The Islands by Dionne Irving

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

The Islandsfollows the lives of Jamaican womenimmigrants or the descendants of immigrantswho 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 anuncertain and unsettled cast of characters. In one story, a woman and herhusband impulsively leave San Francisco and move to Florida withwild dreamsof American reinvention only to unearth the cracks in their marriage.In another, the only Jamaican motherwho is also a touring comedienneat aprep 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 tomodern-day New Jersey, Dionne Irving reveals the intricacies of immigration and assimilation in this debut, establishing a new and unforgettable voice inCaribbean-American literature. Restless, displaced, and disconnected, thesecharacters try to ground themselvesto grow where they find themselvesplantedin a world in which the tension between what's said and unsaid canbend the soul. (From Catapult Books)

The Islands is onthe 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist.

• Dionne Irving's The Islands follows the migration stories of Jamaican women
• The CBC Books fall reading list: 40 Canadian books to read this season

Dionne Irving is a writer and creative writing teacher from Toronto. She released her first novel,Quintin 2021 and her work hasbeen featured in journals and magazines like LitHub, Missouri Review and New Delta Review.