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Islands
There was a house on a hill in the city and it was full of us, our family, but then it began to empty. We fell out. We made a mess. We draped ourselves in blame and disappointment and lurched around, bumping into each other. Some of us wailed and shouted; some of us barely made a sound. None of us was listening, or paying attention. And in the middle of it all you, very quietly, were gone.
Helen and John are too preoccupied with making a mess of their marriage to notice the quiet ways in which their daughters are suffering. Junie grows up brittle and defensive, Anna difficult and rebellious.
When fifteen-year-old Anna fails to come home one night, her mother's not too worried; Anna's taken off before but always returned. Helen waits three days to report her disappearance.
But this time Anna doesn't come back ...
A spellbinding novel in the tradition of Helen Garner, Charlotte Wood and Georgia Blain, Islands is a riveting and brilliant portrait of a family in crisis by the breathtakingly talented author of House of Sticks and Hope Farm.
Helen and John are too preoccupied with making a mess of their marriage to notice the quiet ways in which their daughters are suffering. Junie grows up brittle and defensive, Anna difficult and rebellious.
When fifteen-year-old Anna fails to come home one night, her mother's not too worried; Anna's taken off before but always returned. Helen waits three days to report her disappearance.
But this time Anna doesn't come back ...
A spellbinding novel in the tradition of Helen Garner, Charlotte Wood and Georgia Blain, Islands is a riveting and brilliant portrait of a family in crisis by the breathtakingly talented author of House of Sticks and Hope Farm.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2019
61 people are currently reading
940 people want to read
About the author
Peggy Frew
7 books96 followersPeggy Frew's debut novel, House of Sticks, won the 2010 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript. Her story 'Home Visit' won The Age short story competition. She has been published in New Australian Stories 2, Kill Your Darlings, The Big Issue, and Meanjin. Peggy is also a member of the critically acclaimed and award-winning Melbourne band Art of Fighting.
Hope Farm is her latest novel, published in 2015.
Hope Farm is her latest novel, published in 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
July 18, 2019
15-year-old Anna is a troubled teen. One night she doesn’t come home and is never seen again. But
Islands
is not just a story about a missing girl. It’s a family drama, one told in and around the negative space that is Anna’s absence.
The chapters range across different time periods and perspectives, sometimes focusing on one of the main characters – Anna’s parents and sister June – and sometimes on a person on the outer periphery, a character who maybe only came into fleeting contact with the family. There’s enough common ground that this definitely feels like a novel, rather than linked short stories, but at times it veers close to crossing that line.
I’m not sure if I will be able to articulate just why Islands worked so well for me, but I wholeheartedly loved it. Peggy Frew’s writing is so skilful and nuanced that the characters felt entirely real. The subject matter makes it sound quite dark, and I suppose it is, but I did not find this to be at all bleak or depressing. It hits just the right bittersweet note, the characters yearning for deeper connections but always holding each other slightly at bay.
Frew is not afraid to take chances with the structure and they really pay off. One chapter, ‘Christmases’, simply describes two different Christmases, two years apart, including the specific gifts exchanged and foods served, purchased when and by whom. The actual dialogue is terse and evasive but there is so much meaning conveyed between the lines. Other sections describe in fine detail the characters’ bedrooms, or June’s paintings, inviting the reader to make their own interpretation of these static images. Frew is judicious in including these detours – most of the novel is conventional narrative – and her more experimental methods are all the better for being used sparingly.
Islands is one of those books that I just connected with at a deeply personal level and it may not have that same magic for everyone. If not, you will still find a wise, absorbing and finely attuned novel by a gifted, sensitive writer. Highly recommended.
The world swarms, and this is just our world, the world of our family, the world of our own making. It exists in us, and in the places where we reach across to each other. The world swarms in every direction. The world swarms, and somewhere you are in it.
The chapters range across different time periods and perspectives, sometimes focusing on one of the main characters – Anna’s parents and sister June – and sometimes on a person on the outer periphery, a character who maybe only came into fleeting contact with the family. There’s enough common ground that this definitely feels like a novel, rather than linked short stories, but at times it veers close to crossing that line.
I’m not sure if I will be able to articulate just why Islands worked so well for me, but I wholeheartedly loved it. Peggy Frew’s writing is so skilful and nuanced that the characters felt entirely real. The subject matter makes it sound quite dark, and I suppose it is, but I did not find this to be at all bleak or depressing. It hits just the right bittersweet note, the characters yearning for deeper connections but always holding each other slightly at bay.
Frew is not afraid to take chances with the structure and they really pay off. One chapter, ‘Christmases’, simply describes two different Christmases, two years apart, including the specific gifts exchanged and foods served, purchased when and by whom. The actual dialogue is terse and evasive but there is so much meaning conveyed between the lines. Other sections describe in fine detail the characters’ bedrooms, or June’s paintings, inviting the reader to make their own interpretation of these static images. Frew is judicious in including these detours – most of the novel is conventional narrative – and her more experimental methods are all the better for being used sparingly.
Islands is one of those books that I just connected with at a deeply personal level and it may not have that same magic for everyone. If not, you will still find a wise, absorbing and finely attuned novel by a gifted, sensitive writer. Highly recommended.
March 30, 2019
3.5★
“Some kind of arrangement. He shies away from the word, from its formality, its conviction. Can’t he – can’t they all – just stay a while longer in the shelter of not-quite, of haven’t-decided, of not-sure?”
Helen’s left, John’s got the girls, school’s about to start, and he doesn’t want to face the changes she’s imposing on the family.
There are a lot of islands in this story, the main one being the real one where much of the story takes place or which connects various characters. Phillip Island, home of famous car and bike races, is just off the coast of Victoria, near Melbourne, Australia. The other islands, I believe, are individuals, couples, and families.
I found the first hundred pages or so confusing, because the various couples didn’t seem to have different enough voices for me to remember which wife was exasperated with or worried about which husband. The time also moves back and forth between youth and old age.
The book opens with June and Paul and their small children who are holidaying on the island. Growing up there, June had vowed to herself she was never going back, but when she met and fell for Paul, guess whose family had a place on the island they always went to holiday?
June's father, John, is the man at the beginning who can't accept a split. His and Helen's love story plays out here and there, often quite sensually, throughout the book. They were committed and openly loving for a long time until Helen got itchy.
John’s mother never could stand Helen, so she was delighted with the separation. She even thought he'd chosen her just to spite his parents. But she knew better.
“But she was jealous, really that was it. What she would have given, to have been allowed Helen’s audacity. To have been allowed to put her brain to use . . . her own face that all her life she’s caught in mirrors with that jaw and those frowning eyes, a face that says, Life has disappointed me.
She was jealous of Helen but she was jealous, too, of the love between Helen and John, that early love, you couldn’t miss it, it was a passion really, a love like a glittering sea.”
