On a holiday
escape to the Greek islands, Annie Buchanan discovers what – and then who – is
missing from her life… When single mother, Annie, and son Jude take a break
away from Scotland to stay with her brother and friends on Symi, they find the
warmth and support they need. As they ease into the relaxed rhythm of island
life, old and new acquaintances change the course of their vacation. Whether
it's for better or worse, Annie will discover when she visits the island of
Leros. There she may be able to put together some of the missing pieces in her
life and learn who her friends really are. But she cannot be prepared for some
uncomfortable truths about the past and the dramatic way in which they will
change the present for her... and Jude
My Thoughts:
I have never been to any of the Greek islands but they have always held a fascination for me. I think that is why I always seem to enjoy the setting in the fiction I read. The buzz of island life and the feeling of being free and easy. Jigsaw Island by Lynne McVernon was the perfect Greek Island escape in that sense. The author managed to evoke a reaction that made me feel as if I had been there, with the ships coming in and the heat rising off of the sand and being able to cool off in the inlets.
This novel is told from the perspectives of Annie Buchanan and her brother Fraser who originally are from Scotland but Annie decides to take a break in Symi to escape life which has currently become a bit chaotic and difficult. Annie's brother Fraser lives in Symi and she knows that the familiarity of family will be a welcome respite from her life when we met her at the outset.
This really is a story of two halves and I did not see the way that the narrative was progressing and which direction it would take. This was clever writing and very seamlessly done by this author. The first portion of the book deals with Annie's past leading up to current times and the exploration of the fact that she has not had it easy, in spite of it all though she is succeeding in parenting her son Jude and in her studies. The second part of the story takes a more sinister turn and becomes much more akin to thriller or mystery.
There is a lot to admire and take in whilst reading Jigsaw Island. There is the competing images of beauty of the island and the squats that Annie finds herself in her younger years. The racial slurs her son Jude has had to endure and the stares from people back home in Scotland. The difficulties of family and the yearning for a sense of belonging and a place to call home. In the Greek Islands it felt like Annie could just be herself without all of the baggage of her past.
Many themes are tackled, some particularly harrowing and the author manages this with a deft hand, drawing the reader in, telling the stories of refugees and the refugee crisis for example but not making it over sensationalised or graphic. I think this carried a particular weight for me as a reader. I found scenes from Annie's younger life particularly affecting and I will continue to think about the story for time to come.
I enjoyed the way the book concluded and it seemed almost inevitable but not in a predictable way, this was a wonderful island escape and I would love it if I were able to catch up with Annie and her family again in the future.
About the Author:
Lynne's writing career got off to a precocious
start when, aged eight, she was commended for a short story by head teacher, Mr
Barker, a success crowned by winning threepence, less than 1p today, for
spelling 'sphere'. Thereafter, it all went downhill. At nine, she sent a short
story to The Evening Standard. It was rejected. At ten, she entered BBC
Children's TV Write A Play competition. Got nowhere. After fifteen years,
following art school, university, a trainee directors' bursary, and with a lot
of stage sweeping and making tea for actors along the way, she (partially)
recognised defeat and became a theatre director, directing a range of plays
from Dario Fo to Shakespeare. Still unable to let go of the compulsion to write
and, inspired by Mike Leigh, she produced many devised, co-written and
self-penned productions. She also taught at drama schools, dramatised 3 Dickens
novels for the stage, adapted classics for BBC Radio and founded a young
people's creative writing company, Fable Productions. Her first novel, Terrible
With Raisins, was self-published in 2013; Jigsaw Island, published 30 June
2020, is her second. Both books were inspired by the endlessly captivating
Dodecanese Islands and their people.
Follow Lynne
here: http://www.lynnemcvernon.com/
Twitter @lynnemcvernon
Please do also have a look at the other stops on the blog tour:
Leah - many thanks for your sensitive and thoughtful review of JIGSAW ISLAND. I am, indeed, thinking of taking the story of the family - somewhere - Greece, of course, will have to play a major role. So - efharisto poli - again, for your lovely words! I look forward to following your blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the blog tour support Leah x
ReplyDelete