Syndetics cover image
Image from Syndetics

The islands : stories / Dionne Irving.

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: New York : Catapult, 2022.Edition: First editionDescription: 259 pages ; 21 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 1646220668
  • 9781646220663
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
Florida lives -- Shopgirl -- Weaving -- All-inclusive -- The cape -- Canal -- An American idea of fun -- Some people -- The gifts -- Waking life.
Summary: "The Islands follows the lives of Jamaican women--immigrants or the descendants of immigrants--who have relocated all over the world to escape the ghosts of colonialism. Set in the United States, Jamaica, and Europe, these international stories examine the lives of an uncertain and unsettled cast of characters. In one story, a woman and her husband impulsively leave San Francisco and move to Florida with wild dreams of American reinvention only to unearth the horrible cracks in their marriage. In another, the only Jamaican mother at a pricey prep school feels pressure to volunteer at the school's International Day. With locales ranging from 1950s London to 1960s Panama to modern-day New Jersey, author Dionne Irving reveals the intricacies of immigration and assimilation, establishing a new and unforgettable voice in Caribbean American literature. Restless, displaced, and disconnected, these characters try to ground themselves--to grow where they find themselves planted--in a world in which the tension between what's said and unsaid can bend the soul"--cover page 4.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Shelving location Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library Fiction In Case You Missed It IRVING, DIONNE ICYMI: Recently New Available 33111010919245
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Longlisted for the 2023 New American Voices Award
Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
Hurston Wright Legacy Award Nominee
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

Powerful stories that explore the legacy of colonialism, and issues of race, immigration, sexual discrimination, and class in the lives of Jamaican women across London, Panama, France, Jamaica, Florida and more

The Islands follows the lives of Jamaican women-immigrants or the descendants of immigrants-who have relocated all over the world to escape the ghosts of colonialism on what they call the Island. Set in the United States, Jamaica, and Europe, these international stories examine the lives of an uncertain and unsettled cast of characters. In one story, a woman and her husband impulsively leave San Francisco and move to Florida with wild dreams of American reinvention only to unearth the cracks in their marriage. In another, the only Jamaican mother-who is also a touring comedienne-at a prep school feels pressure to volunteer in the school's International Day. Meanwhile, in a third story, a travel writer finally connects with the mother who once abandoned her.

Set in locations and times ranging from 1950s London to 1960s Panama to modern-day New Jersey, Dionne Irving reveals the intricacies of immigration and assimilation in this debut, establishing a new and unforgettable voice in Caribbean-American literature. Restless, displaced, and disconnected, these characters try to ground themselves-to grow where they find themselves planted-in a world in which the tension between what's said and unsaid can bend the soul.

Florida lives -- Shopgirl -- Weaving -- All-inclusive -- The cape -- Canal -- An American idea of fun -- Some people -- The gifts -- Waking life.

"The Islands follows the lives of Jamaican women--immigrants or the descendants of immigrants--who have relocated all over the world to escape the ghosts of colonialism. Set in the United States, Jamaica, and Europe, these international stories examine the lives of an uncertain and unsettled cast of characters. In one story, a woman and her husband impulsively leave San Francisco and move to Florida with wild dreams of American reinvention only to unearth the horrible cracks in their marriage. In another, the only Jamaican mother at a pricey prep school feels pressure to volunteer at the school's International Day. With locales ranging from 1950s London to 1960s Panama to modern-day New Jersey, author Dionne Irving reveals the intricacies of immigration and assimilation, establishing a new and unforgettable voice in Caribbean American literature. Restless, displaced, and disconnected, these characters try to ground themselves--to grow where they find themselves planted--in a world in which the tension between what's said and unsaid can bend the soul"--cover page 4.

Powered by Koha