The eventual split affects daughters June and younger sister Anna differently. Anna has always been a wild child, an uncontrollable, rebellious spirit, but she is also very clingy with Helen, which Helen seems to love, while June is jealous of the affection her mother is giving her sister. Anna still has a rather childish nature and small childish body at 15, but by then she is skipping school, staying out all night and sometimes longer. Drugs are suspected and one night she doesn’t come back.
June, on the other hand, has been trying to study and finish high school, and she’s furious that her parents, mother in particular, haven’t done more to control Anna. Anna’s disappearance raises all kinds of questions. We meet more people from their past, some from school, some from the island, and others in the family. I enjoyed the portrayals, but I sometimes didn’t know how the people fit into the story. I obviously missed something, sorry.
There’s a part that focuses on June’s work later as an artist, listing various paintings in exhibitions, some of which are solely about Anna and some from the island. About the painting titled “Curves 3” , we are told that the sun is shining from behind, through the figures of two girls in school uniforms.
“A very close inspection reveals that there are in fact three silhouettes; the dresses, which are see-through; the girls’ adolescent bodies with their slight curves of hips and breasts, which are dark but not completely black; and then an innermost silhouette showing smaller, thinner bodies inside the adolescent ones- the girls’ prepubescent bodies, totally opaque.”
And I think that’s also what shows from a close inspection of the book. The girls are made up of all those layers. As I see it, the men are important to the story, but only in how they relate to the women, or control them, in some cases.
It’s a good story with terrific characters, and Frew is quite a writer, but I’m still not satisfied that I understood the relevance of some of the people and circumstances, so I’m rating it lower than I would if I’d been able to follow the story better. I certainly recommend it as worth reading.
Now I'd better have a look at her much acclaimed book Hope Farm. Thanks to Allen & Unwin for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted.
This is a link to an interview with the author where she speaks about the book and her family's connection to the island.
https://www.betterreading.com.au/bett...
“Some kind of arrangement. He shies away from the word, from its formality, its conviction. Can’t he – can’t they all – just stay a while longer in the shelter of not-quite, of haven’t-decided, of not-sure?”
Helen’s left, John’s got the girls, school’s about to start, and he doesn’t want to face the changes she’s imposing on the family.
There are a lot of islands in this story, the main one being the real one where much of the story takes place or which connects various characters. Phillip Island, home of famous car and bike races, is just off the coast of Victoria, near Melbourne, Australia. The other islands, I believe, are individuals, couples, and families.
I found the first hundred pages or so confusing, because the various couples didn’t seem to have different enough voices for me to remember which wife was exasperated with or worried about which husband. The time also moves back and forth between youth and old age.
The book opens with June and Paul and their small children who are holidaying on the island. Growing up there, June had vowed to herself she was never going back, but when she met and fell for Paul, guess whose family had a place on the island they always went to holiday?
June's father, John, is the man at the beginning who can't accept a split. His and Helen's love story plays out here and there, often quite sensually, throughout the book. They were committed and openly loving for a long time until Helen got itchy.
John’s mother never could stand Helen, so she was delighted with the separation. She even thought he'd chosen her just to spite his parents. But she knew better.
“But she was jealous, really that was it. What she would have given, to have been allowed Helen’s audacity. To have been allowed to put her brain to use . . . her own face that all her life she’s caught in mirrors with that jaw and those frowning eyes, a face that says, Life has disappointed me.
She was jealous of Helen but she was jealous, too, of the love between Helen and John, that early love, you couldn’t miss it, it was a passion really, a love like a glittering sea.”
The eventual split affects daughters June and younger sister Anna differently. Anna has always been a wild child, an uncontrollable, rebellious spirit, but she is also very clingy with Helen, which Helen seems to love, while June is jealous of the affection her mother is giving her sister. Anna still has a rather childish nature and small childish body at 15, but by then she is skipping school, staying out all night and sometimes longer. Drugs are suspected and one night she doesn’t come back.
June, on the other hand, has been trying to study and finish high school, and she’s furious that her parents, mother in particular, haven’t done more to control Anna. Anna’s disappearance raises all kinds of questions. We meet more people from their past, some from school, some from the island, and others in the family. I enjoyed the portrayals, but I sometimes didn’t know how the people fit into the story. I obviously missed something, sorry.
There’s a part that focuses on June’s work later as an artist, listing various paintings in exhibitions, some of which are solely about Anna and some from the island. About the painting titled “Curves 3” , we are told that the sun is shining from behind, through the figures of two girls in school uniforms.
“A very close inspection reveals that there are in fact three silhouettes; the dresses, which are see-through; the girls’ adolescent bodies with their slight curves of hips and breasts, which are dark but not completely black; and then an innermost silhouette showing smaller, thinner bodies inside the adolescent ones- the girls’ prepubescent bodies, totally opaque.”
And I think that’s also what shows from a close inspection of the book. The girls are made up of all those layers. As I see it, the men are important to the story, but only in how they relate to the women, or control them, in some cases.
It’s a good story with terrific characters, and Frew is quite a writer, but I’m still not satisfied that I understood the relevance of some of the people and circumstances, so I’m rating it lower than I would if I’d been able to follow the story better. I certainly recommend it as worth reading.
Now I'd better have a look at her much acclaimed book Hope Farm. Thanks to Allen & Unwin for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted.
This is a link to an interview with the author where she speaks about the book and her family's connection to the island.
https://www.betterreading.com.au/bett...
March 28, 2019
I’m actually lost for words when it comes to this book as I really did struggle with it and in part that could’ve just been me and nothing to do with the book at all. I’m sure anyone who enjoys reading, understands there are times a certain book just doesn’t do it for you and for me it was this one. But in saying that there are people who have enjoyed this book, so please don’t let my opinion put you off from reading this book.
Although I found this book to be confusing at times I still look forward to reading more by this author after all Peggy Frew is an Aussie writer and I do like to support them.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my uncorrected proof ARC to read and review.
Although I found this book to be confusing at times I still look forward to reading more by this author after all Peggy Frew is an Aussie writer and I do like to support them.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my uncorrected proof ARC to read and review.
February 21, 2019
Helen and John Worth along with their two daughters Junie and Anna were happy when the children were small. But as they matured, still children, Helen grew restless - unhappy with her lot – she wasn’t getting any younger. So, when Helen left John and started a new relationship, she fractured her family in more ways than one.
