The Islands Stories Dionne Irving by Dionne Irving 9781646220670, 1646220676 instant download after payment.

Powerful stories that explore the legacy of colonialism, & issues of race, immigration, sexual discrimination, and class in the lives of Jamaican women across London, Panama, France, Jamaica, Florida, & more   

The Islands follows the lives of Jamaican women—immigrants or the descendants of immigrants—who have relocated all over the world to escape the ghosts of colonialism on what they call the Island. Set in the United States, Jamaica, & Europe, these international stories examine the lives of an uncertain & unsettled cast of characters. In one story, a woman & her husband impulsively leave San Francisco & move to Florida with wild dreams of American reinvention only to unearth the cracks in their marriage. In another, the only Jamaican mother—who is also a touring comedienne—at a prep school feels pressure to volunteer in the school’s International Day. Meanwhile, in a third story, a travel writer finally connects with the mother who once abandoned her.   

Set in locations and times ranging from 1950s London to 1960s Panama to modern-day New Jersey, Dionne Irving reveals the intricacies of immigration & assimilation in this debut, establishing a new & unforgettable voice in Caribbean-American literature. Restless, displaced, & disconnected, these characters try to ground themselves—to grow where they find themselves planted—in a world in which the tension between what’s said & unsaid can bend the soul.

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DIONNE IRVING is originally from Toronto, Ontario. Her work has appeared in Story, Boulevard, Literary Hub, The Missouri Review, & New Delta Review, among other journals & magazines. Her first novel, Quint, came out in the fall of 2021. She currently teaches in the creative writing program & the Initiative on Race & Resilience at the University of Notre Dame. She lives i