The Island
By Jen Minkman
The Island by Jen Minkman
‘I walk toward the sea. The endless surface of the water extends to the horizon, whichever way I look.
Our world is small. We are on our own, and we only have ourselves to depend on. We rely on the Force deep within us, as taught to us by our forefathers.
If I were to walk westward from here, I would come across a barrier – the Wall. Behind it, there are Fools. At least, that’s what everyone says.
I have never seen one.’
Leia lives on the Island, a world in which children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed. The Fools living behind it are not amenable to reason – they believe in illusions. That’s what The Book says, the only thing left to the Eastern Islanders by their ancestors.
But when a strange man washes ashore and Leia meets a Fool face to face, her life will never be the same. Is what she and her friends believe about the Island really true?
Or is everyone in their world, in fact, a Fool?
(Please note: this novella contains a few references to the famous sci-fi movie Star Wars which are pivotal to the plot. None of the characters in The Island are in any way related to the characters in the movie. Leia is named after one of the ancient heroes of her culture/religion.)
Our world is small. We are on our own, and we only have ourselves to depend on. We rely on the Force deep within us, as taught to us by our forefathers.
If I were to walk westward from here, I would come across a barrier – the Wall. Behind it, there are Fools. At least, that’s what everyone says.
I have never seen one.’
Leia lives on the Island, a world in which children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed. The Fools living behind it are not amenable to reason – they believe in illusions. That’s what The Book says, the only thing left to the Eastern Islanders by their ancestors.
But when a strange man washes ashore and Leia meets a Fool face to face, her life will never be the same. Is what she and her friends believe about the Island really true?
Or is everyone in their world, in fact, a Fool?
(Please note: this novella contains a few references to the famous sci-fi movie Star Wars which are pivotal to the plot. None of the characters in The Island are in any way related to the characters in the movie. Leia is named after one of the ancient heroes of her culture/religion.)
My Review
This is a very entertaining short novella based on a society split by rumor and superstition.
On the one side of the island the reader meets a girl named Leia. She like all the other children on their side of the island leaves the homes of their parents at the age of 10 to go live in a community until they wed. Once wed, they move back to the parents and raise their children until they are grown at the age of ten and the cycle repeats.
All is not well though with the island, the Force, the leader and Leia needs to grasp fast that her belief system build on via generations may be faulty. She needs to learn to accept the new truths thrust at her in time to save her twin brother and the friends she has made.
This is a fun read above all. I loved the faulty thinking on both sides. I loved the fast pace and the character development of Leia, her brother and their parent and friend. Even Saul, at the end, started to be somebody I could identify with.
This is a good read. A YA book with a moral to it and a twist I have never come across. Try this yourself.
My favorite sentence….His full name is written underneath. Luke Skywalker.
WaAr
thanks Wanda! I'm happy this review mentions the satire element... some reviewers get angry because the story seems to be somewhere between being a parody and taking itself seriously (hence, a satire) which is kind of the effect I was going for :)
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