Anita Pomerantz's Reviews > The Colony

For those who love literary fiction, this book is HIGHLY recommended. It takes place on an island (off the coast of Ireland) inhabited by a few Irish families. Two men visit the island for the summer for different reasons. One, Lloyd, is a British artist trying to make a name for himself. The other, JP, is a French linguist intent on preserving the pure Irish language that still exists on the island. But the heart of the story is the mother, Mairead, and son, James, who host these men in their cottages and how their interactions impact their quiet lives.

This book has it all - - wit, tension, a slow burning build, beautiful language, and a wonderful character that I loved from the get go (James). It also is technically impressive, especially when revealing the back story of JP. It's political too, but honestly that's an overlay that adds importance to the book as a literary work, but is somewhat secondary to the great storytelling.

I am a bit torn as to whether this is a 4 star or a 5 star book. It definitely has all the hallmarks of 5 stars, but the ending frustrated me a bit. It's definitely not tied up with a bow, and the reader is never spoon fed. And I normally love that . . .but in this case, I was so invested in the characters that I felt a bit like I was watching this incredible drama, and the season ended. And I can't wait to be united next season with the characters, and then the show was cancelled. There's just so many directions the book could go that I almost can't stand not knowing what the author was thinking . . .
But no matter, the character of James just made this book. And no matter what I thought of the end, it made me cry . . .so I guess maybe it's 5 star after all.