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The Island of Forgetting
How does memory become myth? How do lies become family lore? How do we escape the trauma of the past when the truth has been forgotten?
Barbados, 1962. Lost soul Iapetus roams the island, scared and alone, driven mad after witnessing his father’s death at the hands of his mother and his older brother, Cronus. Just before Iapetus is lost forever, he has a son, but the baby is not enough to save him from himself—or his family’s secrets.
Seventeen years later, Iapetus’s son, the stoic Atlas, lives in a loveless house, under the care of his uncle, Cronus, and in the shadow of his charismatic cousin Z. Knowing little about the tragic circumstances of his father’s life, Atlas must choose between his desire to flee the island and his loyalty to the uncle who raised him.
Time passes. Atlas’s daughter, Calypso, is a beautiful and wilful teenager who is desperate to avoid being trapped in a life of drudgery at her uncle Z’s hotel. When she falls dangerously in love with a visiting real estate developer, she finds herself entangled in her uncle’s shady dealings, a pawn in the games of the powerful men around her.
It is now 2019. Calypso’s son, Nautilus, is on a path of self-destruction as he grapples with his fatherless condition, his mixed-race identity and his complicated feelings of attraction towards his best friend, Daniel. Then one night, after making an impulsive decision, Nautilus finds himself exiled to Canada.
The Island of Forgetting is an intimate saga spanning four generations of one family who run a beachfront hotel. Loosely inspired by Greek mythology, this is a novel about the echo of deep—and sometimes tragic—love and the ways a family’s past can haunt its future.
Barbados, 1962. Lost soul Iapetus roams the island, scared and alone, driven mad after witnessing his father’s death at the hands of his mother and his older brother, Cronus. Just before Iapetus is lost forever, he has a son, but the baby is not enough to save him from himself—or his family’s secrets.
Seventeen years later, Iapetus’s son, the stoic Atlas, lives in a loveless house, under the care of his uncle, Cronus, and in the shadow of his charismatic cousin Z. Knowing little about the tragic circumstances of his father’s life, Atlas must choose between his desire to flee the island and his loyalty to the uncle who raised him.
Time passes. Atlas’s daughter, Calypso, is a beautiful and wilful teenager who is desperate to avoid being trapped in a life of drudgery at her uncle Z’s hotel. When she falls dangerously in love with a visiting real estate developer, she finds herself entangled in her uncle’s shady dealings, a pawn in the games of the powerful men around her.
It is now 2019. Calypso’s son, Nautilus, is on a path of self-destruction as he grapples with his fatherless condition, his mixed-race identity and his complicated feelings of attraction towards his best friend, Daniel. Then one night, after making an impulsive decision, Nautilus finds himself exiled to Canada.
The Island of Forgetting is an intimate saga spanning four generations of one family who run a beachfront hotel. Loosely inspired by Greek mythology, this is a novel about the echo of deep—and sometimes tragic—love and the ways a family’s past can haunt its future.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2022
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April 16, 2023
Contemporary novel set in Barbados that centers a local family who owns a hotel… GIVE IT TO ME!
The Island of Forgetting is Jasmine Sealy’s debut novel and what am stunning debut this is! The novel starts out in Barbados in the 1960s and goes until the early 2000s. Similar in structure to HOMEGOING each chapter we are introduced to a new family member and the story picks up with them, but we do get a look at those who narrated previously.
The book opens in Barbados in 1962, we meet Ipateus who is roaming the street, he cannot seem to return home after witnessing the death of his father at the hands of his brother and mother. The guilt and fear won’t let him rest, how can his brother and mother expect him to carry this secret around? In his restlessness he meets a girl who stares into his soul, and he ends up having a child- Atlas. Atlas has big dreams- having never met his father, he relies on the kindness of his Uncle Cronus and cousin Z. He does he work, and plans to move abroad to England once he finishes his exams but life as other plans for him.
Fast forward to a decade later and Atlas is married with a daughter called Calypso and along with his wife they run the family hotel in Barbados. With tourist coming in and out, the island starts developing, people are looking to come and take the island and it’s people for all they are worth, how will Atlas protect his only child and his only income?
There is a lot happening but the story does not wavier and leave you uninterested at any point. Themes of mental health, defered dreams, regrets, colonialism, colorism, colonialism, belonging, love, coming of age, exploitation and climate change are explored in a nuanced way. The author did a brilliant job of not just telling you but SHOWING you how these different themes continue to plague the family generations alter.
You know an author is great at their craft when every single point of view switch feels real, authentic, layered and nuanced. Every time there was a new chapter and we got introduced to a new character narration, you could feel the shift in tone and voice. This goes back to strong writing skills.
I would recommend going into this book without reading the blurb. It mentions something about Greek Mythology and when I saw that I kinda got turned off because them Mythology things generally goes over my head 😬
Immersive, brilliant, nuanced, fresh, atmospheric, deeply moving, tear jerker, tender and strong is how I would describe this book. Friend, this may be my book for 2022 in that, I have officially accepted the title of Lead Publicist. I won't stop talking about this stunning debut.
For fans of HERE COMES THE SUN, HOMEGOING, FACING THE SUN, HOW TO LOVE A JAMAICAN.
The Island of Forgetting is Jasmine Sealy’s debut novel and what am stunning debut this is! The novel starts out in Barbados in the 1960s and goes until the early 2000s. Similar in structure to HOMEGOING each chapter we are introduced to a new family member and the story picks up with them, but we do get a look at those who narrated previously.
The book opens in Barbados in 1962, we meet Ipateus who is roaming the street, he cannot seem to return home after witnessing the death of his father at the hands of his brother and mother. The guilt and fear won’t let him rest, how can his brother and mother expect him to carry this secret around? In his restlessness he meets a girl who stares into his soul, and he ends up having a child- Atlas. Atlas has big dreams- having never met his father, he relies on the kindness of his Uncle Cronus and cousin Z. He does he work, and plans to move abroad to England once he finishes his exams but life as other plans for him.
Fast forward to a decade later and Atlas is married with a daughter called Calypso and along with his wife they run the family hotel in Barbados. With tourist coming in and out, the island starts developing, people are looking to come and take the island and it’s people for all they are worth, how will Atlas protect his only child and his only income?
