The Last Island by David Hogan- A little gem you should get your hands on!

I received this book from the author for review, and couldn't put it down once I started reading it.

Hogan's novel is about an ex-firefighter who runs away from his past to a very remote fishing island in Greece. He meets a bunch of characters who he cannot help but get to know due to the island's size, and because he has taken a job as the bartender of a popular fishing taverna. He soon becomes involved with the local politics and gossip of the town, and learns a few things about himself he originally wished he could have avoided in his solitary escape.

This Greek island is an aquatic reserve, yet it's inhabitants make a living from fishing.Throughout the story we see pro's and con's to the evolution of these remote areas that have the potential to draw tourists. Coming from my own little "fishing village" on an island, I found the story quite relevant. 

Our main character learns of the love that animals bring to our lives, the importance of protecting them, and the value of culture through Hogan's talented writing style.This story is short, only 195 pages, but it is extremely thought provoking. 

3 comments:

  • Unknown | July 2, 2014 at 2:20 PM

    Dear Alana,

    Will you please consider reviewing my new novel DON’T FORGET ME, BRO, to be published later this year by Stephen F. Austin State University Press?

    DON’T FORGET ME, BRO deals with themes of childhood abuse, mental illness, and alienated families. (See synopsis below.)

    My award-winning debut novel THE NIGHT I FREED JOHN BROWN (Philomel Books, Penguin Group, 2009) won The Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers (Grades 7-12) and was one of ten books recommended by USA TODAY. For more info: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-michael-cummings/the-night-i-freed-john-brown/

    In addition I've published a collection of short stories, UGLY TO START WITH (West Virginia University Press) Here’s a link to some information about my collection: http://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Start-With-Michael-Cummings/dp/193597808X

    My short stories have appeared in more than seventy-five literary journals, including The Iowa Review, North American Review, The Kenyon Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and The Chattahoochee Review. Twice I have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize. My short story "The Scratchboard Project" received an honorable mention in The Best American Short Stories 2007.

    I look forward to hearing back from you.

    My email is johnmcummings@aol.com

    Thank you very much.

    Kindly,

    John Michael Cummings

    P.S. Could you kindly give me a reply back to let me know you received this email?

    Synopsis of DON’T FORGET ME, BRO

    DON’T FORGET ME, BRO deals with themes of childhood abuse, mental illness, and alienated families. The book opens with the main character, forty-two-year-old Mark Barr, who has returned home from New York to West Virginia after eleven years for his older brother Steve’s funeral. Steve, having died of a heart attack at forty-five, was mentally ill most of his adult life, though Mark has always questioned what was "mentally ill" and what was the result of their father’s verbal and physical abuse during their childhood.

    The book unfolds into an odyssey for Mark to discover love for his brother posthumously in a loveless family.

    DON’T FORGET ME, BRO is a portrait of an oldest brother’s supposed mental illness and unfulfilled life, as well as a redeeming tale of a youngest brother’s alienation from his family and his guilt for abandoning them.

    - end -

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