IslandIslandIf Brave New World was Huxley's technocratic hell, Island was his Utopia. For in this, his last novel, he imagined man at his sanest and most admirable.
Will Farnaby is touring the Far East as a journalist and business contact for an oil and newspaper tycoon. A sudden squall shipwrecks him on Pala, an island where he discovers a kind and happy people who have equality without mediocrity, compassion as well as intellect, and science side by side with art. Yet, even as he admires, Will find himself involved in a takeover bid for Pala's oil.
There are, in my opinion, two basic kinds of books, literary and non literary (perhaps entertainment). The latter is easy-going, enjoyable, readable and, as a rule, popular. The former, however, is harder to read, maybe not just a larger vocabulary, but a larger library of concepts and ideas, and, though it may require a conscious to 'get into' a literary novel, the rewards are usually worth it.
Island is, without a doubt a literary novel. But perhaps to say novel diminishes the concepts behind it, more of a treatise on the author's near Utopia, his dream of a perfect society. Yet, due to it's more dissertatious nature, it sometimes struggles to keep the reader's attention, sometimes you just need to read a story, and not hear a lecture, but with Huxley what else could you expect, to hope for simplicity is just plain foolish. Still, it would have been nice for the characters to be more engaging, after finishing the book I felt I only really understood one man, Will Farnaby. 'Aaaaah' you say, 'that is the point' before going on to explain how Will being the only 'westerner' there, the only one brought up in a typical 'normal' society, he is the only one with whom we can empathise with, as our inherent belief's in two parent families, capitalism, technology and the other 'modern' society perks force us to be sceptical of this free-loving, narcotic-taking, truth inspired existence. And perhaps that is so, maybe it is possible to miss that point, though I don't think I did, but I felt that Susila could have been improved upon, give her character more of a part, as it was, she was pivotal to the plot and Will, but to increase her involvement, would have meant that a 'western' reader could more empathise with Palanese beliefs.
A further criticism would be in the last fifty or so pages which seemed, to me at least, to be The Doors of Perception, adapted, and it seems slightly lazy of the author to do so, but then again, if it gets across the point, why not.
But, that aside, I thoroughly enjoyed, as with all books of this nature it does give you that kind of elatious hope, hope for the future, that a Utopia is possible, then after it you do realise one thing, Utopia is a thing to be dreamed of, not achieved.
Score 8/10
Page last updated on 13th November 1998
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