There is a lot happening but the story does not wavier and leave you uninterested at any point. Themes of mental health, defered dreams, regrets, colonialism, colorism, colonialism, belonging, love, coming of age, exploitation and climate change are explored in a nuanced way. The author did a brilliant job of not just telling you but SHOWING you how these different themes continue to plague the family generations alter.
You know an author is great at their craft when every single point of view switch feels real, authentic, layered and nuanced. Every time there was a new chapter and we got introduced to a new character narration, you could feel the shift in tone and voice. This goes back to strong writing skills.
I would recommend going into this book without reading the blurb. It mentions something about Greek Mythology and when I saw that I kinda got turned off because them Mythology things generally goes over my head 😬
Immersive, brilliant, nuanced, fresh, atmospheric, deeply moving, tear jerker, tender and strong is how I would describe this book. Friend, this may be my book for 2022 in that, I have officially accepted the title of Lead Publicist. I won't stop talking about this stunning debut.
For fans of HERE COMES THE SUN, HOMEGOING, FACING THE SUN, HOW TO LOVE A JAMAICAN.
May 4, 2022
What a gem of a book. As soon as I finished the last sentence, I wanted to turn right back to the beginning and start all over again. The writing. The story. I cannot get over it.
April 26, 2022
“It’s funny ,” I go on, “my mum . . . she always wanted to escape. Her dad too. They dreamt of getting away from the island. But I never felt that way. I love it there. I just wish it loved me back.” —Nautilus
The weight of familial expectation, dreams deferred and destroyed, and a malaise of identity haunt each of our main characters in this story. The secrets and inability to come to terms with the darker parts of loved ones and themselves severely hamper their growth and progression.
What made me stick with this story was the hope that there would be a brighter ending for this family. The characters were joined by a lineal bond of obsession. An obsession that manifested in different ways and affected the manner in which these characters moved through their lives.
But at the end I had to come to the realization that there would be no cathartic release (at least not in the way I wanted), no healing family round table. But what the writer does is leave the ending open for the reader to determine just how much reckoning and reconciliation will occur.
Sealy also portrayed what I call typical stereotypes of Caribbean society: the 'mad' man, the fas' young gyal, and the queer young man who hides his identity and is sent away so as not to embarrass the family. But overall a story with characters with which to engage.
The weight of familial expectation, dreams deferred and destroyed, and a malaise of identity haunt each of our main characters in this story. The secrets and inability to come to terms with the darker parts of loved ones and themselves severely hamper their growth and progression.
What made me stick with this story was the hope that there would be a brighter ending for this family. The characters were joined by a lineal bond of obsession. An obsession that manifested in different ways and affected the manner in which these characters moved through their lives.
But at the end I had to come to the realization that there would be no cathartic release (at least not in the way I wanted), no healing family round table. But what the writer does is leave the ending open for the reader to determine just how much reckoning and reconciliation will occur.
Sealy also portrayed what I call typical stereotypes of Caribbean society: the 'mad' man, the fas' young gyal, and the queer young man who hides his identity and is sent away so as not to embarrass the family. But overall a story with characters with which to engage.
July 27, 2024
If writers were investment portfolios, I would put my money into Barbadian women writers. This is their season. When I read it earlier this year, I was blown away by the sheer genius of Cherie Jones’, “How The One Armed Sister Sweeps Her House”. It’s early days yet (The Island of Forgetting was only released in April 2022) but I am surprised that it has not picked up more traction. This is a marvellous piece of fiction. I am prepared to call it - it will become a Caribbean classic.
I was intrigued by the concept of the novel before I read it: Greek Titans recast as ordinary mortals and transposed to a Caribbean island. The concept is so audacious that it would either have been an astounding success or a spectacular failure. Sixteen percent into the novel I was enraptured, but still concerned that it could falter. I am pleased to report that the novel stayed the course. It was superb from start to finish.
Cronus kills his father and assures the ascendancy of his descendants. Iapetus, although he is loved by his brother Cronus, and although the patricide frees him from his father’s tyranny, never recovers from the obscenity of it. The novel explores the legacy of the patricide through the first person narratives of Iapetus and three generations of his linear descendants.
As it is set in the Caribbean, the legacy of the patricide plays out in an atmosphere of neocolonialism with attendant socio-economic inequality and persistent tyranny clothed in garments of benign paternalism. The novel interrogates the tensions between love and obligation, gratitude and burden, in the context of familial relationships. It introduces overdue conversations about sexuality and mental illness. It asks whether the grass is really greener on the other side; whether we can escape our demons by relocating to spaces outside the Caribbean.
A central concern of the novel is what happens to a dream deferred. Atlas concludes that “It grows and grows until it becomes so large that it’s hard to imagine how you ever thought it attainable”. The novel takes us through treacherous terrain, but Jasmine Sealy’s characters are Caribbean and, therefore, Titans. They are bigger than despair; too tough for tragedy. They ride through their storms and learn that they are stronger than they ever imagined possible.
My friends and I discuss the novel here https://youtu.be/_q9gFbiNUFI?si=7c4yZ...
And speak with the author here https://youtu.be/9tKBjy27_Bk?si=JwWaK...
I was intrigued by the concept of the novel before I read it: Greek Titans recast as ordinary mortals and transposed to a Caribbean island. The concept is so audacious that it would either have been an astounding success or a spectacular failure. Sixteen percent into the novel I was enraptured, but still concerned that it could falter. I am pleased to report that the novel stayed the course. It was superb from start to finish.
Cronus kills his father and assures the ascendancy of his descendants. Iapetus, although he is loved by his brother Cronus, and although the patricide frees him from his father’s tyranny, never recovers from the obscenity of it. The novel explores the legacy of the patricide through the first person narratives of Iapetus and three generations of his linear descendants.
As it is set in the Caribbean, the legacy of the patricide plays out in an atmosphere of neocolonialism with attendant socio-economic inequality and persistent tyranny clothed in garments of benign paternalism. The novel interrogates the tensions between love and obligation, gratitude and burden, in the context of familial relationships. It introduces overdue conversations about sexuality and mental illness. It asks whether the grass is really greener on the other side; whether we can escape our demons by relocating to spaces outside the Caribbean.