With the family in crisis Junie closed up, quiet, defensive, abrupt. Anna rebelled in every way she could. Anna was fifteen when she ran away – but they thought she’d return; she always had. But this time she didn’t…
I found Islands by Aussie author Peggy Frew confusing, rambling and difficult to follow, especially for the first third of the book. The writing is enigmatic but insightful – which of course is contradictory, but that was the way of Islands. The devastation of loss is shown in every move, every breath, especially by John. An intriguing book which wasn’t really for me I’m afraid.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my uncorrected proof ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
With the family in crisis Junie closed up, quiet, defensive, abrupt. Anna rebelled in every way she could. Anna was fifteen when she ran away – but they thought she’d return; she always had. But this time she didn’t…
I found Islands by Aussie author Peggy Frew confusing, rambling and difficult to follow, especially for the first third of the book. The writing is enigmatic but insightful – which of course is contradictory, but that was the way of Islands. The devastation of loss is shown in every move, every breath, especially by John. An intriguing book which wasn’t really for me I’m afraid.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my uncorrected proof ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
June 24, 2020
Shortlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin Award.
4.5 Stars!
Islands is about the disintegration of a marriage and how it affects the whole family. We see the decline and eventual collapse of the marriage and family from all perspectives. The mother who has fallen out of love with the father and wants to move on with her new love. The father who still very much loves his wife and cannot accept the fact that the marriage is over. He spirals into depression dragging the daughters down with him. Both parents seem to have no clue of the terrible harm they are doing to their own flesh and blood, their two daughters. The father seems more concerned about being viewed as a cuckold and pitied, not once stopping to consider the far more direr ramifications the split will have on his daughters. Does he care, or is he simply wrapped up in a coil of self-misery.
Frew uses many different structures and techniques to tell the narrative. This is not a book that you can just read whimsically, if you do you may find yourself lost. Frew will take the reader back and forth in time, will tell the narrative from the multiple perspectives of the family but also sparingly other characters who play integral parts in the overall narrative. Frew will jump from first to third person perspective. But what makes this interesting is she will also use techniques such as a list of paintings which propel the narrative along. An interview with the father from an unknown source, possibly a psychiatrist of counsellor, where the reader is only privy to the father’s answers. Lists of Christmas presents which are presented from year to year, with the presents becoming fewer and cheaper. These techniques add so much to the book and they all work marvellously.
The novel’s title refers to the Island that the family lives on, but I think it also refers to each of the family members being an “island” separate and individual from the family. When Helen falls out of love with John, it affects each of the family members differently. As with most separations the split is far from amicable and John still very much loves Helen. It is this love which blinds him to the terrible damage that is being done to both of the daughters, especially Anna, who we learn early in the novel has disappeared, and after many years, hope has dwindled to any of them ever seeing her again.
Frew does a wonderful job of showing all the perspectives and the misconceptions the family have of one another. Nothing is totally as it seems, and there is no real blame to be doled out. Life happens, people marry young, and separations occur, however it is extremely hard, difficult, for the young daughters to understand, and June in particular, bitterly blames her mother.
Frew also explores the difference of the family unit from generations past. Generations where separation and divorce were not as prevalent as they are now. With unhappy wives and husbands neglecting their own dreams and desires for the sake of the coherence of the family. Secretly John’s mother is jealous of Helen leaving in pursuit of her own happiness. Jealous that she never made the same move, but times were different.
I enjoyed this novel tremendously, the fallout of the marriage breakup, and how each member deals with the separation in their own way, and how the separation, perhaps without them truly knowing it, moulds them into the people they are, some for the better, some for the worse, The bitterness and ill feelings that fester like a cancerous tumour over time when not approached and dealt with. The different techniques Frew uses, especially the list of paintings of Anna, I thought that was quite brilliant. The difference between the generations of the families, the resentment and jealousy. And finally, the ending.
A great read that would be a worthy Miles Franklin winner. 4.5 Stars.
4.5 Stars!
Islands is about the disintegration of a marriage and how it affects the whole family. We see the decline and eventual collapse of the marriage and family from all perspectives. The mother who has fallen out of love with the father and wants to move on with her new love. The father who still very much loves his wife and cannot accept the fact that the marriage is over. He spirals into depression dragging the daughters down with him. Both parents seem to have no clue of the terrible harm they are doing to their own flesh and blood, their two daughters. The father seems more concerned about being viewed as a cuckold and pitied, not once stopping to consider the far more direr ramifications the split will have on his daughters. Does he care, or is he simply wrapped up in a coil of self-misery.
Frew uses many different structures and techniques to tell the narrative. This is not a book that you can just read whimsically, if you do you may find yourself lost. Frew will take the reader back and forth in time, will tell the narrative from the multiple perspectives of the family but also sparingly other characters who play integral parts in the overall narrative. Frew will jump from first to third person perspective. But what makes this interesting is she will also use techniques such as a list of paintings which propel the narrative along. An interview with the father from an unknown source, possibly a psychiatrist of counsellor, where the reader is only privy to the father’s answers. Lists of Christmas presents which are presented from year to year, with the presents becoming fewer and cheaper. These techniques add so much to the book and they all work marvellously.
The novel’s title refers to the Island that the family lives on, but I think it also refers to each of the family members being an “island” separate and individual from the family. When Helen falls out of love with John, it affects each of the family members differently. As with most separations the split is far from amicable and John still very much loves Helen. It is this love which blinds him to the terrible damage that is being done to both of the daughters, especially Anna, who we learn early in the novel has disappeared, and after many years, hope has dwindled to any of them ever seeing her again.
Frew does a wonderful job of showing all the perspectives and the misconceptions the family have of one another. Nothing is totally as it seems, and there is no real blame to be doled out. Life happens, people marry young, and separations occur, however it is extremely hard, difficult, for the young daughters to understand, and June in particular, bitterly blames her mother.
Frew also explores the difference of the family unit from generations past. Generations where separation and divorce were not as prevalent as they are now. With unhappy wives and husbands neglecting their own dreams and desires for the sake of the coherence of the family. Secretly John’s mother is jealous of Helen leaving in pursuit of her own happiness. Jealous that she never made the same move, but times were different.
I enjoyed this novel tremendously, the fallout of the marriage breakup, and how each member deals with the separation in their own way, and how the separation, perhaps without them truly knowing it, moulds them into the people they are, some for the better, some for the worse, The bitterness and ill feelings that fester like a cancerous tumour over time when not approached and dealt with. The different techniques Frew uses, especially the list of paintings of Anna, I thought that was quite brilliant. The difference between the generations of the families, the resentment and jealousy. And finally, the ending.
A great read that would be a worthy Miles Franklin winner. 4.5 Stars.
February 6, 2019
Islands is the third novel by award-winning Australian author, Peggy Frew. At fifteen, Anna Worth is a rather troubled teen whose rebellious behaviour irritates and exasperates those around her. But when she leaves her mother’s home in December 1994, and does not return, the effect on her family is more far-reaching than any of them could have predicted.
Her father John, already traumatised by the break-up of his marriage, initially fixates on the search for his daughter. Anna haunts her sister June’s colourful and oftimes confronting paintings. And her mother Helen finds herself virtually estranged from her remaining daughter. Her grandmother, the island community and many who knew her are affected to a greater or lesser extent.
