I am so late to two parties. The first is the Elin Hilderbrand party. The Island is the first novel of hers that I read, and I am now a fan. The second is the audiobook party. Who knew that listening to a book in my car during my commute that I am beginning to despise could be both relaxing and entertaining? Oh, you knew? Everyone knows? Did you also know that you can rent audiobooks through your public library with an app on your phone? Oh, you knew that, too? I told you I was late.
Here is a summary of the novel from Amazon:
Birdie Cousins has thrown herself into the details of her daughter Chess's lavish wedding, from the floating dance floor in her Connecticut back yard to the color of the cocktail napkins. Like any mother of a bride-to-be, she is weathering the storms of excitement and chaos, tears and joy. But Birdie, a woman who prides herself on preparing for every possibility, could never have predicted the late-night phone call from Chess, abruptly announcing that she's cancelled her engagement.
It's only the first hint of what will be a summer of upheavals and revelations. Before the dust has even begun to settle, far worse news arrives, sending Chess into a tailspin of despair. Reluctantly taking a break from the first new romance she's embarked on since the recent end of her 30-year marriage, Birdie circles the wagons and enlists the help of her younger daughter Tate and her own sister India. Soon all four are headed for beautiful, rustic Tuckernuck Island, off the coast of Nantucket, where their family has summered for generations. No phones, no television, no grocery store - a place without distractions where they can escape their troubles.
But throw sisters, daughters, ex-lovers, and long-kept secrets onto a remote island, and what might sound like a peaceful getaway becomes much more. Before summer has ended, dramatic truths are uncovered, old loves are rekindled, and new loves make themselves known. It's a summertime story only Elin Hilderbrand can tell, filled with the heartache, laughter, and surprises that have made her page-turning, bestselling novels as much a part of summer as a long afternoon on a sunny beach.
The Island is set on an island (what?!) off of Nantucket. I live in New Hampshire and Cape Cod and the islands have always been a part of my life. So, I was already hooked. This seems like a great beach read, but I have to say this was a great New England winter read, too. I got to pretend that I was on Nantucket in July as I drove through snowstorms and frigid temperatures, while avoiding dirty snow banks.
All four women narrate and all have different issues that bring them to Tuckernuck Island that they have to resolve to be able to move on with their lives. I don’t want to give away too much, but I intently listened to the stories of each of the women and cared about what happened to them.
When I was finished with the book what struck me as odd was that I cared about the stories of all four women equally. I am used to this style of writing, each chapter having a new narrator, not necessarily in any order. I am a fan of Jodi Picoult’s novels and she uses this technique in all of her writing. But sometimes I care more about one character than others. Sometimes I think this is done purposefully by the author, sometimes not. But in The Island, I really liked all of the women, and their stories all resonated with me in some way, even though Birdie and India are old enough to be my mother.
As a woman, I love stories about strong women, women who overcome circumstance, and women who bond with other women. In my life it has been my women who have supported me through my toughest days. I grew up in a female heavy family: my mother, grandmothers, aunt, cousins; so matriarchal actually that the fact that I have two sons and no daughters is still a shock to my system years after I found out the sexes of my children.
I have never been to Tuckernuck Island, although it is a real place. The women in the story again and again talk about the simplicity of it all. This idea was comforting to me. I would love to go off the grid for a bit. I am 38 years old, so although I am plugged in at all times like the rest of the modern world, I clearly remember a time when I was not. When I would ride my bike all around my neighborhood with my friends, only going home when I was tired or hungry. My parents didn’t know where I was, but they trusted that I would make good decisions. They gave me space which in turn gave me independence. I don’t know which childhood is “better”, mine or my sons’, but I know that sometimes I crave a simpler life. I don’t know that my sons will crave that because they will never have known it.
I really enjoyed The Island. I thought about it long after it was over, and I was kind of bummed to lose these women and the island. But, the fact that they had each other made me feel comforted. In a rare occurrence, the characters and the setting of a novel were of equal importance to me.
My novel suggestion: Read it!
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