A central concern of the novel is what happens to a dream deferred. Atlas concludes that “It grows and grows until it becomes so large that it’s hard to imagine how you ever thought it attainable”. The novel takes us through treacherous terrain, but Jasmine Sealy’s characters are Caribbean and, therefore, Titans. They are bigger than despair; too tough for tragedy. They ride through their storms and learn that they are stronger than they ever imagined possible.
My friends and I discuss the novel here https://youtu.be/_q9gFbiNUFI?si=7c4yZ...
And speak with the author here https://youtu.be/9tKBjy27_Bk?si=JwWaK...
September 14, 2022
The Island of Forgetting is a hauntingly beautiful intergenerational family saga that takes place in Barbados. It depicts how trauma affects families and transcends through the generations. The characters in this novel are so well developed. I was so invested and could not put it down! It very much reads like a coming of age story for each of the characters. If you like novels that are character driven , then this is the book for you!
I really enjoyed the insight into island life from a local perspective and the trials that come with running a hotel for tourists. It was interesting to learn of the locals perspective on tourists inhabiting their resorts and beaches.
Well done Jasmine Sealy! 👏🏻 It was so refreshing to read this unique story set in the Caribbean. 🥰 I love how it was inspired by Greek mythology!
Thank you to Harper Collins Canada and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the insight into island life from a local perspective and the trials that come with running a hotel for tourists. It was interesting to learn of the locals perspective on tourists inhabiting their resorts and beaches.
Well done Jasmine Sealy! 👏🏻 It was so refreshing to read this unique story set in the Caribbean. 🥰 I love how it was inspired by Greek mythology!
Thank you to Harper Collins Canada and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 15, 2023
Haunting family saga, set mostly in Barbados. Very strong characters and well developed. Each generation has their own trials and the way they overcome, deal with it is phenomenal. Highly recommend.
May 11, 2022
This book made me feel seen and attacked all at the same time. There is so much in this book to unpack.
This unique perspective on Caribbean life shows that everyone has layers. Getting to know the different characters at different stages of their lives was a wonderful experience and just makes me want to know even more about them.
This unique perspective on Caribbean life shows that everyone has layers. Getting to know the different characters at different stages of their lives was a wonderful experience and just makes me want to know even more about them.
February 6, 2023
This was quite lovely. Always glad to find new CanLit worth reading.
February 19, 2024
Wowww!! Brilliant and heartbreaking.
So much to unpack.
So much to unpack.
February 13, 2024
Winner of the 2023 Amazon First Novel Award in Canada
Longlisted for the 2023 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature (practically that means being on a shortlist of three for the novel section)
Odie speaks again, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Cronus murdered his own father. Your grandfather Iapetus saw the whole thing and it drove him insane. He ran away from home. Drank himself half to death. Knocked up some girl and then left her to fend for herself. She was so desperate she gave your father up in exchange for a few hundred dollars. Those are the people you come from. And that's what you are. A lunatic and a whore."
Jasmine Sealy is a British-born author, who moved to Barbados at a young age and now lives in Canada.
This, her debut novel, was born out of a short story she wrote for her Master Thesis about the mythical figure of Calypso. She had looked into connections between the legend and the Caribbean musical form. However she found a link to another theme she wishes to explore, tourism as a continuation of colonialism, and specifically the myth of the seductive island women.
(From https://www.cbc.ca/radio/jasmine-seal...)
The mythological theme continues to the form of the novel - a story of four generations (but with relatively short age gaps between them) of a Barbadian family, centred around a family hotel business (actually one owned by another party of the family line) and based on the lasting inter-generational effects of family conflict.
The family characters all take mythological names although other than ‘Odie’, the Canadian property developer who Calypso (the third of the 4 generations) tempts to stay on the island, this isn’t another of the somewhat overdone retelling of Greek myths but rather a novel rooted in the history of the island.
Another key figure from which Calypso in particular takes a form of inspiration is Rachel Pringle, the 18th century hotelier and brothel owner: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racha...
The last part of the book, focusing on Calypso’s son, switches the action for a large section from the island to Canada, and for me detracted from my interest in the book which was less on the family story and more on the island setting, the hotel industry and the legacy of colonialism in the tourist industry. Indeed I read this book on a beach chair in Barbados just north of Speightstown similar to that below while my wife managed the family hotel in Korea from afar.
”My grandfather says that when he was young, you could drive the coast road from Speightstown to the port and see the ocean the whole way. Now it’s just this shit.”
We stopped beside an imposing limestone wall. In front of it, the street is busy with pedestrians. The nearest public beach access is another mile or so down the coast, but between here and there is a wall of no access zones, villas like this one. “The beach belong to we,” sang the Mighty Gabby, but how can you own something you can’t reach?
[…]
The sand is hot and itchy against my skin. Technically beaches in Barbados are public, but the hotels claim all the sand above the high-water mark, spreading out their beach chairs so there's nowhere left to sit. This is normal, our hotel does it too. But today the sight of those empty chairs enrages me.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gTbGkop...
3.5 stars.
Longlisted for the 2023 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature (practically that means being on a shortlist of three for the novel section)
Odie speaks again, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Cronus murdered his own father. Your grandfather Iapetus saw the whole thing and it drove him insane. He ran away from home. Drank himself half to death. Knocked up some girl and then left her to fend for herself. She was so desperate she gave your father up in exchange for a few hundred dollars. Those are the people you come from. And that's what you are. A lunatic and a whore."
Jasmine Sealy is a British-born author, who moved to Barbados at a young age and now lives in Canada.
This, her debut novel, was born out of a short story she wrote for her Master Thesis about the mythical figure of Calypso. She had looked into connections between the legend and the Caribbean musical form. However she found a link to another theme she wishes to explore, tourism as a continuation of colonialism, and specifically the myth of the seductive island women.
I felt that there were so many parallels there in the ways that Black women generally, but Caribbean women more specifically, are often marketed as part of this tourism product. The idea that you come to paradise and there's these beautiful women.
…
I do think that it has evolved, but I do think that at its root, it is still kind of this perpetuation in some ways of a colonial legacy — the idea that the island exists to kind of fulfill the needs and desires of people who come from very far away. And no matter what iteration we see of tourism, you can't really escape that legacy.