Multiple narrators relate the events surrounding Anna’s disappearance, and the aftermath. Frew uses a number of different formats apart from the conventional narrative: brochure-like descriptions of June’s deeply-personal artworks; diary entries from Lindsay’s short stay at Monica and Greg’s island cottage; transcripts of John’s replies to a psychologist’s questions; summaries of selected Christmas Days that detail gifts, food, dialogue and descriptions of bedrooms; the fragmented stream-of-consciousness of an observant dune-dweller; the last thoughts of a woman dying of a stroke; and what are perhaps Anna’s thoughts at a place she often visited to escape and be alone.
The story does tend to flit about from present to past, giving it a rather disjointed feel at times, but those forays into the past serve to explain the mindset of key characters and perhaps examine the source of their very human flaws. There are not a lot of likeable characters here. Frew gives the reader beautiful descriptive prose and she easily conveys her setting and the era. Rather than being tied up neatly in a bow, the ending realistically demonstrates what is often the outcome in the case of a missing loved one. A thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Allen & Unwin.
Her father John, already traumatised by the break-up of his marriage, initially fixates on the search for his daughter. Anna haunts her sister June’s colourful and oftimes confronting paintings. And her mother Helen finds herself virtually estranged from her remaining daughter. Her grandmother, the island community and many who knew her are affected to a greater or lesser extent.
Multiple narrators relate the events surrounding Anna’s disappearance, and the aftermath. Frew uses a number of different formats apart from the conventional narrative: brochure-like descriptions of June’s deeply-personal artworks; diary entries from Lindsay’s short stay at Monica and Greg’s island cottage; transcripts of John’s replies to a psychologist’s questions; summaries of selected Christmas Days that detail gifts, food, dialogue and descriptions of bedrooms; the fragmented stream-of-consciousness of an observant dune-dweller; the last thoughts of a woman dying of a stroke; and what are perhaps Anna’s thoughts at a place she often visited to escape and be alone.
The story does tend to flit about from present to past, giving it a rather disjointed feel at times, but those forays into the past serve to explain the mindset of key characters and perhaps examine the source of their very human flaws. There are not a lot of likeable characters here. Frew gives the reader beautiful descriptive prose and she easily conveys her setting and the era. Rather than being tied up neatly in a bow, the ending realistically demonstrates what is often the outcome in the case of a missing loved one. A thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Allen & Unwin.
March 20, 2019
I took a while to get into this - I'd recommend starting it when you've got a good chunk of time to commit so you can straighten out who all the characters are and their relationships. I was sneaking in bursts of 10 pages here and there and it took me until about a quarter of the way in to really figure out what was going on.
This is because Frew uses lots of shifts in perspective to tell this story - it jumps around in time, some chapters are narrated by characters who have just tangential interactions with key characters etc etc. The structure's fluid, so you've gotta pay attention. It's well worth the effort though - this is a brilliant story of family life and the ways in which tragedies press on existing fractures between people. It's definitely Frew's most ambitious book so far and I think probably her most successful.
(Having said all of that, the 2 sections that were descriptions of artworks just reinforced how 'unvisual' I am as a reader - completely wasted on me)
This is because Frew uses lots of shifts in perspective to tell this story - it jumps around in time, some chapters are narrated by characters who have just tangential interactions with key characters etc etc. The structure's fluid, so you've gotta pay attention. It's well worth the effort though - this is a brilliant story of family life and the ways in which tragedies press on existing fractures between people. It's definitely Frew's most ambitious book so far and I think probably her most successful.
(Having said all of that, the 2 sections that were descriptions of artworks just reinforced how 'unvisual' I am as a reader - completely wasted on me)
February 7, 2019
This is an elegant, absorbing novel in which a family is deconstructed into it's individual parts, each family member an island in themselves, each revolving futilely out of arms reach of the other family members. It is a novel full of longing and self doubt, but it is also strikingly sympathetic to all the people whose lives we read about.
Set between Melbourne and 'the Island' (which can only be Phillip Island, I believe), Helen and John Worth's marriage is falling apart, their daughters, Anna and Judith are carried along in the experience futilely, and John's mother who lives on the island is present to get in a few digs at the ex-daughter in law she never liked.
As well as being between places, 'Islands' is set between times, the different times are like small vignettes, strung like beads. Together they give us a complete story through lots of small bright images, but the images are not necessarily continuous or connected.
A tiny view of Anna and Judith watching their mother before the divorce links to Judith as a brittle, semi-dysfunctional young woman and then further on, as a mother. Just when you think you know who Helen is - a woman who cheated on her husband - we see the child Helen and her parents and everything we thought we knew about her comes apart. I loved the treatment of the characters! Judith is kind of a primary character because she is continuous through the time frame. we see the divorce through her eyes, we follow her resentment of her mother, her struggles with her own marriage and her inability to cope with her background. On the other hand, the story also revolves around her sister Anna, who at the age of fifteen vanished, never to be seen again. Rather than treating the disappearance more traditionally. with emotions and searches and consequences, Frew chose to reveal it slowly. We slowly learn bits and hints about the event and it's repercussions, the toll it exacted on the different family members. Coyly and elusively we learn a little more about Anna here, a tidbit about Judith's relationship with her there. This is very much a character driven story, but we learn about the characters from their own internal reference points, they each remain strangely isolated from all their contacts in the story.
One of the things that was most enchanting about this book was how intensely, seemingly effortlessly visual, the reading experience was. I felt I would recognise the spots on the Island if I ever happened to visit them. I felt I could see and smell the forest path described in the last chapters. The descriptiveness was quite lovely, amazingly easy to internalise and a joy to read.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it totally engrossed me during the reading, I do have a couple of mild criticisms they are spoilers, so maybe read the book (you won't regret it) then come back and we can chat about them...
I did feel that the notion of Judith as an artist could have used more attention rather than getting left behind. The sections in which are exhibitions, describing paintings was a stunningly visual and amazingly effective way of revealing Judith's inner journey and feelings. I felt that those sections gave an emotional depth both to Judith herself as well as to Anna, to the whole family even, that nothing else could have done quite as effectively.
This book really left me thinking about it, as well as absorbing me while reading it. I will definitely re-read it after it has sunk in a bit more, I am sure I will find more within it upon re-reading.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin for this brilliant advance copy.
Set between Melbourne and 'the Island' (which can only be Phillip Island, I believe), Helen and John Worth's marriage is falling apart, their daughters, Anna and Judith are carried along in the experience futilely, and John's mother who lives on the island is present to get in a few digs at the ex-daughter in law she never liked.
As well as being between places, 'Islands' is set between times, the different times are like small vignettes, strung like beads. Together they give us a complete story through lots of small bright images, but the images are not necessarily continuous or connected.
