Book Review: The Last Island by David Hogan

Posted August 8, 2014 by Melissa in Uncategorized / 1 Comment

Title: The Last Island
Author: David Hogan

Series: N/A
Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Betimes Books

Published: November 3rd, 2013

Page count: 205 pages

Format: Paperback

Source: From author in exchange of an honest review

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Summary:

A universal tale of escape, love and redemption.

A Boston fireman, in an attempt to flee personal and professional tragedy, accepts a job as a bartender on a Greek island. In an isolated cove, he meets Kerryn, an animal rights activist who believes dolphins possess consciousness, intelligence and souls. Kerryn enjoys an extraordinary and personal relationship with a dolphin and is waging a covert war to stop the local fishermen from using illegal nets that not only deplete the sea of fish but also take dolphins’ lives. The fireman is pulled into this conflict as his relationship with Kerryn deepens. But Kerryn’s passion and convictions lead her to make a fatal decision that changes the island and both their lives forever.

The novel’s emotional landscape and its themes of environmentalism, animal rights, and the costs of capitalism make The Last Island both timely and timeless.

The Reader’s Review

My rating: 4/5 stars

The Last Island was a different read to what I’m normally used to. It’s not about fantasy, paranormal or simply happily ever after, but a raw and truthful story about the works of humanity. It gave me characters terribly flawed, a simple setting nowhere close to plain, and a plot that may seem uneventful in the eyes of big societies.

It’s not, however, uneventful. The Last Island takes place on a small Greek island where its inhabitants sustain their lives by fishing. Everything in there is simple and so cut off from the rest of the world, there’s no doubt it’s the perfect place for a person to hide when running away from the past. Unfortunately, a small island such as this one is bound to have problems like any other place. With fishes running low, people wanting to make it into resorts, and a loud voice protecting more than human rights, there’s hardly any chance to not get involved.

This book deals with a small war between the people of the Island as they fight against each other searching for their best interest. It’s either stick to tradition or join the modern world. They fight against injustice and some against personal demons. A political battle to preserve what is right and preserve what is pure. The Last Island reaches a breaking point where not a single person or living being is left unaffected by their choices, yet it does strive to see the light of dawn as it flees from the blazing fire.

The journey on which this book took me left me a bit weary, but I’m satisfied for how it all ends. I liked the final choice made by the firefighter because it was kind of epic (a bit on the dramatic side like in the movies), but I so loved to cheer on it when it happened. Got to love change of thoughts. 😉

All in all, The Last Island delivers smoothly an unforgettable experience you won’t get anywhere else.