(From https://www.cbc.ca/radio/jasmine-seal...)
The mythological theme continues to the form of the novel - a story of four generations (but with relatively short age gaps between them) of a Barbadian family, centred around a family hotel business (actually one owned by another party of the family line) and based on the lasting inter-generational effects of family conflict.
The family characters all take mythological names although other than ‘Odie’, the Canadian property developer who Calypso (the third of the 4 generations) tempts to stay on the island, this isn’t another of the somewhat overdone retelling of Greek myths but rather a novel rooted in the history of the island.
Another key figure from which Calypso in particular takes a form of inspiration is Rachel Pringle, the 18th century hotelier and brothel owner: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racha...
The last part of the book, focusing on Calypso’s son, switches the action for a large section from the island to Canada, and for me detracted from my interest in the book which was less on the family story and more on the island setting, the hotel industry and the legacy of colonialism in the tourist industry. Indeed I read this book on a beach chair in Barbados just north of Speightstown similar to that below while my wife managed the family hotel in Korea from afar.
”My grandfather says that when he was young, you could drive the coast road from Speightstown to the port and see the ocean the whole way. Now it’s just this shit.”
We stopped beside an imposing limestone wall. In front of it, the street is busy with pedestrians. The nearest public beach access is another mile or so down the coast, but between here and there is a wall of no access zones, villas like this one. “The beach belong to we,” sang the Mighty Gabby, but how can you own something you can’t reach?
[…]
The sand is hot and itchy against my skin. Technically beaches in Barbados are public, but the hotels claim all the sand above the high-water mark, spreading out their beach chairs so there's nowhere left to sit. This is normal, our hotel does it too. But today the sight of those empty chairs enrages me.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gTbGkop...
3.5 stars.
Read
August 3, 2023DNF at 25%
The book is just too triggering to me. There is so much emphasis on adult/minor relationships and pedophiiia that it’s just so uncomfortable. It’s happening multiple times with multiple different people and I can’t take it. There was also a common theme of young girls “luring” grown men into having sex with them. I hope that there will be commentary later in the book about how only these grown men are to blame because children shouldn’t be able to “lure” you into doing anything with them, but I can’t finish to find out. Read with caution.
The book is just too triggering to me. There is so much emphasis on adult/minor relationships and pedophiiia that it’s just so uncomfortable. It’s happening multiple times with multiple different people and I can’t take it. There was also a common theme of young girls “luring” grown men into having sex with them. I hope that there will be commentary later in the book about how only these grown men are to blame because children shouldn’t be able to “lure” you into doing anything with them, but I can’t finish to find out. Read with caution.
February 27, 2022
Greek Gods on Barbados? Almost.
This book is breath-taking for its writing and its characterisations; each character gets under your skin.
The book begins with the story of Iapetus, his relationship with his father and his brother Cronus, his big brother who looked after him and protected him. He is a lost soul and and becomes lost on the island,
The second part is the story of Atlas, the son of Iapetus who had been brought up by his uncle Cronus when his mother died, a boy who lives in the shadow of his cousin Z and who is striving to get his grades so he can leave the island and study in an English university.
The thirds part is the story of Calypso, the daughter of Atlas and Pleione who lives at the hotel owned by her Uncle Z, a girl who entices the hotel guests with her beauty and her singing.
The final part if the story of Nautilus, the son of Calypso.
Each character longs to escape from the island, each is searching for a place where they can belong but the island holds them, binds them to it and the truth is hidden in whispers and half spoken secrets.
When you read the Greek myths associated with these 'names' you can see how skilfully the author has woven elements of these stories into the stories of these characters, how she infuses each character with elements of its mythical namesake.
A wonderful debut novel - I can't wait to see what the author does next. Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for allowing me to read it.
This book is breath-taking for its writing and its characterisations; each character gets under your skin.
The book begins with the story of Iapetus, his relationship with his father and his brother Cronus, his big brother who looked after him and protected him. He is a lost soul and and becomes lost on the island,
The second part is the story of Atlas, the son of Iapetus who had been brought up by his uncle Cronus when his mother died, a boy who lives in the shadow of his cousin Z and who is striving to get his grades so he can leave the island and study in an English university.
The thirds part is the story of Calypso, the daughter of Atlas and Pleione who lives at the hotel owned by her Uncle Z, a girl who entices the hotel guests with her beauty and her singing.
The final part if the story of Nautilus, the son of Calypso.
Each character longs to escape from the island, each is searching for a place where they can belong but the island holds them, binds them to it and the truth is hidden in whispers and half spoken secrets.
When you read the Greek myths associated with these 'names' you can see how skilfully the author has woven elements of these stories into the stories of these characters, how she infuses each character with elements of its mythical namesake.
A wonderful debut novel - I can't wait to see what the author does next. Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for allowing me to read it.
December 21, 2022
I finished this book with the same question that I started it with, and what I thought of half way through- “what’s the point of this book/story????”
The story follows 4 generations of Bajan natives who all suffer from mental health disorders and you see it manifest in different ways with each story.
As a West Indian it was really nice reading a book with some strong (and constant, sometimes a bit too much tbh get on with it) imagery and similes of the atmosphere and scenic views of a tropical island. It’s also so great that I found this in a random Walmart in an Eastern Ontario town where as a black woman I’m a minority, and as a Caribbean woman, a wonder.
Back to my first point though- what was the actual story about? It felt like we were just getting lost in the minds of mentally unstable/over thinkers/ force ripe characters with no actual story line and no proper ending to any of their stories?????
Anyways beautifully written. But I truly believe it was missing something that made it a story.
The story follows 4 generations of Bajan natives who all suffer from mental health disorders and you see it manifest in different ways with each story.
As a West Indian it was really nice reading a book with some strong (and constant, sometimes a bit too much tbh get on with it) imagery and similes of the atmosphere and scenic views of a tropical island. It’s also so great that I found this in a random Walmart in an Eastern Ontario town where as a black woman I’m a minority, and as a Caribbean woman, a wonder.
Back to my first point though- what was the actual story about? It felt like we were just getting lost in the minds of mentally unstable/over thinkers/ force ripe characters with no actual story line and no proper ending to any of their stories?????
Anyways beautifully written. But I truly believe it was missing something that made it a story.