A tiny view of Anna and Judith watching their mother before the divorce links to Judith as a brittle, semi-dysfunctional young woman and then further on, as a mother. Just when you think you know who Helen is - a woman who cheated on her husband - we see the child Helen and her parents and everything we thought we knew about her comes apart. I loved the treatment of the characters! Judith is kind of a primary character because she is continuous through the time frame. we see the divorce through her eyes, we follow her resentment of her mother, her struggles with her own marriage and her inability to cope with her background. On the other hand, the story also revolves around her sister Anna, who at the age of fifteen vanished, never to be seen again. Rather than treating the disappearance more traditionally. with emotions and searches and consequences, Frew chose to reveal it slowly. We slowly learn bits and hints about the event and it's repercussions, the toll it exacted on the different family members. Coyly and elusively we learn a little more about Anna here, a tidbit about Judith's relationship with her there. This is very much a character driven story, but we learn about the characters from their own internal reference points, they each remain strangely isolated from all their contacts in the story.
One of the things that was most enchanting about this book was how intensely, seemingly effortlessly visual, the reading experience was. I felt I would recognise the spots on the Island if I ever happened to visit them. I felt I could see and smell the forest path described in the last chapters. The descriptiveness was quite lovely, amazingly easy to internalise and a joy to read.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it totally engrossed me during the reading, I do have a couple of mild criticisms they are spoilers, so maybe read the book (you won't regret it) then come back and we can chat about them...
I did feel that the notion of Judith as an artist could have used more attention rather than getting left behind. The sections in which are exhibitions, describing paintings was a stunningly visual and amazingly effective way of revealing Judith's inner journey and feelings. I felt that those sections gave an emotional depth both to Judith herself as well as to Anna, to the whole family even, that nothing else could have done quite as effectively.
This book really left me thinking about it, as well as absorbing me while reading it. I will definitely re-read it after it has sunk in a bit more, I am sure I will find more within it upon re-reading.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin for this brilliant advance copy.
March 25, 2019
Oh wow!!! WOW... So many layers, such brilliant ways of informing the characters... I must re-read soon, as I am so amazed at the jigsaw style flagged by the cover, and such fun to have an OZ tv series referenced. Ocean Girl not only also had the theme of looking for a missing sister, and thrilled me because a young friend of mine Jaclyn Prince had one of the starring roles, and it was filmed in Port Douglas , 90 klms from where I then lived. The idea of getting the visuals of the paintings to lend the "a picture is worth a 1000 words", is a stunning, trope. WORKED FOR ME !! My own sister was 'lost', by her choice, and 20 years later, I had to go for counselling to let go of the anger. This trait had a profound effect on my own daughter.
All the 'extra' characters some of the reviewers didn't like, I found very informative to June's state of mind. The explanation of why Helen was like she was, was very telling, too. All I can say is, I was THRILLED with this book, on so many levels.
All the 'extra' characters some of the reviewers didn't like, I found very informative to June's state of mind. The explanation of why Helen was like she was, was very telling, too. All I can say is, I was THRILLED with this book, on so many levels.
February 23, 2019
A fragmentary and somewhat dreamy book about a family unravelling, Frew had me captured from her first words. This is confident and bold storytelling and quite possibly her best book yet. My two favourite books of the year so far are by Australian women and I cannot tell you how happy this makes me.
August 30, 2019
Islands is a confusing, disjointed story about the disappearance of a 15 year old girl. This is my first time reading something by Peggy Frew so I wasn't sure what to expect. With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC.
March 3, 2019
Islands (Allen & Unwin Books 2019) by Peggy Frew, the author of Hope Farm and House of Sticks, is yet another example of this writer’s skill in reproducing a finely-drawn and nuanced portrait of a family in crisis. At the centre of the story is Anna, a rebellious and aloof adolescent, who disappears when she is 15. Surrounding her are her parents, Helen and John, whose marriage is falling apart, and her older sister Junie, who grows into a disillusioned and defensive woman who puts up walls around her emotions and cannot understand how everything went so wrong. When Anna goes missing, Helen doesn’t report it for three days. When she fails to come back, all of their lives are irrevocably changed.
The most fascinating thing about this novel is the structure – we are given perspectives on Anna’s disappearance from the people close to her (her family, her friends) and also people on the periphery of her life, even some who have only played a bit part. And the perspectives jump around in time, from memories of when the girls were young, to June as a mother, to Helen’s early life, to Helen’s later life with her new partner, Dev. There is a chapter entirely devoted to descriptions of June’s paintings (she is an artist and her work often features her vanished sister); there is a chapter about their life at their grandmother’s house on the island of their childhood. Some chapters explore June’s adult relationships. Some are entirely descriptions of Anna or Helen or June; some are beautifully-rendered depictions of nature and the environment and landscape.
This is a novel written in literary prose that pays more heed to language, characterisation and setting than it does to plot. The underlying story is there, but it is overlaid with such gorgeous description, such rhythmic and poetic words, such deep insight into the characters and their motivations and interior lives, that the details of the plot itself are almost superfluous. This is a book in which to become lost, a book with such a microscopic focus on the interiority of its characters that they appear real and familiar.
The most fascinating thing about this novel is the structure – we are given perspectives on Anna’s disappearance from the people close to her (her family, her friends) and also people on the periphery of her life, even some who have only played a bit part. And the perspectives jump around in time, from memories of when the girls were young, to June as a mother, to Helen’s early life, to Helen’s later life with her new partner, Dev. There is a chapter entirely devoted to descriptions of June’s paintings (she is an artist and her work often features her vanished sister); there is a chapter about their life at their grandmother’s house on the island of their childhood. Some chapters explore June’s adult relationships. Some are entirely descriptions of Anna or Helen or June; some are beautifully-rendered depictions of nature and the environment and landscape.
This is a novel written in literary prose that pays more heed to language, characterisation and setting than it does to plot. The underlying story is there, but it is overlaid with such gorgeous description, such rhythmic and poetic words, such deep insight into the characters and their motivations and interior lives, that the details of the plot itself are almost superfluous. This is a book in which to become lost, a book with such a microscopic focus on the interiority of its characters that they appear real and familiar.
February 28, 2019
I didn't read Peggy Frew's Hope Farm but heard a lot about it so was keen to read her new release, Islands.
And - I won't dilly dally here - but I struggled. Frew's writing is beautiful. Amazing. Poetic. But ultimately confusing.
Her prose grabbed me from the beginning.
"The fears that belonged there lay partway submerged, like the cold dark dirt that was under the sand of the path, if you dug down. They came out at night, with the raking of the leaves of the lemon-scented gum on the roof, the patter of seedpods, the voices of adults from the other room. They were soft-edged, tapering, and they shrank in the daytime almost to nothing.
But this, now, is the coastline of her adult life. She is on the other side, booming and rough. Night and day this side whips with raw wind, it hectors and shouts; it does not rest, nor let her rest. " p 11
The plot itself was interesting, though I tend to appreciate more closure than we're offered here. And though I followed it, the timeline was a tad confusing and seemed a little disjointed.
