The Islanders by Lewis Robinson
A Review by James M. Fisher
The Islanders is a very American book, which is fitting because it was written by an American, and published by an American publishing house (Islandport Press, Maine). What I mean by “American” is that it is a reflection of the present culture south of the border. The setting is a privately owned island off the coast of Maine (a fictitious one). The island has a few residents there all year round, but it is the exclusive “Club” that is the main attraction for monied summer residents and visitors.
New on the island this year is WILD, an acronym for Whaleback Island Leadership Detail. Several of the island owners have traversed the US looking for candidates to take part. They are particularly looking for mature teens who are having trouble fitting in, or so it would seem. Take Walt McNamara, our narrator and main protagonist. From New Hampshire, Walt excels at hockey in high school but is a loner and his parents are separated. He is recruited by Paul Brevard, one of the owners, a smooth-talking likeable guy whose daughter is a schoolmate friend of Walt’s (which is a whole other side story). Walt is athletic, smart and has self-confidence galore, a perfect fit for the WILD program.
Walt begins his story by looking back on his WILD experience as well as the year leading up to his being recruited. An only child, with separated parents, Walt fares for himself. He has a bright future beyond high school as a goaltender but blows that opportunity in a centre-ice meltdown at the local arena.
The WILD program consists of six “huddles” with an ex-military instructor as the lead. There are cabins for the participants, females as well as males. The cabins are not co-ed, but there are no restrictions on relationships. They are treated like adults for the most part. Food is provided. Upon arrival on the island, the participants are quickly introduced to the program which is part Amazing Race and part Survivor. Walt’s huddle instructor is Grunewald, a Vietnam Vet who is more like a drill sergeant and brooks no nonsense from his charges.
The WILD program is a little vague to the participants, but they are led to believe that successful ones will get a good-paying job (even the idea of an FBI or CIA position is bandied about) when the program finishes. As for what they are being groomed for, there are a few “tells” early in the conversations they have with Grunewald, Paul Brevard and Joey MacLean another wealthy Whaleback Island owner/resident.
Grunewald: “Let’s keep the island safe and sound.”
MacLean: “Brevard and I want to give you lots of responsibility. The program, we’ll get it right, then we’ll share what we’ve done with the Club, and they’ll get on board.” After hearing this, Walt tells the reader: “This didn’t make much sense to me at the time, it makes more sense now.”
Grunewald reiterates over and over to his huddle members that “this is real” which makes it more like military training than a leadership program. It’s clear they are never going to go back to their regular lives; they are being groomed for something special. This becomes evident to all (reader included) when Grunewald shows them the Island’s “Armory” which includes rifles, handguns and semi-automatic machine guns. Why would an island need such weapons? “For target practice” a WILDer asks. Grunewald responds: “For target practice, yes, while you still need to practice, and then they’ll just be there. To be used if necessary.”
From this point in the story (near the end of their training) Walt and his fellow huddle-mates begin to get suspicious as to the actual purpose of the WILD program. Then Grunewald himself begins to question the program after Brevard and MacLean mishandle a few situations and want him to wear a camera. From here on in the drama increases and heated confrontations take place.
I haven’t even mentioned Aubrey, a mute (by choice) WILDer who has been to Whaleback Island before and knows its secrets.
The Islanders is an ambitious book, and I read it twice because like Walt said, it makes more sense when you know what you know at the end of the story to see all the little nuances of the WILD program and the machinations of Brevard and MacLean to manoeuvre things their way.
I enjoyed reading The Islanders as it offers teen angst, forging strong relationships and the underlying white colonizer fear of losing the Island and the Club, their way of life to outsiders. Islandport Press can usually be relied upon to publish good fiction, and The Islanders is no exception.
About the Author
Lewis Robinson is the author of Officer Friendly and Other Stories and Water Dogs, and he is the winner of a Whiting Award, the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award, and a Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. His writing has appeared in Sports Illustrated, The New York Times Book Review, and on the National Public Radio program Selected Shorts. He teaches at the University of Maine at Farmington and lives in Portland, Maine with his family.
Book Details
Publisher : Islandport Press (Sept. 17 2024)
Language : English
Paperback : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 1952143926
ISBN-13 : 978-1952143922