August 1, 2022
"sometimes you just need to be anywhere other than where you are, sometimes you need to walk away to remind yourself that you can"
February 26, 2024
The Island of Forgetting opens in 1962 in Barbados with Iapetus wandering the island. He had witnessed his brother, Cronus, help his mother kill his father. This is more than Iapetus can process and he wanders,struggling to hold onto reality. The novel then moves forward through the next three generations - through those that want to leave and can’t and to one who wants to stay but is forced to leave. Through the generations, we see how the trauma moves forward as each tries to come to grips with deferred dreams and love lost. Absolutely superb writing - and the ending is absolute perfection. Incredible debut - I can’t wait to see what Sealy writes next.
April 22, 2025
This was such a beautiful and heartfelt story. It touches on so many topics; generational trauma, dreaming, romantic love, daddy issues, mental health, sexuality etc. The main subject is tourism and how problematic it can be when some countries depend on the tourism industry- and how it affects local communities. But more than anything, this book is about how life just happens to us and how hard it is to navigate through it- when you don’t have the right support system.
The chapters did feel rushed at times. I wouldn’t mind if this book was longer than 317 pages, I felt like I needed more time with each character.
The chapters did feel rushed at times. I wouldn’t mind if this book was longer than 317 pages, I felt like I needed more time with each character.
December 12, 2023
I've never studied literature academically so sometimes I struggle with reviews. This is one of those times! I feel I don't have sufficient words to describe the very talented writing in this book. It deals with some of the hardest things in human life that are upsetting and traumatic but it feels like a lovely read which I really enjoyed.
July 24, 2022
A truly stunning debut! When I say Caribbean authors can write, I’m not exaggerating.
A Bajan multigenerational story inspired by Greek mythology that follows a complex and fascinating family but also exploring wider themes such as the concept of freedom, identity, the dark side of tourism and how natives get left behind. A beauty of a book. You need to read this if you like good books!
A Bajan multigenerational story inspired by Greek mythology that follows a complex and fascinating family but also exploring wider themes such as the concept of freedom, identity, the dark side of tourism and how natives get left behind. A beauty of a book. You need to read this if you like good books!
September 24, 2022
Haunting, disturbing, upsetting, and riveting are all good descriptors of Jasmine Sealy's debut novel, which won the Harper/Collins UBC Prize for Best New Fiction. This book tells the stories of four generations of Bajans all with deeply moving life stories that are full of trauma. Other than blood, the four main characters are connected by having Greek names from Greek mythology. All of the names are stories in and of themselves, and are quite prophetic and sometimes ironic.
The book is mostly set on the island of Barbados from the 1960s to 2019. This is a time in the history of Barbados that covers the island's independence from Great Britain to the contemporary issues of emigration, tourism industry and foreign extraction of wealth, and a climate of homophobia. All of these themes resonate as Sealy unfolds the larger narrative. The island itself is a character. Sealy takes the reader all through the island in telling this story, and when she takes the reader off of the island the reader will long for the story to return there. Ultimately, this is a novel about belonging.
Sealy packs a lot of punch in 317 pages. Her prose is sharp yet smooth. This book is easy to read though the subject matters are heavy. Yet each chapter builds upon the previous and the drama gets more and more involved as the book progresses. The main characters are deeply flawed people, but the reader should develop a deep empathy for them. It is a human story that very little of which will cause one's eyes to roll in disbelief. Because of this I give this book a high recommendation.
The book is mostly set on the island of Barbados from the 1960s to 2019. This is a time in the history of Barbados that covers the island's independence from Great Britain to the contemporary issues of emigration, tourism industry and foreign extraction of wealth, and a climate of homophobia. All of these themes resonate as Sealy unfolds the larger narrative. The island itself is a character. Sealy takes the reader all through the island in telling this story, and when she takes the reader off of the island the reader will long for the story to return there. Ultimately, this is a novel about belonging.
Sealy packs a lot of punch in 317 pages. Her prose is sharp yet smooth. This book is easy to read though the subject matters are heavy. Yet each chapter builds upon the previous and the drama gets more and more involved as the book progresses. The main characters are deeply flawed people, but the reader should develop a deep empathy for them. It is a human story that very little of which will cause one's eyes to roll in disbelief. Because of this I give this book a high recommendation.
March 5, 2024
It was fine. If you're looking for a retelling, this isn't it, if you're just after a tale of family dynamics across multiple generations, this is more likely to be your thing.
It's not bad, it just wasn't for me.
It's not bad, it just wasn't for me.
August 9, 2024
Recognising character names originating from Greek mythology at the beginning of the book, I expected a retelling of the various myths. That however was not to be the case here. If you know the various myths (or like me, have to Google for reminders) you will spot the hints in the character descriptions and developments but that is about it.
The story is told from 4 different generational perspectives, recollections of a family from the island of Barbados, spanning from the 1960s to 2010s. It is a story about:
⚡️- the destructive influence family members can have on each other, intentional or not.
🧬 - the subtle impact genetics can have throughout generations.
😶🌫️- The effect dreams deferred can have on the quality of life of the dreamers.
🤐 - The results of words unsaid which direct the actions of those starved for communication.
Generally I read to escape reality but this book didn't give me much of a reprieve, with the presence of heavy hitting topics such as mental illness, self destructive behaviour, loss of identity/identity crisis to name a few. I was emotionally drained by the end of this book, a testament to the author's ability to weave together topics and characters into a well written novel.
The story is told from 4 different generational perspectives, recollections of a family from the island of Barbados, spanning from the 1960s to 2010s. It is a story about:
⚡️- the destructive influence family members can have on each other, intentional or not.
🧬 - the subtle impact genetics can have throughout generations.
😶🌫️- The effect dreams deferred can have on the quality of life of the dreamers.
🤐 - The results of words unsaid which direct the actions of those starved for communication.
Generally I read to escape reality but this book didn't give me much of a reprieve, with the presence of heavy hitting topics such as mental illness, self destructive behaviour, loss of identity/identity crisis to name a few. I was emotionally drained by the end of this book, a testament to the author's ability to weave together topics and characters into a well written novel.
