what happens next. I want to follow Charlotte’s journey (even if it means I have to read more from Otto’s point of view). The style, the themes and the exoticism of The Island would make it a great adult crossover. An enticing and yet challenging read!