I didn't really feel as if I had enough time with any of the characters to really engage with them and Frew seemed to introduce others who seemed kinda redundant. Neighbours from the island who are introduced but then don't reappear. It's a lot to absorb sometimes and we feel cheated when they end up being of little consequence.
Of course, as I said... overall I think it was a bit too obscure or esoteric (for my prosaic tastes) but I really did appreciate Frew's stunning writing.
"She was hungry for a certain kind of wastedness. Not for oblivion, and not for escape either. He, having only a blind and one-dimensional intimacy with his own need, felt wary when faced with hers - there was a nuance there, there was, dare he call it, sophistication. Heightening, that's what she was after." p 213
3.5 stars
** I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes**
And - I won't dilly dally here - but I struggled. Frew's writing is beautiful. Amazing. Poetic. But ultimately confusing.
Her prose grabbed me from the beginning.
"The fears that belonged there lay partway submerged, like the cold dark dirt that was under the sand of the path, if you dug down. They came out at night, with the raking of the leaves of the lemon-scented gum on the roof, the patter of seedpods, the voices of adults from the other room. They were soft-edged, tapering, and they shrank in the daytime almost to nothing.
But this, now, is the coastline of her adult life. She is on the other side, booming and rough. Night and day this side whips with raw wind, it hectors and shouts; it does not rest, nor let her rest. " p 11
The plot itself was interesting, though I tend to appreciate more closure than we're offered here. And though I followed it, the timeline was a tad confusing and seemed a little disjointed.
I didn't really feel as if I had enough time with any of the characters to really engage with them and Frew seemed to introduce others who seemed kinda redundant. Neighbours from the island who are introduced but then don't reappear. It's a lot to absorb sometimes and we feel cheated when they end up being of little consequence.
Of course, as I said... overall I think it was a bit too obscure or esoteric (for my prosaic tastes) but I really did appreciate Frew's stunning writing.
"She was hungry for a certain kind of wastedness. Not for oblivion, and not for escape either. He, having only a blind and one-dimensional intimacy with his own need, felt wary when faced with hers - there was a nuance there, there was, dare he call it, sophistication. Heightening, that's what she was after." p 213
3.5 stars
** I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes**
April 7, 2019
DNF I struggled with the deconstructed writing style. I figured by page 80 if I wasn't into the story it was time to give up. The prose is elegant, but I did not enjoy the shifting in time, characters and story. I'm sure it was all going to come together and make sense, but in some chapters I didn't know who was being referred to. This one was not for me.
May 16, 2019
‘You were a girl, a sister and a daughter, and we knew you. At least we thought we did.’
Anna is at the centre of this novel. Anna is a difficult child, a rebellious adolescent, who disappears when she is 15. Anna’s parents are Helen and John, her older sister is Junie. So why did Anna disappear, and what impact has her disappearance had on those who knew her?
I found this a challenging novel to read: each chapter provides a different perspective, a different viewpoint by those who knew Anna. The chapters are not necessarily chronological and not all (directly) about Anna. But through these different perspectives, a disjointed narrative emerges, one which reinforces the sense of people (as well as places) being islands.
We see Helen and John when they are young and falling in love, we witness the breakdown of their marriage. Anna and Junie chose to live with different parents. We see Junie and Anna as children, we see Junie trying to build defences against her emotions, her life blighted by Anna’s disappearance. We see impact and effect; we can speculate as to cause. There is loss in this novel, pain and suffering. The breakdown of relationships, Anna’s disappearance, the guilt.
‘But these were small islands in the sea of demands.’
I finished this novel feeling quite unsettled. Ms Frew has created characters I felt I know (even if I find it difficult to relate to some of their actions). I wanted to step into the novel and intervene. I wanted to shake Helen and John, to listen to Anna and Junie, to try to change the future. And that is what has stayed with me: not the story so much as the characters.
‘Islands’ is Ms Frew’s third novel.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Anna is at the centre of this novel. Anna is a difficult child, a rebellious adolescent, who disappears when she is 15. Anna’s parents are Helen and John, her older sister is Junie. So why did Anna disappear, and what impact has her disappearance had on those who knew her?
I found this a challenging novel to read: each chapter provides a different perspective, a different viewpoint by those who knew Anna. The chapters are not necessarily chronological and not all (directly) about Anna. But through these different perspectives, a disjointed narrative emerges, one which reinforces the sense of people (as well as places) being islands.
We see Helen and John when they are young and falling in love, we witness the breakdown of their marriage. Anna and Junie chose to live with different parents. We see Junie and Anna as children, we see Junie trying to build defences against her emotions, her life blighted by Anna’s disappearance. We see impact and effect; we can speculate as to cause. There is loss in this novel, pain and suffering. The breakdown of relationships, Anna’s disappearance, the guilt.
‘But these were small islands in the sea of demands.’
I finished this novel feeling quite unsettled. Ms Frew has created characters I felt I know (even if I find it difficult to relate to some of their actions). I wanted to step into the novel and intervene. I wanted to shake Helen and John, to listen to Anna and Junie, to try to change the future. And that is what has stayed with me: not the story so much as the characters.
‘Islands’ is Ms Frew’s third novel.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
May 23, 2025
Islands by Peggy Frew
No man is an island, or so the saying goes. But these characters are definitely islands unable to connect no matter how close their proximity and no matter how the tides of their lives ebb and flow around them. I was struck by how wisely observed they are by the author either while in a character's head or through brief interactions with other characters they bump into in moments of their lives that we all may face.
Each chapter gives us a different observation of a character in the story and another opportunity for empathy in the way they go about their lives, but it is never forced.
There are passages in this book that are so finely observed, they will stay with me for a long while.
Much of the story is contemporary but also timeless. Moments brought back vivid recollections of my own life almost as if the author was there, even though I haven't had to face the unfathomable disappearance of someone in my immediate family. Perhaps there is an echo left in my life by the disappearance of my mother's father when she was a child and the 'where is he now' musings that would cross my mind, as a teenager, of my cousin who was adopted out as a baby. Perhaps in all our lives people come and go, not always with an explanation that we find easy to reconcile. Plenty of food for thought, isn't that something that all good literary fiction gives us.
I'm very pleased I was given the opportunity by Allen and Unwin to read Islands as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Islands is due for release in March 2019.
No man is an island, or so the saying goes. But these characters are definitely islands unable to connect no matter how close their proximity and no matter how the tides of their lives ebb and flow around them. I was struck by how wisely observed they are by the author either while in a character's head or through brief interactions with other characters they bump into in moments of their lives that we all may face.
Each chapter gives us a different observation of a character in the story and another opportunity for empathy in the way they go about their lives, but it is never forced.
There are passages in this book that are so finely observed, they will stay with me for a long while.