Read
January 2, 2023A friend devoured this after Christmas, and willingly shared the bounty (albeit with her name inscribed in ink so it would return to her hands). Set in Barbados from the 1960s to present, it traces intergenerational pathos united in memories that haunt, fractured families, mental illness, deferred dreams and superhuman longing. Superhuman, because these four characters are Greek Titans (Atlas anyone) recast as mere mortals.
Others have written here about the plot, which features four relatives: grandfather, father, mother, son. It's complicated, and I longed for more about each of these people (sequels please), though it was Calypso who drew me closest.
Well written, meticulously plotted and altogether emotionally real, this is a book to savour (though I confess I too devoured it in only two days).
It's a stunning debut. Jasmine Sealy is an author to follow!
Others have written here about the plot, which features four relatives: grandfather, father, mother, son. It's complicated, and I longed for more about each of these people (sequels please), though it was Calypso who drew me closest.
Well written, meticulously plotted and altogether emotionally real, this is a book to savour (though I confess I too devoured it in only two days).
It's a stunning debut. Jasmine Sealy is an author to follow!
July 9, 2022
I absolutely loved this book and could hardly bear to put it down once I started reading!
Prior to reading it, I attended a book club which discussed it, so I was alerted to the significance of the characters' names being from Greek myths, and how each was relevant. I found this aspect especially fascinating and meaningful. Still, even if you have no interest in or knowledge of Greek mythology, you will enjoy this book!
It's about 4 generations of a troubled Barbadian family, from the 1960s to the present day. All have names from Greek mythology.
For example, Cronus (the god of time in myths), who kills his father, basically traps his whole family in time - they are all under the spell and effect of what he has done, even when they don't know what took place. Iapetus, the "lost" brother of Cronus who saw what Cronus did and who then wanders the island in a state of mental illness, is in Greek mythology the god of mortality. His son, Atlas, does indeed seem to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. He and the others are basically ruled by "Z", Cronus's son and Atlas's cousin, who, I assume, though his full name is never said, was actually named for and therefore represented the god Zeus.
The family (well, mainly, Z) own a hotel, and Atlas and his wife do the actual work of running it, while Z is a wheeler dealer sharpie businessman who considers his employing Atlas and his family to be charity.
The book is chronological, with each section focusing primarily on one character, a different generation.
Atlas's wild daughter Calypso is a misbehaving misfit at school - but one with an innate sense of superiority - or is it bravado? She chases the white tourist men who come to the family's hotel, considering them prizes to obtain, though most would see her trysts as the child abuse it was, and the result of pure colonial racism/sexism by the men - white men taking the island girls as their due. When she gets involved with one, "Odie" (It's never stated, but I assume this represents "Odysseus", who the mythological Calypso also attempted - unsuccessfully - to captivate enough to make him stay with her), she ends up going a bit too far and biting off more than she can handle. Still, I really enjoyed her story section.
The final section is that of Calypso's son, Nautilus, and I loved his section even more. He, like Calypso, is a bit of a wild rebel. He is secretly (possibly this is even a secret from himself) in love with his best friend Daniel, and a daredevil adventure they undertake together both cements their relationship in one way, and banishes Nautilus from the tropical island to the cold winter of Toronto, Canada. There, against the odds, Nautilus creates an autonomy for himself - and eventually manages to return to his home.
(Since a nautilus is "a symbol of nature in growth, expansion, and renewal and a symbol of order amidst chaos - as reflected in its spiral precision" - his name also so appropriate in terms of what happens in his life.)
The culture and language given in the book are very appealing. I had not realised, for example, that "Barbadians" are called "Bajans", a shortening of the adjective. One of my favourite things was the phrase "brought-upsy" - meaning to have been brought up properly, with manners etc. For example, Daniel tells Nautilus that his mother dislikes Nautilus because she feels he "has no brought-upsy", that is, doesn't know how to behave right. This is my new favourite phrase, and I will be using it often!
Prior to reading it, I attended a book club which discussed it, so I was alerted to the significance of the characters' names being from Greek myths, and how each was relevant. I found this aspect especially fascinating and meaningful. Still, even if you have no interest in or knowledge of Greek mythology, you will enjoy this book!
It's about 4 generations of a troubled Barbadian family, from the 1960s to the present day. All have names from Greek mythology.
For example, Cronus (the god of time in myths), who kills his father, basically traps his whole family in time - they are all under the spell and effect of what he has done, even when they don't know what took place. Iapetus, the "lost" brother of Cronus who saw what Cronus did and who then wanders the island in a state of mental illness, is in Greek mythology the god of mortality. His son, Atlas, does indeed seem to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. He and the others are basically ruled by "Z", Cronus's son and Atlas's cousin, who, I assume, though his full name is never said, was actually named for and therefore represented the god Zeus.
The family (well, mainly, Z) own a hotel, and Atlas and his wife do the actual work of running it, while Z is a wheeler dealer sharpie businessman who considers his employing Atlas and his family to be charity.
The book is chronological, with each section focusing primarily on one character, a different generation.
Atlas's wild daughter Calypso is a misbehaving misfit at school - but one with an innate sense of superiority - or is it bravado? She chases the white tourist men who come to the family's hotel, considering them prizes to obtain, though most would see her trysts as the child abuse it was, and the result of pure colonial racism/sexism by the men - white men taking the island girls as their due. When she gets involved with one, "Odie" (It's never stated, but I assume this represents "Odysseus", who the mythological Calypso also attempted - unsuccessfully - to captivate enough to make him stay with her), she ends up going a bit too far and biting off more than she can handle. Still, I really enjoyed her story section.
The final section is that of Calypso's son, Nautilus, and I loved his section even more. He, like Calypso, is a bit of a wild rebel. He is secretly (possibly this is even a secret from himself) in love with his best friend Daniel, and a daredevil adventure they undertake together both cements their relationship in one way, and banishes Nautilus from the tropical island to the cold winter of Toronto, Canada. There, against the odds, Nautilus creates an autonomy for himself - and eventually manages to return to his home.
(Since a nautilus is "a symbol of nature in growth, expansion, and renewal and a symbol of order amidst chaos - as reflected in its spiral precision" - his name also so appropriate in terms of what happens in his life.)
