The Island

Title: The Island

Author: Olivia Levez
Publisher: Rock the Boat
Publication date: March 2016
Format: Paperback
Source: ARC

Having read a couple of books from Rock the Boat last year I jumped at the chance to receive one of their new books to review. I chose “The Island” because I read “Lord of the Flies” for my GCSE and thought it would be interesting to compare the two.

Frances, “only people I like call me Fran”, has done something terrible. So terrible that, in her own words, she is a monster. She has been given the chance of joining a new project for first time offenders, working with communities on a remote Indonesian island rebuilding their environment whilst learning survival skills. However the tiny plane carrying the group to the island crashes into the sea during a storm. Frances survives the crash and lands alone, or so she thinks, on a deserted island. Having failed to pay attention during the training sessions she struggles at first, but soon discovers an inner strength which helps her to survive and also to come to terms with her past.

At first Frances comes across as an unsympathetic character. She is rude and aggressive to everyone around her, appearing to take pleasure in hurting those who are trying to help her. Then, as the story flashes back and forth, we start to learn about her life before she lands on the island and what has made her into the monster she believes herself to be. As she starts to develop her survival skills she becomes the person she could have been if she had been given a better start in life. There are still flashes of the old aggressive Frances, but these happen less often. She begins to come to terms with what has happened to her and finally has hope for her future.

I loved this book. The writing is poetical and so beautiful. Each chapter is short, sometimes only a couple of lines, but tells you more in a few words than great long paragraphs could. As you get to know Frances you can't help but feel sympathy for her and want her to do well. I so wanted her to make it back so she could have a fresh start back with her beloved little brother. However Levez doesn't take the easy, more obvious options. Some people may be disappointed that there isn't a neat tidy ending, but I think the book is much better for it. I would have felt let down if it had ended any other way. I can't wait to read what Levez has to offer us in the future.