Island Song

(I read this book with Methley Book club. )
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and looked forward to time spent with it every day. It was rather refreshing to read a story told mainly in a linear way, from start to finish, without it employing what have become popular techniques for storytelling, such as jumping about between various time periods or alternating chapters in different voices.
The story is inspired by the author’s own family history. It is a “Windrush novel” exploring the experiences of those who moved to Britain from the Caribbean in the 1950s seeking work and a better life. The two main characters are sisters, Ella and Agnes, one of whom stays in St Lucia and the other fulfills her dream of moving to London. They are beautifully portrayed by the author and I loved them both. I thoroughly enjoyed following the paths of their lives over the few years covered by the book, comparing and contrasting St Lucia and London.
The less central characters were well written too. I felt there were the right number of characters to make the book interesting but not too many to be confusing. It was possible to get to know many over the course of the book.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the weather and surroundings, all of which added interest and context to the story but most of all, I just loved the emotions which the book stirred in me. I became very invested in the characters. They suffered hardships and sad times but also joy and happiness, pride in their hard work and hope for the future.

This is a story written with much love and is warm hearted even though it deals with the awful racial prejudice in England against the West Indian immigrants of the late Fifties.

It is the story of two sisters who have different ‘songs’ in their hearts. Ella the elder Is scared and haunted by a tragedy of the St Lucia coast and the younger, Agnes, is far more adventurous and yearns for a better life. Both characters are beautifully captured and you feel you know them well. Their home is materially poor and is hard but they have family and community. The village and the Canaries in which is found is described and sounds absolutely gorgeous. Their lives and opportunities (or otherwise) are woven and there is a great deal of home spun wisdom on offer, interlaced with the knowledge of their enslaved ancestors and the culture of Africa permeates St Lucia in the customs, language and songs.

Agnes achieves her dream and emigrates to England with high hopes and joy only to find a very cold and grim London on her arrival and to learn that she is not so welcome after all. Nevertheless, she and her friends find a home and work and forge a life for themselves and do manage to send money home to help the families left behind. The descriptions of the smokey and cold London are really good as is the description of the Lyons Teahouse. The impact of the white prejudice against the West Indian immigrants was handled well and it made me sad and mad that the immigrants were treated so abysmally. The horror of the violence against them by the Teddy Boys added darkness and fear to their lives.

And Ella stayed home and looks after Agnes’s children and a cousin Johnnie and her Aunt Flora help her find a solution to her song.

The book only covers four years so I was wondering if it was going to become a series which was off-putting and I also felt that a lot of the story was repetitive, especially about Raphael and his faults and it annoyed me when the story went 6 months back to introduce his character. Then it was ended and all tied up in short order. I guess publication date was looming.

It was not a page turner for me but a pleasant read nevertheless.