What do you think?
Rate this book
Once, Upon an Island
A sixteen-year-old girl, Olivia, who feels guilty about her younger brother’s death. Her mother, Evelyn, a glamorous woman. A sojourn on St. Croix, a beautiful tropical island. Travis, the charismatic owner of the Pink Fancy Hotel. And a mysterious Czechoslovakian widow, Sofiya. Two love affairs. Secrets. Two rapes. Nazis. Ravensbrück concentration camp. Conflict, jealousy, kindness, tenderness. A rescue and a resurrection. All woven together in a haunting work of literary fiction set in 1966.
Olivia accompanies her mother, Evelyn, an artist, to St. Croix. Their relationship is fraught with discord, heightened because Olivia is a self-conscious, lonely teenager. In addition to the contemporary friction, their turmoil has subterranean roots. In 1958, Olivia’s younger brother, Simon, while fishing with Olivia, fell into a river and died, a tragedy she relives in flashbacks as she suffers from guilt over his death and ostracism by her parents, especially by her mother, who blames her for the accident. In Christiansted, Olivia begins seeing a blond-haired boy who resembles her brother, though the boy disappears before she can meet him. She becomes obsessed with this elusive figure, thinking he is a ghost or Simon himself. As Olivia struggles with her demons, her married mother becomes involved with the hotel’s owner, Travis, and on the second day, Olivia encounters a fifty-year-old Czechoslovakian widow, Sofiya. The two forge a bond as they recognize their mutual grief and solitariness. Through a series of dramatic conversations, long-buried secrets are revealed.
Olivia accompanies her mother, Evelyn, an artist, to St. Croix. Their relationship is fraught with discord, heightened because Olivia is a self-conscious, lonely teenager. In addition to the contemporary friction, their turmoil has subterranean roots. In 1958, Olivia’s younger brother, Simon, while fishing with Olivia, fell into a river and died, a tragedy she relives in flashbacks as she suffers from guilt over his death and ostracism by her parents, especially by her mother, who blames her for the accident. In Christiansted, Olivia begins seeing a blond-haired boy who resembles her brother, though the boy disappears before she can meet him. She becomes obsessed with this elusive figure, thinking he is a ghost or Simon himself. As Olivia struggles with her demons, her married mother becomes involved with the hotel’s owner, Travis, and on the second day, Olivia encounters a fifty-year-old Czechoslovakian widow, Sofiya. The two forge a bond as they recognize their mutual grief and solitariness. Through a series of dramatic conversations, long-buried secrets are revealed.
284 pages, Paperback
Published September 20, 2022
2 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Laury A. Egan
27 books51 followersLaury A. Egan is the author of fifteen novels: "Fair Haven," "Jack & I," "The Black Leopard's Kiss & The Writer Remembers," "The Psychologist's Shadow," "The Firefly," "Once, Upon an Island," "The Outcast Oracle," "The Swimmer," "Wave in D Minor," "Doublecrossed," "Turnabout," "A Bittersweet Tale," "The Ungodly Hour," "Jenny Kidd," "Fabulous! An Opera Buffa," and two collections, "Contrary: Stories and a Play" and "Fog and Other Stories." Four poetry books have been issued in limited edition: "Snow, Shadows, a Stranger;" "Beneath the Lion's Paw;" "The Sea & Beyond;" and "Presence & Absence." Her work has appeared in over 90 literary journals and anthologies.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 20, 2022
My second novel by this author, and another worthwhile read!
Accompanying her mother on a summer trip, sixteen year old Olivia is riddled with guilt from the death of her brother some years earlier. As they settle into their temporary home in the Pink Fancy Hotel, Olivia finds herself left to her own devices as her mother spends days on her art, and evenings in the company of the hotel owner, Travis. Olivia is not particularly close to her mother and misses her father. As time moves on, she makes the acquaintance of another resident, Sofia, and finds a friend and soulmate – much to her mother’s disapproval.
This is a novel which is bursting at the seams with emotions, memories, doubts and teenage angst. A beautifully written story on so many levels; mainly, the focus is on Olivia and the author really got under her skin – and mine. Despite her mother still treating her like a child, Olivia is becoming a young lady and misses nothing about her mother’s burgeoning relationship with Travis. There is a real holiday vibe with detailed descriptions of the many locations visited and I loved the confidences shared with her new friend Sofia. I’m not going to spoil things, but there are a few surprises along the way. Laury Egan writes with confidence and an enviable depth. One to relish and remember, and easily worth all five glowing stars.
Accompanying her mother on a summer trip, sixteen year old Olivia is riddled with guilt from the death of her brother some years earlier. As they settle into their temporary home in the Pink Fancy Hotel, Olivia finds herself left to her own devices as her mother spends days on her art, and evenings in the company of the hotel owner, Travis. Olivia is not particularly close to her mother and misses her father. As time moves on, she makes the acquaintance of another resident, Sofia, and finds a friend and soulmate – much to her mother’s disapproval.
This is a novel which is bursting at the seams with emotions, memories, doubts and teenage angst. A beautifully written story on so many levels; mainly, the focus is on Olivia and the author really got under her skin – and mine. Despite her mother still treating her like a child, Olivia is becoming a young lady and misses nothing about her mother’s burgeoning relationship with Travis. There is a real holiday vibe with detailed descriptions of the many locations visited and I loved the confidences shared with her new friend Sofia. I’m not going to spoil things, but there are a few surprises along the way. Laury Egan writes with confidence and an enviable depth. One to relish and remember, and easily worth all five glowing stars.
October 7, 2022
A must-read of literary fiction.
Once, Upon an Island is an enchanting character-driven story that grabs you from the jump and doesn't let go. Though I rarely click with--much less love--literary fiction, this novel stole my heart (and my attention).
The characters are genuine and enticing. I was thoroughly invested in their relationships, in their dreams, their faults, their woes. Egan portrays them all with a sense of honesty that feels tender. There is no "all good" or "all bad" in this story--only complex lives and feelings.
The setting also comes alive through Egan's prose. I felt as though I were exploring the island with Olivia, experiencing its heat and its storms and its beauty.
What's more, Once, Upon an Island is at its heart a fantastic examination of trauma and relationships of all kinds--familial, romantic, platonic. Even relationships that defy description. And each is rendered as beautifully on the page as one of Evelyn's sketches.
5/5 stars from me!
Once, Upon an Island is an enchanting character-driven story that grabs you from the jump and doesn't let go. Though I rarely click with--much less love--literary fiction, this novel stole my heart (and my attention).
The characters are genuine and enticing. I was thoroughly invested in their relationships, in their dreams, their faults, their woes. Egan portrays them all with a sense of honesty that feels tender. There is no "all good" or "all bad" in this story--only complex lives and feelings.
The setting also comes alive through Egan's prose. I felt as though I were exploring the island with Olivia, experiencing its heat and its storms and its beauty.
What's more, Once, Upon an Island is at its heart a fantastic examination of trauma and relationships of all kinds--familial, romantic, platonic. Even relationships that defy description. And each is rendered as beautifully on the page as one of Evelyn's sketches.
5/5 stars from me!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews