This book was different to what I was expecting, but also different to anything I’ve ever read before.

This is a psychological thriller that follows a family whose world is about to be turned upside down. Their oldest daughter is on an island attending some sort of young person camp, when all of a sudden they get attacked by terrorists. Meanwhile on land, the parents are near Oslo and a bomb has gone off there. We enter a world of confusion, grief and radicalism.

I think this book contains a lot of valuable discussion points, of which I can’t raise or I would ruin most of the plot. It really made me think though, and meanwhile I did not see all the twists and turns that happened, if any actually.

Sadly this book suffered from lost and draggy middle. It felt like the author just got lost for a bit in the middle portion, things got dull and I had to force my way through. The start was amazing and the end was good and unexpected. It’s such a shame the middle let it down for me.

The Island by Ben McPherson was published on January 7th in paperback format (originally published in HB and digital format Aug 2020) with Harper Collins and is described as ‘a gripping psychological crime thriller’. Set in Norway it is the story of one family and how their lives were ripped apart by a series of very unexpected and shocking events.

Scottish born satirist, Cal and his Norwegian wife, Elsa had arrived in Oslo for a six month stint with their three young children, shortly due to return to their life in Washington DC. It’s summertime in Oslo and their eldest Licia is away at a summer camp on a small island off the coast of Oslo. A bomb ripping through a building in the town centre sends shockwaves through the city but it is what follows that truly horrifies a nation. Gunmen alight on the island where Licia’s camp is being hosted and mercilessly open fire on teenagers. The death toll is staggering and a community mourns. For Elsa and Cal, their life is turned upside down. When the bodies are repatriated onto the mainland, families grieve for the lives lost, young lives viciously hacked down by madmen. For Cal and Elsa, their journey is only just beginning. Licia’s body is not among the ones retrieved. Where is she? What has happened to their quiet and beautiful daughter?

A camera crew who managed to film some of the terror live from their helicopter appear to have caught footage of a young girl who looks just like Licia. This girl was witnessed as saving others and putting her own life on the line for many. To Cal and Elsa, and the world, Licia was a hero. Hashtags appeared on social media praising Licia for her courage and strength and, although difficult for Cal and Elsa to accept, it appeared that their daughter was never coming home.

Their younger daughter, Vee, a tech whizz, carries out her own bit of research and raises questions about the events on the island that day, very pertinent questions. With the gunmen now awaiting trial, Cal and Elsa want answers, and want them fast, prepared to step outside their comfort zones, if need be, to uncover the truth about what really happened that day.

Cal and Elsa have a fractured relationship and the cracks begin to show as their search for answers continues. Not the most likeable of characters, the reader is left wondering, at times, who is hiding something and is it connected to Licia’s disappearance? Vee, their young daughter, is depicted as someone far older than she is. Her attitude and general demeanour were quite worldly for one so young, a bit too savvy in my humble opinion. Not liking characters never deters me from enjoying a novel. If anything, it can sometimes add an extra layer of credibility to the story but something felt very off with many of the cast in this story. I read translated Nordic Noir/Scandi books and, perhaps, this is where the issue lies for me. The Island is not a translated work, as the author is English, but it feels like an attempt at making it appear so. When reading translated works one of the many joys for me is how I become immersed in a very unfamiliar world, with perhaps a different turn of phrase and always atmospheric descriptions that transport me to, quite often, remote and stark environments. I wasn’t transported to Oslo reading The Island, as I found it challenging to visualise the settings. I had very little empathy for Cal and Elsa and found Vee’s character to be totally exaggerated.

So overall what did I think? The premise of The Island is very good. It’s dark and unsettling depicting how the mind can be bended to the will of others when the end justifies the means. It is full of some downright subversive and nasty characters that do get under your skin with other individuals leaving you perplexed as to their innocence until the final pages.

I’m going to have to remain on the fence with this book as having not read the author’s previous, and very well acclaimed work, it may just be that this one book didn’t work for me.

When I read the synopsis of this novel it took me straight back to Anders Breivik, the far right terrorist who planted a bomb in Oslo and attacked a children’s camp on the island of Utoya, shooting dead 69 people. This was such a shock back in 2011 and something that has stayed with me ever since. I wondered wanted to see how the author explored the subject of an attack like this, such an emotive subject when the victims are children. I’d read Rosamund Lupton’s Three Hours at the beginning of last year, and her tale of a school shooting was a fantastic read so it thought it might be interesting to read a different take on a similar subject. Just like Breivik’s attack this one starts with a bomb in Oslo and a couple who hear the news, followed by breaking news of an attack on a small island where their daughter Licia is attending a camp celebrating International Future Females. What was a piece of disturbing, but distant, news is now an awful lot closer to home. So, although this shares its DNA with a real event, and is a terrible act of violence, this is really a story about family.

Licia’s parents are Elsa and Cal. Cal is Scottish and Elsa is Norewegian, and the family are spending six months living in Elsa’s home country after a time spent in Washington DC. They have another teenage daughter, Vee and a baby son called Franklin. Their daughter Licia is listed as missing and this book follows the family coping in the aftermath of the terrorist incident. It explores their relationships, and how they are changed and tested by the events on this day. They soon find out that camera footage from a helicopter above shows their daughter still alive in the water, but as stories come out it sees she was shielding other people and saved one little boy’s life. She has unknowingly become the hero of the island for putting others before her own safety. The family are very well drawn, three dimensional characters. Cal is very warm, funny, and has an obvious love for his family. Elsa is more blunt and a comes across as a little bit cold in parts, I don’t feel I fully know her throughout the story. She has quite set ideas about how people should behave but is very closed off herself. Call’s easygoing nature becomes clear in the investigation. He uses humour to deflect confrontation or deal with difficult situations, but as the narrative goes on we can see a sense of isolation building in him. He feels very aware that he is not Norwegian when dealing with the police force, who keep referring to him as English and he doesn’t seem to feel he can correct them. He has a good personal relationship with the Police Chief, but it isn’t helping the search for his daughter and he doesn’t want Licia to be let down by them, or by him. We can see how a strong family can be slowly pulled apart by such a terrible tragedy.

This is a very timely novel. I read it over Christmas and made notes to review when I had more time. Since then, events in America have brought this more to the forefront of my mind as I wonder whether a white supremacist might commit a similar atrocity at the inauguration or beyond. Could it even happen here? I don’t think we’re as far away from it as we like to think. The author cleverly shows how even the most ‘normal’ family can be affected by targeted grooming, usually online, causing young men to commit atrocities in the name of an ideology they would never have learned about in their family. The sense of unease in the novel comes from knowing that we too could be affected, by either side of this type of incident. It’s hard to be the parent of a lost child, but it’s also hard to be the parent of someone who commits that atrocity. This was a great read, and a glimpse into how far hate can go. I will be looking back to his previous novel after reading this.

Cal and Elsa’s worst fears are realised when a nightmare scenario takes place on an idyllic Norwegian island. Two gunmen start shooting indiscriminately at a group of teenagers who are attending a summer camp. In the aftermath of this appalling national tragedy, Cal and Elsa discover that their daughter, Licia, is not amongst the survivors. Gradually, over the course of the story, it becomes more and more clear that there are deadly secrets to be revealed about just what happened to Licia.

The powerful first chapter is dark and complex and sets the scene for a tense family drama. The author writes well, and keeps the suspense high, thus bringing to life a nightmare set of circumstances which reveal a family in chaos. There are so many secrets between them that the investigation becomes like slotting together a jigsaw puzzle as Cal and Elsa desperately try to piece together flimsy fragments of information about what could possibly have happened to their daughter on that ill-fated summer day.

The Island is an intelligent and thought provoking read which shows the deep cracks which can appear inside a family who, on the surface, seem to know everything about each other, and yet when it comes right down to it, they know absolutely nothing at all.

I can't put my finger on it, but there's just something about this book that I struggled to connect with. The pacing was a bit slow, the story didn't really go anywhere, and I didn't feel connected to or interested in the characters. All of this combined to make a rather uninteresting reading experience, which is a shame as the synopsis did sound good.

I think part of the issue is the way the book is written. Due to it's writing style, I mistakenly assumed that the book was originally written in Norwegian, as it reads very much like a poorly translated novel. Not that I have an issue with translated novels - I personally love a good Scandi thriller, and I do tend to enjoy the writing style in these novels; however, we all know that it depends on the strength of both the book and its translation, and I have had previous experiences when I struggled to connect with a book on the basis of its translation. And so, I was willing to put my lack of engagement with this book down to a similar thing. So I have to admit I was very surprised when I realised that the book was in fact originally written in English. As such, I can only assume that the author intended to mimic the writing style of a Scandi Noir, and that that is perhaps part of the reason for its stilted and unusual tone.

All in all, this one just wasn't for me. However, I've seen other reviews note that his previous work is stronger, and so I would be willing to try another of the authors books. But unfortunately, this one is not one I can recommend.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

A good thriller but for me, it just didn't have enough to keep my attention the whole time. It was also just quite sad at times!

loved this authors first novel so I was very much looking forward to this one and it didnt disappoint.

The Island is a claustrophobic thriller come family drama that opens with a horrifying act of violence, giving the reader a bird’s eye view as it unfolds. From then on in it is a mystery that is extremely entertaining whilst asking a lot of relevant questions about society today.

A deeply moving and cleverly woven tale of heroes and villains, of family secrets and obscured truths, The Island manages to be a thought provoking tale and becomes more of a page turner as it goes. It also has the benefit of an ending that may keep you up at night wondering about your own moral centre.

Overall a really terrific read. I have no problem highly recommending it.

What a storyline. I never saw the twist coming in this one. All the characters were well portrayed and relatable
A compelling read

A really good dark and gritty read which kept me reading. There are a lot of twists that I did not see coming. The plot is very current and very cleverly written and kept me guessing the whole way through..

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

I thought this was going to be like some of the other books I have read called The Island but it was strangely different, a husband and wife who have three kids, they hear there has been an explosion in town and that the Summer camp where their kids are has had gunman invade it, one of his daughters was on that island but where is she now? Will the family find the answers they are looking for? It was a good plot line but for me it was a bit too slow, I felt as though the story was not really going anywhere and I didn't feel I connected with any of the characters, but that is my opinions I am sure other people will like it. There were bits of the book that I found good though.

This wasn’t what I expected but really enjoyed the read kept me guessing all the way through. I enjoyed the characters found the setting a little hard to picture but overall would recommend

3.5 stars
It seems longer than 5 years since I read A Line of Blood which I really enjoyed and have been hanging for the follow up ever since. Sadly, for me, it wasn't quite worth the wait as I did struggle with it somewhat.
Norwegian Elsa and Scottish Cal have three children. When first we meet them, they are at home in Norway with the youngest. The middle child is at a friend's and the oldest is at summer camp. They are due to return to the States soon after living in Norway for just the past few months. Their world is rocked when there's an explosion in town. Swiftly followed by reports that the island that is hosting the summer camp has been invaded by gunmen, the death toll high. Fearing for his daughter, Cal watches the news attentively and sees his daughter as she appears to be saving others. But she disappears, not seen alive again and her body never found. What has happened to her? As time goes on, as the trial of those responsible nears, Cal and his family still need answers but they are not easy to find...
My main gripe is this. For a book written in English it really read like a translation. It is set in Norway and I can't help but feel like the author wanted to get on the Scandi Noir train and write his book in the same style as Scandi authors write - obviously they have been translated... This meant that I really struggled to get into the book initially until this feeling started to settle down for me. It also started off very slowly and didn't really feel like it was going anywhere soon for the majority of the book. And the ending when it came was a bit predictable and flat and not wholly conclusive.
Gosh... that all sounds a bit gloom and doom and I guess it is a tad but the strange thing is that despite all the above, I never really contemplated giving up. Maybe I was holding on for something that I thought was coming, maybe I was too trusting, but even with life being too short and all that, I was reading as quite a pace through the book so despite my niggles, it didn't appear to drag.
It also didn't really help that I completely failed to connect to either Cal or Elsa. I so wanted to bang both their heads together at times; they annoyed me! The only character I did like was the middle child Vee, although I found her to be a little strange and irritating at times.
Although it did get on well with itself, I also found the story a little lacking in substance. It took quite a while to get to where we got and, when we got there, it wasn't completely satisfying. Parts of it were good, interesting and intriguing but there was something that made it lack cohesion and I don't feel the ending was complete enough for the time and effort taken to get there.
Sorry, not for me. But that said, as I did enjoy his previous book, this would not put me off future books, I'd just probably cherry pick. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The story is told from the point of view of a man living in a foreign country whose daughter is on an island which is subjected to a terrorist attack. The main character is trying to deal with the aftermath, trying to understand the country, its customs, his wife and daughters thoughts and actions. At the beginning of this book I felt that the story borrowed too heavily from the Åsne Seierstad books on the massacre at Utoya and the Two Sisters who got enticed to join Al Qaeda and go to Syria. I almost gave up after a few chapters. However I am so glad I stayed with this book. There is a brilliant twist towards the end which is very cleverly worked in. It is nether a total surprise in retrospect nor is it blatantly obvious as happens in a lot of thrillers these days. The characters are very well drawn and the visual descriptions are excellent. I look forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

"The Island" by Ben McPherson is without doubt one of the best thrillers I have read this year! Set in idyllic Norway, it is a chilling drama that flipped my mind, more than once. Following an unexplained explosion in the city of Oslo, the occupants of a nearby island find themselves under attack; the extent of which causes the devoted Curtis family to seriously question the police response as their eldest daughter remains unaccounted for. Cal Curtis, the Scottish satirist husband of Elsa, a Norwegian citizen and father of daughters Licia and Vee has brought his family to Norway for a six-month stay finds himself in a nightmare that he is unable to leave.

This tense and totally gripping thriller is a 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐read!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. This book started with a blood bath and just continued to be disturbing in my opinion. Was not for me.

A remarkable noir thriller describing how a shocking act of violence can set a chain of unprecedented events and rattle the core of a family and a town. Absolutely incredible!