{"product_id":"an-island-paperback","title":"An Island - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKaren Jennings\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eEDITORS' CHOICE - \u003c\/b\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE - A \"beautifully and sparingly constructed\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e) novel about a lighthouse keeper with a mysterious past, and the stranger who washes up on his shores--\u003ci\u003eAn Island\u003c\/i\u003e is the American debut of a major voice in world literature. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eAn Island\u003c\/i\u003e by Karen Jennings is quite simply a revelation--a ferocious, swift chess game of a novel.\"--Paul Yoon, author of \u003ci\u003eRun Me to Earth\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: \u003ci\u003eVulture\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSamuel has lived alone on an island off the coast of an unnamed African country for more than two decades. He tends to his garden, his lighthouse, and his chickens, content with a solitary life. Routinely, the nameless bodies of refugees wash ashore, but Samuel--who understands that the government only values certain lives, certain deaths--always buries them himself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOne day, though, he finds that one of these bodies is still breathing. As he nurses the stranger back to life, Samuel--feeling strangely threatened--is soon swept up in memories of his former life as a political prisoner on the mainland. This was a life that saw his country exploited under colonial rule, followed by a period of revolution and a brief, hard-won independence--only for the cycle of suffering to continue under a cruel dictator. And he can't help but recall his own shameful role in that history. In this stranger's presence, he begins to consider, as he did in his youth: What does it mean to own land, or to belong to it? And what does it cost to have, and lose, a home? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA timeless and gripping portrait of regret, terror, and the extraordinary stakes of companionship, \u003ci\u003eAn Island\u003c\/i\u003e is a story as page-turning as it is profound.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKaren Jennings\u003c\/b\u003e is a South African writer based in Cape Town. She works in the History Department at the University of Stellenbosch, and particularly on the \"Biography of an Uncharted People\" project. \u003ci\u003eAn Island\u003c\/i\u003e is her American debut.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 224\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 7.9 x 5.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 13, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42175950094471,"sku":"9780593446546","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/cacfcbbad11f923d8d6e27503e9dda4a.webp?v=1733385480","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/an-island-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}