Small Island

A work of historical fiction, it's neither light nor easy but it is a page-turner.

One of the first things that struck me is the use of language, the author's deft interweaving of reality, imagery, metaphor, current action, foreshadowing, plot advancement, and characterization in a lush, epic, multi-character tale.

It follows characters born and raised in Jamaica and rural England, their ultimate convergence in the city of London before, during, or after World War 2, as well as several characters' experience of that war in the various homelands of Empire and the far-flung theatres of that world-changing war.

This novel is about the experience of the Windrush generation – the Caribbean people who moved to Britain after the Second World War.

Andrea Levy so perfectly captures the experiences of these people that I feel like I can see my own grandparents on the page.

But what I love most about this book is that it sees itself as telling a part of British history – showing how the Caribbean and Britain were connected, but also exploring with equal empathy the experiences of white British characters during and after the War.

As someone mixed race, it is so rare… show more.

I read this novel many years ago and was blown away. I found it enlightening, skillfully written, and thought-provoking.  I was particularly captured by its honesty and how the period was easily brought to life. I was right there, in the moment. 

Small Island still holds a special place in my heart today as it began the sow the seeds for my own novels, to highlight and expose wrongs that are rarely written about without sounding preachy. 

Set in WW11 and its aftermath, the drama dances swiftly into the light, and with it fearlessly reveals the curiosity of family dynamics,… show more.

This novel took me into the poverty and mindset of post-WW2 Britain. Set in London, we follow two couples, English Queenie and Bernard, and Jamaican Gilbert and Hortense, as their lives become interwoven. Instead of communist paranoia, this novel is about another kind of fear-induced prejudice – racism. We feel the excitement and anticipation of the Windrush generation as they arrive in their ‘Mother land’ only to find a cold, prejudiced and hostile place. It deals with homesickness, feelings of alienation, and the misunderstandings that occur on the streets of London as the newly arrived Gilbert and Hortense search for… show more.

There is everything to admire in Small Island, a powerful story of Jamaican immigrants in England striving to remake their lives during and after WWII. Having served in the Royal Air Force, the male protagonist now finds himself relegated to an underclass in a country that no longer needs him. When a white landlady rents a room in her home to the former soldier and his new Jamaican bride, she becomes a neighborhood pariah. The war may be over, but the fear and intolerance that fueled it have come home. Despite all, this mismatched trio maintains their humanity and… show more.

Set in 1940s England and Jamaica, the novel explores racism and colorism, caste and class. Two couples—one British, the other Jamaican—who are living in one house, end up negotiating their biases in post-WWII London. Bring an illegitimate, biracial baby into the mix, and the tensions run high.

While the impact of Jamaica on British identity is the specific subject matter, Small Island reads as an exploration of the blurring—deliberate as well as unexpected—of cultural and racial lines in the US, as well. In this way, Small Island spoke to me about American-ness as much as it revealed to me the… show more.

This gem of a novel is just as much about how the British adjusted to Jamaicans as how the latter adapted to Britain, and the conclusion is – with great difficulty.

In Levy’s story, Hortense confronts the abyss between her lofty expectations of Britain and the post-war racist reality, as well as her equal disappointment with the man she has married. But Hortense marches on, swinging her handbag, overcoming every obstacle, and Levy’s witty, penetrating and accurate portrayal of Britain’s uncomfortable adjustment to its colonial heritage is a triumph.

Possibly the definitive fictional account of the experiences of the Empire Windrush generation but it was the mixed relationship that resonated with me. The perspective of white women who marry men of colour is rarely told. Queenie Buxton is a white British woman who rents lodgings to Gilbert and Hortense when they arrive in England from Jamaica. Queenie is pregnant with a baby whose father, Michael Roberts was in the RAF. The UK is justly proud of its role in defeating fascism in WW2. The only problem is that the narrative is often white-washed. The more than 2 million Indians… show more.