A collection of stories spanning the lives of Jamaican women living around the world and their connections to their home island and the striving for an honest life in often trying circumstances. Poignant and sensitive writing.

The Islands is a very promising collection of short stories. I was impressed by how wide-ranging in location, tone, and experience these stories were. My favorites were the opener, Florida Lives (appreciated that the narrator's flaws were on full display), Some People, and Waking Life. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

This is an impressive collection that glimpses the Caribbean immigrants’ experiences abroad in the often unwelcoming lands of their colonizers. Not surprisingly, themes surrounding the concept of “home” are explored from both angles: those who were born in the Caribbean but have spent the majority of their lives away living/working in a “foreign” country and from their first-generation children raised in niche communities and struggle to fit in, yet identify with and revere places they’ve never visited. Most stories are told from a female point of view and address the overt and implicit sexual exploitation/abuse that occurred when negotiating employment opportunities - many positions involved domestic work amid strangers who preyed on the protagonist’s desperation and lack of options. Other stories contained battles against underlying negative (classist, sexist, and racial) stereotypes, and in other stories, some willingly become paid escorts when desperation and hopelessness prevail.

Other stories look at themes surrounding the desire to reinvent oneself via relocating; the pressures of assimilation and isolation, individualism vs collective representation/”being the only one;” and a few explore the complicated and conflicted family relationships (grandparents raising grandchildren, absent fathers, absent mothers, and resentful children). The challenges of interracial and cross-cultural dating are also examined within a few stories.

This is a well-conceived collection that covered a lot of timely and complex issues reverberating in the wake of imperialism and colonialism.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.

When reading the first story in this collection by Dion Irving my knee-jerk reaction was that the main character was racist but the more stories I read the more I could see that the thing we fear another’s is what we see in our self and that it isn’t more true than in the short stories in this book. How about some of the stories were about hopes and dreams and fears about people from Jamaica in the journey to find a new home in a strange place. Summer said summer funny but all or addicting. I read an article about this book and thought that it was more hyperbole from the powers that big who won us the bad but but after reading it I see all of it is true this book is so good I absolutely loved it and will definitely be reading it again in the future. I love to see how others live in the more I do the more I see it isn’t that much different than the way I do. We all have hopes and dreams and I think that is the biggest lesson I got from “the islands“ by Dion Irving it’s truly great read! Believe all the hype because it is definitely true. I want to thank the author and Net Gally for this arc copy andto ask forgiveness for any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A very solid collection of stories. These are not happy ones, but they are memorable. Strong writing and a nice variety make this an easy recommendation.

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!

I really enjoyed these stories about Jamaicans and the island culture. The struggles for identity and racial equality were particularly heart wrenching at times. I think that there was a good atmosphere in these books and the author created an experience with these stories as opposed to just a glimpse. I felt that these stories were heartfelt and very memorable. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.