Product Description

The island is a place where things are not quite as they appear; a magical place where the murder of a reclusive woman is not a cut and dried case. 'I thought I had come to the island to wrest control of my life back from the woman who had sabotaged it. But I was wrong. My mother was still writing my plot.' Nikki Black, intent on punishing the mother who abandoned her at birth, goes to the island with only one aim in mind: revenge. But her plans are confounded by the discovery that she has a brother. Not just any brother but a brother strangely possessed by their mother; a brother with a terrifying violent streak; an apparent simpleton whose head is filled with the stories of past islanders, Crofters, Vikings, Little People. A brother whose dangerous love and strange way of seeing the world transform Nikki's life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71044 in Books
• Published on: 2000-07-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 260 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Nikki Black owes nobody anything. She's hard, selfish, hurt and vengeful. If only she could stop having the Fear and falling from one disaster to the next, she could possibly succeed. But a childhood in erratic care has made her unable to retain a hold on life and when she decides at 28 to kill the mother who left her on the steps of Camden Post Office as a baby, she gains a clean, clear vindictive purpose. Since the preface of Jane Rogers' sixth novel is a local news report of the murder, the tale is less a suspense novel than a whydunnit, setting off at a cracking pace, as Nikki describes her alienation from "the mummied and daddied kids" and her fury at being constantly rejected by her carers. "She made me this; the one you can walk away from". When Nikki traces her mother to a remote and dismal Scottish island, she discovers that she has "a special half-wit of a brother", called Calum, who's like "something that's been grown in the dark, forced, like rhubarb under a flowerpot". Nikki rents a room in her mother's house to snoop and plan the most effective means of murder. Rogers' mordantly smooth humour becomes less vicious as Nikki befriends the fearless and lonely Calum. He tells her the history of the island through folktales that connect to Nikki's untapped inner world and rescue her from her own island of isolation and jealous rage. Island is a compelling and chilling morality tale whose themes of redemption and loss are subtle and poignant. --Cherry Smyth

Amazon.co.uk Review
Nikki Black owes nobody anything. She's hard, selfish, hurt and vengeful. If only she could stop having the Fear and falling from one disaster to the next, she could possibly succeed. But a childhood in erratic care has made her unable to retain a hold on life and when she decides at 28 to kill the mother who left her on the steps of Camden Post Office as a baby, she gains a clean, clear vindictive purpose. Since the preface of Jane Rogers' sixth novel is a local news report of the murder, the tale is less a suspense novel than a whydunnit, setting off at a cracking pace, as Nikki describes her alienation from "the mummied and daddied kids" and her fury at being constantly rejected by her carers. "She made me this; the one you can walk away from". When Nikki traces her mother to a remote and dismal Scottish island, she discovers that she has "a special half-wit of a brother", called Calum, who's like "something that's been grown in the dark, forced, like rhubarb under a flowerpot". Nikki rents a room in her mother's house to snoop and plan the most effective means of murder. Rogers' mordantly smooth humour becomes less vicious as Nikki befriends the fearless and lonely Calum. He tells her the history of the island through folktales which connect to Nikki's untapped inner world and rescue her from her own island of isolation and jealous rage. A compelling and chilling morality tale whose themes of redemption and loss are subtle and poignant. --Cherry Smyth

Review
'The mindscape of an intelligent young woman who has never known any kind of love is brilliantly portrayed...This is a story where there is a kind of cathartic redemption' THE TIMES 'A novel of redemption' Nicci Gerrard, OBSERVER 'Jane Rogers is a novelist whose work sings' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'Heart breakingly lyrical' GUARDIAN "Original and compelling ... 'Tempest' territory' TIME OUT

Customer Reviews

Perfect for your Reading Group
Having just enjoyed a fantastic discussion of this novel in a reading group, I would recommend this work highly to other groups. The main character is a complex, troubled young woman, inciting lively disagreement between readers. Many were horrified by her behavior, while others sypathised with her troubled life. Either way, the obssesive attempts to murder her mother were deliciously shocking to each of us.

A tense,exciting and disturbing read.
I found this book to be a good read. It held my interest throughout. The central character, Nikki Black, is an intelligent, damaged young woman who has been abandoned throughout her life and is now seeking revenge. Jane Rogers paints a convincing portrait of her character displaying a contempt for Liberal minded 'do gooders' I noticed in Foreign Lands. She manages to effectively mix the telling of the contemporary story with traditional tales recounted by her strange half brother. The obsessive, intelligent nature of Nikki makes us go along with her warped logic in a very disturbing way. I found the final plot twist rather contrived and I disagree with the books final conclusion that resolution and peace can come from violence. An excellent disturbing read.

great read
After listening to the abridged version of the story in a play on the radio the book was of course much more detailed and a very good read.I especially liked the way the author wrote often without pause and you really felt the fear of the main character Nikki.The audio version was realistic because it was actually recorded on the Scottish isles but you do get that same sense of reality from the book.Will be looking at more of Jane Rodgers work in the future.