The Island of Always by Stephen Evans ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

The Island of Always by Stephen Evans is my first book of 2019 and it was a good one.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

January 2019; Time Being Media
978-0991575978; ebook, print (344 pages)
literary

I wasn't really sure about this book when I started it. One of the main characters either has a very unique way of looking at the world or has a mental illness (or quite possibly both). I think this adds an odd vibe to the story, but not in a bad way. Actually, I think it made the story more compelling.

After starting the book, I feared that it was going to be a literary novel that had a meaning that I just couldn't grasp. Because I did want to understand I couldn't put the book down. The story flowed well so it was easy to read big chunks at a time. And I was rewarded as I moved into the later part of the story - clarity dawned and I think I did grasp the great theme of the novel.

Nick is an interesting character. He is the one I described above, but what I didn't get (and it seems like the other characters don't get it either) why everyone went along with him. I was not convinced he has a mental illness. I felt more that he was just in need of boundaries. Some of his acts required the assistance of others. What if they had just told him no?

Perhaps they went along with him because they wanted to see the world as he did. So many people dream of changing the world, but Nick actually does the change. By the end of the story, I wanted to see the world the way Nick does - not as it is but as it can be.

I felt a bit sorry for Lena. Living with a person who has a mental illness can't be easy. And I don't blame her for wanting a normal life. But I also understood her inability to fully walk away from Nick.

In some ways, the story felt a bit like Peter Pan. It's not that Nick didn't want to grow up, but he had a childlike belief in things working out. He called them visions. Lena is like Wendy. She loves Nick, but knows that life with him can be destructive.

I think The Island of Always was a great book to start 2019 with. It inspired me to do more than just dream big, but to actually make a difference. It can be something small because that small thing might ripple into something much more world changing.

Buy The Island of Always at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up today! Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.