Description

‘Wonderful, vivid, bittersweet’ Sara Baume, author of Spill Simmer Falter Wither

‘Gritty, dark and joyful’ Michelle Gallen, author of Big Girl, Small Town

‘Riotously human and authentic’ Niamh Campbell, author of This Happy

‘Elegant, gritty, funny and unflinching’ Luiza Sauma, author of Everything You Ever Wanted

Annie needs to lose her virginity, so she’s waiting in a car park for Paul.

Paul needs drugs for the party, but he’s got to keep an eye on his sister, Josie.

Josie needs a father figure. Or that’s how it seems to her driving instructor, Neil.

Eva needs to get away from the island. She could do without bumping into the school bully, Kat.

Claire needs to drink herself into the mood for the hen do. But she’s been betrayed by her childhood friend, Becky. And she can’t stop thinking about what’s happened to her sister, Kat …

Set on the island of Guernsey over a period of twenty years, these closely linked stories reveal the desires, friendships, betrayals, regrets and heartaches of twelve intertwined people. Against a backdrop of picturesque cliffs and beaches, grimy clubs and pubs and chip shops, their stumbling attempts to connect with each other are depicted with wrenching pathos, wry humour and moving empathy.

Publisher Review

A wonderful, vivid, bittersweet collection, a universal insight into the unglamorous lives of glamorous places. -- Sara Baume, author of Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither Islanders is a gritty, dark and joyful book about a complex cast of characters. Every one of these stories reveals gleams of love and tenderness; every one of them packs a punch -- Michelle Gallen, author of Big Girl, Small Town You feel everything in this book. Textured, intense, claustrophobic but riotously human and authentic. -- Niamh Campbell, author of This Happy A layered, immersive and sensory collection, Islanders pulses with life and pathos. Cathy Thomas weaves these overlapping and intersecting stories with finesse, humour, and breathtaking precision. I loved it -- Eimear Ryan, author of Holding Her Breath Islanders is elegant, gritty, funny and unflinching, full of the joys and pains of life, and with a remarkable sense of place. I gulped it down and wanted more. Utterly wonderful. -- Luiza Sauma, Everything You Ever Wanted The thwarted, unorganised, and chaotic rituals of youth are wonderfully evoked, as are the ruptures in those adult lives that have become stale, untruthful, and painful; an affecting and funny debut -- Oisin Fagan, author of Nobber These stories are so good. With beautiful and devastating precision, Cathy Thomas has crafted an unforgettable portrait of her island homeland Guernsey, revealed through a web of frail, flawed and - against all odds - connected human lives. -- Mia Gallagher, author of Shift I devoured these stories. With impressive range and beautifully precise observations, Thomas writes about what home and homesickness really means, the impact of regret, and the challenges of truly growing up. A voice to watch -- Julianne Pachico, author of The Anthill An immensely readable debut, full of pathos ... Every place should have a writer like Cathy Thomas to tell its stories; Guernsey is very lucky to have her -- Barney Norris, author of Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain Fresh and funny and so sharply observed -- Jan Carson, author of The Raptures The shared but multifaceted claustrophobia of these interwoven lives is intoxicating. Cathy Thomas has a real talent for capturing the specific ennui, yearning, and resignation that occur within a small, resected place; the thoughts that hide behind innocuous conversations, the traitorous desires. This is a sticky, sensory, and very clever collection. -- Susannah Dickey, author of Tennis Lessons A vivid collection of short stories, each one unlocking the next, written in luminous prose that shares the whip and sting of the English Channel its characters call home. Cathy Thomas has given us an island that is never silent, a world of peer pressure, drunk driving and yawning cliffs. This thoughtful, generous work will linger in the memory -- James Clarke, author of Hollow in the Land Funny, complex and painfully insightful, full of empathy without a sniff of sentimentality. The stories are shot through with exquisite details, and descriptions so evocative they left me stunned. Thomas draws the curtain around her reader and her characters, so that while you are with them, each of these tiny lives matters more than any other - what a feat -- Elske Rahill, author of An Unravelling