Reviews

So Many Islands: Stories from the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and Pacific by Sabah Carrim, Emma Kate Lewis, Mokoyan Vekula, Tammi Browne-Bannister, Jacob Ross, Kendel Hippolyte, Damon Chua, Heather Barker, Mere Taito, Angela Barry, Nicholas Laughlin, Erato Ioannou, Cecil Browne, Fetuolemoana Elisara, Tracy Assing, Marita Davies, Melanie Schwapp

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cayleejanet's review

2.0

i need to learn my lesson: i do not like short stories at all. i hate them. so i hated this. i read it for my read around the world challenge because it includes stories from authors from countries that aren’t widely available, but i found them all, save two, dreadfully forgettable. i will admit that i skipped the one about cricket bc idgaf and the last poem thing because by that point i needed this to be over. that being said, i am grateful that i read the this book because of the chapter that was basically a small history of the treatment of indigenous people in trinidad. that alone made this entire book worth reading, which is why i gave it 2 stars instead of 1.

the other story i will keep remembering is the one where basically if you were black, you were entered into a lottery that meant you could ask white people for literally anything and they would have to give it to you. i thought that was a fascinating concept and ive been thinking about it a lot since i read it.

oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition

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(Various)

A fine anthology- somewhat uneven in quality. I was hoping for more of a showcase but the main theme of this selection was very centered on island identity and belonging or the feeling of not-belonging. All of which are fine to explore, although one of the pitfalls of being a writer from a small island seems to be a kind of pigeon-holing, an expectation that THIS is the most worthwhile thing for you to be writing about.

teenytinytina's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective sad

4.25

jureader's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

5.0

balletbookworm's review against another edition

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5.0

A wonderfully multi-layered collection of essays, poems, and stories from authors hailing from island nations around the globe, particularly the Caribbean and the Pacific. Many if not all of these authors will be unfamiliar to US audiences due to the small percentage of non-US literature imported to our shores. Literature can be a window and door into the world and this collection does that - look through it into those worlds and cultures you have not yet met.

bookofcinz's review against another edition

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4.0

So Many Islands Is a collection of short stories, poems, essays from the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and Pacific. When I heard about this collection of stories, I instantly gravitated to the idea of different island people coming together to speak their truth in various written forms.

I think Marlon James's introduction perfectly summarizes this collection and the writing "It takes a big mind, or at least a big worldview to write from such a small space..." I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and I really felt at home reading this book.

The major standouts for me were:
Tread Lightly by Emma Kate Lewis (Malta)
The Plundering by Heather Barker (Barbados)
Granny Dead (by Melanie Schwapp (Jamaica)
A Child of Four Women by Marita Davies (Kiribati)
Unaccounted For by Tracy Assing (Trinidad and Tobago)
Coming off the long run by Cecil Browne (Saint Vincent and the Grendadines)

If you are from an island, currently living on an island or planning on visiting an island, you should definitely pick up a copy of this collection. Outstanding stories from amazing Islanders!