Tiny Landmass

The second selection in May for our book club was Small Island, by Andrea Levy. Sadly, this was not my favourite book. It was a bit of a push to finish it off for the book club.

Essentially, this book is about racism in post-WWII Britain. It deals with four main characters: Queenie, a white woman who runs a boarding house; Bernard, her white soldier husband; Hortense, a black woman from Jamaica; and Gilbert, also black and from Jamaica, who is Hortense's husband. Gilbert and Hortense board in Queenie's house.

The book had important things to say about racism and colonialism. The Jamaicans were taught everything about Britain - so much so that the Jamaicans thought of themselves as British, as every bit a citizen of the Empire as any other Brit. However, the Jamaicans were not thought of as British by the people who lived in Britain. To the British, they were foreigners, and black foreigners at that, despite the ties to the Empire. The Jamaicans faced the prejudice of the British with surprise, considering the Jamaicans felt they themselves were British. The book also discussed briefly the American feelings towards black people and the segregation imposed on the American soldiers, even in Britain.

So, if this book deals with important themes, why didn't I like it? Perhaps because I didn't really like any of the characters. None of the main characters were really likeable at all, so I didn't get into the story. If I don't care about the characters, I'm not interested in where their lives are going and then don't want to read the book because I have no interest in the story. I didn't feel like I could identify with the characters. It became a little better by the end of the book, but by then it was almost too late. Perhaps I disliked the characters because they were not real people but symbols, each with something to represent. It is difficult to identify with a symbol.

I also did not like the set-up of the book. Each main character told a portion of the story from his or her perspective. That did work when different characters described the same event. However, the book then jumps forward and backward in time. The reader is jumping between voices and time periods. I would have preferred a more chronological order for the book. If I don't care about the character in the present day, why would I care about them in the past? Maybe a linear structure would have assisted in developing the reader's relationship with the characters.

Those are my feelings on Small Island. Fortunately, I did not buy the book, only borrowed it. I will probably never read it again and would think twice about picking up another work by this author. The book wasn't terrible. I just didn't like it. However, those are my thoughts. If anyone liked it, you are welcome to post a spirited defence in the comments and we can have a civilized debate.

Next book up for book club is The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo. I am borrowing a copy from a friend and should start reading it this week! Stay tuned for updates.