The culture and language given in the book are very appealing. I had not realised, for example, that "Barbadians" are called "Bajans", a shortening of the adjective. One of my favourite things was the phrase "brought-upsy" - meaning to have been brought up properly, with manners etc. For example, Daniel tells Nautilus that his mother dislikes Nautilus because she feels he "has no brought-upsy", that is, doesn't know how to behave right. This is my new favourite phrase, and I will be using it often!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2022
I always love finding new authors and was thrilled when Harper Collins Canada sent me a copy of the this novel for review prior to publication. Author Jasmine Sealy is being heralded as a powerful new voice in fiction and it is easy to see why with her rich, bright multi-generational tale of a family living in Barbados, spanning the 1970s to present day. For readers who liked Black Cake and How The One Armed Sister Sweeps Her House.
Loosely inspired by Greek mythology (and I love Greek mythology), and with aptly named characters such as Cronus and Calypso, this novel touches upon family trauma that is carried through generations like an invisible thread
The author did a brilliant job of linking characters to their namesakes and if you are familiar with Greek mythology then you already have some idea of the fates that await these characters. Each one is looking for escape, for salvation and it's as if the desire is passed down by blood
Iapetus, after witnessing the death of his father at the hands of his brother Cronus, becomes a wayward soul who gets lost to the island. In Greek mythology, Iapetus was the god of morality and his punishment for turning against the god's was to become the bearer of the cosmos.
Atlas, Iapetus's son, has a chance to make something of himself unlike his father, but can he chose himself over family? In Greek mythology, Atlas was a titan condemned to hold up earth on his shoulders for all eternity.
Calypso is drawn to the sea and enchants men with her song, but what happens to her heart? In Greek mythology, Calypso was a sea nymph who fell in love with Odysseus but could not make him stay.
Nautilus feels the weight and the errors of those who have come before him and is trying to find his place in the world. In Greek mythology, the chambered shell of the sea creature nautilus was viewed as perfection; the nautilus symbolized growth and renewal.
The author did a fantastic job of adapting stories to reflect the reality of this family living in Barbados and so many of these characters got under my skin. I got a little lost in Nautilus' story and I wasn't sure how I felt about the end, but overall this is a very strong and enigmatic read that will live in your head long after you have put it down
Loosely inspired by Greek mythology (and I love Greek mythology), and with aptly named characters such as Cronus and Calypso, this novel touches upon family trauma that is carried through generations like an invisible thread
The author did a brilliant job of linking characters to their namesakes and if you are familiar with Greek mythology then you already have some idea of the fates that await these characters. Each one is looking for escape, for salvation and it's as if the desire is passed down by blood
Iapetus, after witnessing the death of his father at the hands of his brother Cronus, becomes a wayward soul who gets lost to the island. In Greek mythology, Iapetus was the god of morality and his punishment for turning against the god's was to become the bearer of the cosmos.
Atlas, Iapetus's son, has a chance to make something of himself unlike his father, but can he chose himself over family? In Greek mythology, Atlas was a titan condemned to hold up earth on his shoulders for all eternity.
Calypso is drawn to the sea and enchants men with her song, but what happens to her heart? In Greek mythology, Calypso was a sea nymph who fell in love with Odysseus but could not make him stay.
Nautilus feels the weight and the errors of those who have come before him and is trying to find his place in the world. In Greek mythology, the chambered shell of the sea creature nautilus was viewed as perfection; the nautilus symbolized growth and renewal.
The author did a fantastic job of adapting stories to reflect the reality of this family living in Barbados and so many of these characters got under my skin. I got a little lost in Nautilus' story and I wasn't sure how I felt about the end, but overall this is a very strong and enigmatic read that will live in your head long after you have put it down
September 25, 2022
I am conflicted. Keep reading. Jasmine Sealy is an absolutely brilliant writer and The Island of Forgetting is an absolutely brilliant, amazing, well-written novel. It definitely ranks in my top 10 for books read in 2022. I particularly loved the numerous cultural references to Barbados. I was able to easily identify many of the locations, even if they were not explicitly stated: Harrison College (before it was identified), the Psychiatric Hospital, and the strip of hotels, brothels, and restaurants along Bay Street. I also appreciated the many contemporary references made, including sewage overflowing on the South Coast, which was a big issue in Barbados just a few years ago. Sealy did a great job in intertwining these into her writing.
This is a novel with many themes. The book naturally packs quite the punch, covering prostitution, sex exploitation, statutory rape, infidelity, drug abuse, corruption, racism, homosexuality in a homophobic society, and life in a post-colonial society. Most importantly, the novel explored complex familial relations, showing that even families with an outward appearance of cohesion can be overwhelmingly dysfunctional with so many secrets and skeletons in their closets.
I plan to cogitate more on this book. I was slightly disappointed in the end. It felt rushed and I felt we were sold short on some of the important aspects of the novel that were raised in the previous chapters. So many things went unresolved. Hence, 4 stars, but I would definitely recommend this novel to other readers.
My favourite quote: "What happens to a dream deferred? It grows and grows until it becomes so large it's hard to imagine how you ever thought it attainable. A hulking mass in your peripheral vision, always just out of reach, like living in the shadow of a mountain."
This is a novel with many themes. The book naturally packs quite the punch, covering prostitution, sex exploitation, statutory rape, infidelity, drug abuse, corruption, racism, homosexuality in a homophobic society, and life in a post-colonial society. Most importantly, the novel explored complex familial relations, showing that even families with an outward appearance of cohesion can be overwhelmingly dysfunctional with so many secrets and skeletons in their closets.
I plan to cogitate more on this book. I was slightly disappointed in the end. It felt rushed and I felt we were sold short on some of the important aspects of the novel that were raised in the previous chapters. So many things went unresolved. Hence, 4 stars, but I would definitely recommend this novel to other readers.
My favourite quote: "What happens to a dream deferred? It grows and grows until it becomes so large it's hard to imagine how you ever thought it attainable. A hulking mass in your peripheral vision, always just out of reach, like living in the shadow of a mountain."
July 2, 2023
The Island of Forgetting is a #debutnovel inspired by the author's postgraduate assignments following four (4) generations of a single family.
Iapetus roams Babados (1962) being declared mentally disabled by its residents after seeing the death of his father at the hands of his mother and brother, Cronus.
