Small Island A Novel
Small Island by Andrea Levy is a novel published by Macmillan in April 2005, comprising 441 pages. The story follows Hortense Joseph, who arrives in London from Jamaica in 1948, carrying her dreams and heartbreak. Her husband, Gilbert Joseph, returns from war expecting a hero’s welcome, only to confront the harsh realities of being a black man in post-war Britain. The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of four characters, including Queenie, a white landlady, and her husband Bernard, who grapples with his own challenges after combat.
Readers will find a rich exploration of themes such as family life and the immigrant experience, presented with a blend of tender emotion and wit. The novel delves into the complexities of identity and belonging, highlighting the struggles and resilience of its characters as they navigate societal barriers. Small Island offers a poignant reflection on the intersections of race, class, and personal history, making it a significant contribution to contemporary literature.
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Winner of the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction
A Picador Original Trade Paperback
Hortense Joseph arrives in London from Jamaica in 1948 with her life in her suitcase, her heart broken, her resolve intact. Her husband, Gilbert Joseph, returns from the war expecting to be received as a hero, but finds his status as a black man in Britain to be second class. His white landlady, Queenie, raised as a farmer’s daughter, befriends Gilbert, and later Hortense, with innocence and courage, until the unexpected arrival of her husband, Bernard, who returns from combat with issues of his own to resolve.
Told in these four voices, Small Island is a courageous novel of tender emotion and sparkling wit, of crossings taken and passages lost, of shattering compassion and of reckless optimism in the face of insurmountable barriers—in short, an encapsulation of that most American of experiences: the immigrant’s life.
Born in 1956 to Jamaican parents, Andrea Levy is the author of three previous novels and has received a British Arts Council Writers Award in addition to the Orange Prize and Whitbread distinctions. She lives and works in London.
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