Much of the story is contemporary but also timeless. Moments brought back vivid recollections of my own life almost as if the author was there, even though I haven't had to face the unfathomable disappearance of someone in my immediate family. Perhaps there is an echo left in my life by the disappearance of my mother's father when she was a child and the 'where is he now' musings that would cross my mind, as a teenager, of my cousin who was adopted out as a baby. Perhaps in all our lives people come and go, not always with an explanation that we find easy to reconcile. Plenty of food for thought, isn't that something that all good literary fiction gives us.
I'm very pleased I was given the opportunity by Allen and Unwin to read Islands as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Islands is due for release in March 2019.
July 11, 2020
This is my second Peggy Frew novel following on from her earlier
Hope Farm
which I enjoyed for its fine portrayal of the less than perfect relationship between a young girl and her mother who is something of a hippy and definitely not your ‘run of the mill’ Mum.
All is not plain sailing either for the young women whose stories are at the heart of Islands. Less than positive family dynamics, not just in a nuclear family but throughout generations, are a definite feature of the Islands narrative. I was perplexed to see that the young women in successive generations seemed to view their lives as imperfect not through any fault of their own but because of the shortcomings of their parents and the choices they had made.
The parts of the narrative dealing with the tensions between generations are easy to follow and as noted above, the motivations and thinking of individual characters come through loud and clear. It is in those parts of the novel dealing with the mysterious disappearance of the young daughter Anna which were often veiled in language and images so poetic that I too felt lost – perhaps that is just what Peggy Frew intended but for me the poetic nature of the writing in these sections detracted from my understanding and enjoyment of the novel as a whole.
Peggy Frew’s Islands has been shortlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin Literary Award.
All is not plain sailing either for the young women whose stories are at the heart of Islands. Less than positive family dynamics, not just in a nuclear family but throughout generations, are a definite feature of the Islands narrative. I was perplexed to see that the young women in successive generations seemed to view their lives as imperfect not through any fault of their own but because of the shortcomings of their parents and the choices they had made.
The parts of the narrative dealing with the tensions between generations are easy to follow and as noted above, the motivations and thinking of individual characters come through loud and clear. It is in those parts of the novel dealing with the mysterious disappearance of the young daughter Anna which were often veiled in language and images so poetic that I too felt lost – perhaps that is just what Peggy Frew intended but for me the poetic nature of the writing in these sections detracted from my understanding and enjoyment of the novel as a whole.
Peggy Frew’s Islands has been shortlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin Literary Award.
April 28, 2019
This book started as a two star and finished a solid four.
The shifts in time and point of view didn’t work for me in the first half of the book. I was floundering without any rhythm and spending more time working out who and where I was than developing empathy for the characters. However I loved the second half of the book where there were longer passages with each character and I really felt like I could feel their pain and confusion. Part three about Helen’s childhood absolutely joined the dots for understanding why they all reacted to the family crisis in the way they did.
The shifts in time and point of view didn’t work for me in the first half of the book. I was floundering without any rhythm and spending more time working out who and where I was than developing empathy for the characters. However I loved the second half of the book where there were longer passages with each character and I really felt like I could feel their pain and confusion. Part three about Helen’s childhood absolutely joined the dots for understanding why they all reacted to the family crisis in the way they did.
May 12, 2019
I struggled with this one. It reads like a series of creative writing pieces revolving around the event of Anne who goes missing at the age of 15. The book might have worked better if it was a series of short stories that all are linked through the characters. Instead there is a mishmash of points of views, jumps in time and places, and many changes in style and structure. While the book focus of the parents and Anne's sister, some other characters appear only once and are given their own chapter. The writing is impressive but it just didn't work for me.
July 26, 2020
Having previously read Hope Farm by Peggy Frew and seeing that it was nominated for Australia's top prize the Miles Franklin award this year, I was quite looking forward to this book.
It is the very sad and incredible journey of a family living outside Melbourne, mostly from the oldest daughter's viewpoint, but also from both her parents and assorted views from others, including one strange rambling chapter from the Grandmother who is dying with dementia. The story centres on the younger daughter going missing at 15 and everyone's experience in dealing with this and the family breakup leading up to it.
The writing at times is extraordinary and painfully engaging, yet I took what should have been a five star read down to 4 because of the disjointed dialogue, mixed time frame, where it took nearly half the book to really have any idea as to what was happening and who was the voice. So very frustrating at times to read, which took away from the total impact of this very powerful story.
It is the very sad and incredible journey of a family living outside Melbourne, mostly from the oldest daughter's viewpoint, but also from both her parents and assorted views from others, including one strange rambling chapter from the Grandmother who is dying with dementia. The story centres on the younger daughter going missing at 15 and everyone's experience in dealing with this and the family breakup leading up to it.
The writing at times is extraordinary and painfully engaging, yet I took what should have been a five star read down to 4 because of the disjointed dialogue, mixed time frame, where it took nearly half the book to really have any idea as to what was happening and who was the voice. So very frustrating at times to read, which took away from the total impact of this very powerful story.
March 15, 2019
What I would call a staccato read. The device of changing voices got a little bit distracting, I felt like I was starting again in many chapters, I wasn't sure whose point of view I was reading. Perhaps that was part of the how it was meant to make you feel unsettled. The inner emotional workings of each character is very in depth, each with their own pain and dealing with it differently. I didn't connect with the characters, but that was ok, perhaps that was part of how you were meant to feel too.
December 19, 2022
I loved the writing style and the easy flow of the words onto the page. She writes about families gone wrong and the damage done that goes on to other generations.
November 17, 2019
3.5 It took me a while to get used to the author's style of writing but once I did I really enjoyed it. The story was told from several points of view, which I never found confusing, as each of their 'voices' were distinctly individual. I loved the different formats used within the book to tell the story.
I will definitely be reading more of this author's work. With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC to read and review.
I will definitely be reading more of this author's work. With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC to read and review.
May 10, 2019
In depth ★★★★½
Islands is a rich, perceptive novel told in fragments, where Frew burrows into the heart of families and loss. Hope Farm is one of my favourite Australian novels, and Islands reinforces Frew's status as one of our country's finest literary talents.
The novel paints a portrait of Anna in the vacuum left by her disappearance. We see her from the perspective of her family members, acquaintances and other bystanders, and watch the ripple effects as their lives carry on. We are soaked in memories - sometimes tender, sometimes anger-laden, often conflicting - of who each thought Anna was, and her form is shaped by their narratives.
Don't come looking for plot - Frew's fascination is with the inability to grasp or pin down events, and as a result she presents us with a thematically-rich character study, full of the ambiguity of memory. That's not to say nothing happens, but events are only of interest in terms of how they shift our perceptions and understanding of the characters. For example, we only care about Helen's spartan, unsupervised upbringing as a way of reevaluating her hedonism, as a way of understanding her relationship with her daughter Anna.