Iapetus' son, Atlas, abandoned by both mother and father, is cared for by Cronus alongside his cousin, Z. Atlas has to decide between going away to further his studies and stating to work for his uncle due to loyalty.
Atlas eventually marries and produces a daughter, Calypso. Calypso has dreams like her dad to explore the world by gaining a higher education, to which she is on the verge of due to her brains. She falls for a Canadian real-estate developer and, in turn finds herself stuck in the web of powerful men and her Uncle Z.
Calypso births a son, Nautilus. Nautilus grows up without his father, a mixed race identity and complicated feelings of attraction to his friend, Daniel. An impulsive decision between them both send Nautilus to live in Canada.
The Island Of Forgetting is a quick read. I loved seeing how the actions of one generation can affect the outcomes of future ones. While there are a lot of lives and lifetimes to read about, the author arranges it perfectly and well-timed, that you aren't confused and feel immersed within the stories yourself while addressing sensitive topics and how they are influenced by time, people and history.
Sometimes, I felt as though some storylines were more developed than others. During a discussion I had the privilege to attend, the author mentioned the influence and parallels of Greek mythology within the novel. I am not that invested in it and such this may have also played a part in my appreciation of the storyline.
Iapetus roams Babados (1962) being declared mentally disabled by its residents after seeing the death of his father at the hands of his mother and brother, Cronus.
Iapetus' son, Atlas, abandoned by both mother and father, is cared for by Cronus alongside his cousin, Z. Atlas has to decide between going away to further his studies and stating to work for his uncle due to loyalty.
Atlas eventually marries and produces a daughter, Calypso. Calypso has dreams like her dad to explore the world by gaining a higher education, to which she is on the verge of due to her brains. She falls for a Canadian real-estate developer and, in turn finds herself stuck in the web of powerful men and her Uncle Z.
Calypso births a son, Nautilus. Nautilus grows up without his father, a mixed race identity and complicated feelings of attraction to his friend, Daniel. An impulsive decision between them both send Nautilus to live in Canada.
The Island Of Forgetting is a quick read. I loved seeing how the actions of one generation can affect the outcomes of future ones. While there are a lot of lives and lifetimes to read about, the author arranges it perfectly and well-timed, that you aren't confused and feel immersed within the stories yourself while addressing sensitive topics and how they are influenced by time, people and history.
Sometimes, I felt as though some storylines were more developed than others. During a discussion I had the privilege to attend, the author mentioned the influence and parallels of Greek mythology within the novel. I am not that invested in it and such this may have also played a part in my appreciation of the storyline.
January 18, 2023
No words in my vocabulary can express how spectacular this book was so I’ll preface my reflection by saying that this was my only FIVE STAR READ last year.
This is a multigenerational story set in Barbados that explores belonging, family ties, mental health and a host of other themes. Each character longs to escape from the island but they are all seemingly bound to the island. Inside the pages of this book we see the ripple effects stemming from one action and how it affects each generation that follows.
This was a hell of a debut. I felt for the characters, i knew them. But Atlas, Atlas left a mark on my heart. Jasmine, job well done!
This is a multigenerational story set in Barbados that explores belonging, family ties, mental health and a host of other themes. Each character longs to escape from the island but they are all seemingly bound to the island. Inside the pages of this book we see the ripple effects stemming from one action and how it affects each generation that follows.
This was a hell of a debut. I felt for the characters, i knew them. But Atlas, Atlas left a mark on my heart. Jasmine, job well done!
August 22, 2022
I’m glad I read The Island of Forgetting about Barbados while I was in Barbados because it fostered a deeper appreciation for the island and its descendants. I especially enjoyed her depiction of Barbados in different time periods. I dug all the water metaphors and imagery. That said, these descendants are living pretty depressing lives. No one gets what they want but everyone gets by. On the one hand, it’s a testament to their survival skills, but on the other, it’s so sad. The author offers mental illness as an explanation, but she writes it too easy without fully unpacking it and its hereditary implications. I thought the allusions to Greek mythology were unnecessary. Sure, it’s a tragic story, but it could have been told just from a black perspective. The characters’ dreams and desperations when those dreams defer are familiar and they are real and they are hard to read. This is definitely not a beach read, but The Island of Forgetting offers an important insight into the generational psyche of a family inextricably confined to an island when their dreams and senses of self are much, much bigger… until they’re not.
December 15, 2022
Picture it! Beautiful Barbados 🇧🇧 We move through the lives of 4 generations from 1962.
As a Barbadian, I loved this story and I am so glad I chose to listen to it. Took me back to the days of listening to Radiofussion with my granny Viola.
Jasmine captured the feel, the voice, the essence of Bajan life that I have heard stories about from family and friends and in fact lived. This story was captivating, funny, heart breaking and a gem - family, lies, love, deceit, family, ambition, courage, survival, dreams, life decisions/choices …..
I loved the ability to clearly identify the locations in the story and our dialect!
Things you say that tell me you’re a Bajan without saying you’re a Bajan 🇧🇧:
🌴 Rain Rain go away and come another day
🌴 Call-in program/Down to Brass Tacks
🌴 Hurricane Season - June too soon, July Standby, August is a Must, September remember, October all over!
🌴 Golden apples
🌴 7 o’clock news
🌴 Look Stabby 🤣🤣
🌴 Caw b***
Listen, go read this book!
Thank you Jasmine and Varia.
As a Barbadian, I loved this story and I am so glad I chose to listen to it. Took me back to the days of listening to Radiofussion with my granny Viola.
Jasmine captured the feel, the voice, the essence of Bajan life that I have heard stories about from family and friends and in fact lived. This story was captivating, funny, heart breaking and a gem - family, lies, love, deceit, family, ambition, courage, survival, dreams, life decisions/choices …..
I loved the ability to clearly identify the locations in the story and our dialect!
Things you say that tell me you’re a Bajan without saying you’re a Bajan 🇧🇧:
🌴 Rain Rain go away and come another day
🌴 Call-in program/Down to Brass Tacks
🌴 Hurricane Season - June too soon, July Standby, August is a Must, September remember, October all over!
🌴 Golden apples
🌴 7 o’clock news
🌴 Look Stabby 🤣🤣
🌴 Caw b***
Listen, go read this book!
Thank you Jasmine and Varia.
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