Thus, even in its structure, Islands is telling us something. The fragmented chapters, ring-fenced attempts by characters to remember or understand, represent the way a life can be shattered by tragedy - the way our stories can harden, soften or fade. They also show how divisive loss can be. This is played out in the relationships between Anna's sister June and her parents in the text, and mirrored by the gaps between their chapters. This brings Islands into the company of Ali Smith's How to be Both and Max Porter's Lanny, whose structures both articulate their authors' ideas and messages.
The most obvious comparison, though, is to Jon McGregor's Reservoir 13. What distinguishes Islands (which I greatly preferred) is Frew's willingness to let us enter the emotional fray with June, Helen, John (Anna's father), and everyone who is not Anna. We can be enfolded in the humanity of their experience, whereas I felt McGregor left us out in the cold as the seasons turned.
But, like McGregor's, reading Frew's writing is a masterclass in building exquisite sentences into a novel. I had the privilege of hearing her speak at Sydney Writers' Festival recently and she commented that she is a slow writer, working to get every sentence right before moving on. This effort shows, with words polished and perfectly-placed throughout.
I found the final chapter particularly moving - without spoilers, Frew knows exactly how to end this amorphous tale. As close a representation of real life as anything I've read in recent years, this is a novel that I know I will come back to. Islands rewards focused reading, and you'll get the most out of it if you surrender to it's cumulative vision with abandon.
Recommended if you liked: Reservoir 13, The World Without Us
I received a copy of Islands from Allen and Unwin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Islands is a rich, perceptive novel told in fragments, where Frew burrows into the heart of families and loss. Hope Farm is one of my favourite Australian novels, and Islands reinforces Frew's status as one of our country's finest literary talents.
The novel paints a portrait of Anna in the vacuum left by her disappearance. We see her from the perspective of her family members, acquaintances and other bystanders, and watch the ripple effects as their lives carry on. We are soaked in memories - sometimes tender, sometimes anger-laden, often conflicting - of who each thought Anna was, and her form is shaped by their narratives.
Don't come looking for plot - Frew's fascination is with the inability to grasp or pin down events, and as a result she presents us with a thematically-rich character study, full of the ambiguity of memory. That's not to say nothing happens, but events are only of interest in terms of how they shift our perceptions and understanding of the characters. For example, we only care about Helen's spartan, unsupervised upbringing as a way of reevaluating her hedonism, as a way of understanding her relationship with her daughter Anna.
Thus, even in its structure, Islands is telling us something. The fragmented chapters, ring-fenced attempts by characters to remember or understand, represent the way a life can be shattered by tragedy - the way our stories can harden, soften or fade. They also show how divisive loss can be. This is played out in the relationships between Anna's sister June and her parents in the text, and mirrored by the gaps between their chapters. This brings Islands into the company of Ali Smith's How to be Both and Max Porter's Lanny, whose structures both articulate their authors' ideas and messages.
The most obvious comparison, though, is to Jon McGregor's Reservoir 13. What distinguishes Islands (which I greatly preferred) is Frew's willingness to let us enter the emotional fray with June, Helen, John (Anna's father), and everyone who is not Anna. We can be enfolded in the humanity of their experience, whereas I felt McGregor left us out in the cold as the seasons turned.
But, like McGregor's, reading Frew's writing is a masterclass in building exquisite sentences into a novel. I had the privilege of hearing her speak at Sydney Writers' Festival recently and she commented that she is a slow writer, working to get every sentence right before moving on. This effort shows, with words polished and perfectly-placed throughout.
I found the final chapter particularly moving - without spoilers, Frew knows exactly how to end this amorphous tale. As close a representation of real life as anything I've read in recent years, this is a novel that I know I will come back to. Islands rewards focused reading, and you'll get the most out of it if you surrender to it's cumulative vision with abandon.
Recommended if you liked: Reservoir 13, The World Without Us
I received a copy of Islands from Allen and Unwin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
September 18, 2020
This is a book about family disintegration. It seems that the author tried to match this theme with the structure of the book by publishing the chapters in random order, and for good measure, throwing in a couple of chapters from a different, unrelated book. The resulting mess is not easy to read and not particularly coherent. The two stars are in memory of her previous book "Hope Farm" and for the initial hope I had for this one.
5/10
5/10
June 27, 2019
I almost missed a flight because I was so engrossed in this book. It’s a slow burn and the storytelling is quite unconventional but Frew has created a very real and affecting portrait of a family in crisis and again displayed her absolute grasp of the human condition.
May 19, 2021
Working my way through the Miles Franklin Award shortlisted titles from 2020, having completed the shortlist from 2019, and BLOODY HELL - this is an absolute RIPPER!
If this one made the shortlist, then I can't wait to read the winner (The Yield, by Tara June Winch).
I cried so. many. times. while reading this, more than likely because it came so perilously close to describing how i feel about things that have happened in my own life. A book that makes me cry (and not because it is terrible) is always a winner, but this is also a story (stories?) beautifully told, with absolute poetry shining through in her description of Phillip Island (in my home state).
This novel is a fascinating and sometimes quite brutal exploration of love, loss, relationships, self, families and so much more.
I recommend this gorgeous read to anyone who loves a tragic story told from different perspectives and beautiful prose.
If this one made the shortlist, then I can't wait to read the winner (The Yield, by Tara June Winch).
I cried so. many. times. while reading this, more than likely because it came so perilously close to describing how i feel about things that have happened in my own life. A book that makes me cry (and not because it is terrible) is always a winner, but this is also a story (stories?) beautifully told, with absolute poetry shining through in her description of Phillip Island (in my home state).
This novel is a fascinating and sometimes quite brutal exploration of love, loss, relationships, self, families and so much more.
I recommend this gorgeous read to anyone who loves a tragic story told from different perspectives and beautiful prose.
April 18, 2019
I was so disappointed in this book as I loved Hope Farm so much. The premise for the story was excellent but I got lost in the multiple POV's and the jumping of time lines. I like books that use different POV's but this book couldn't pull all the threads of the story together for a cohesive read. I think, like Hope Farm if she had used only Junie's POV to tell the story it would have been better for me. So sad because as I have loved the other books by Peggy Frew and held great hopes for this one.
December 14, 2019
Islands is not going to be everybody’s cup of tea but I thought the book a masterclass in nuanced writing. Frew writes about the imperfections of humanity, the way we all react to situations differently, and the impact (either direct or otherwise) our actions have on the lives of those around us so well.
March 27, 2019
3.5. I loved Hope Farm but this was an exercise in frustration. For the first third I had no idea what was going on, too many shifting perspectives, a non-linear narrative and I was really lost. Eventually, the story gets a bit of flow but in the end Frew's brilliant writing didn't save this one for me. Some parts were truly outstanding but the structure just didn't work in my opinion.
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