Dystopia to Utopia?

Lighthouse Island: A Novel by Paulette Jiles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am conflicted on how I feel about this book. I struggled to get through the first seven chapters, but I kept going because the review I read talked about the beautiful prose. I am a huge fan of beautiful prose. At Chapter 7, I was still waiting for it. I persevered though. On Chapter 13 I had to force myself to put the book down so I could go back to work. Still, for me, the book is really between 3 and 4 stars.

The beginning chapters describe the current world. If it was a movie, I would compare it to maybe The Matrix, or The Book of Eli. The world seems to have been annihilated and people struggle to survive. Water is rationed, people disappear, and there is little hope in this world. However, our heroine, Nadia, is both resourceful and audacious. She has a goal beyond just surviving, and that is to get to Lighthouse Island. She has books and poets to encourage her on her journey.

In her quest to go north, Nadia meets a man, James. They are instantly intrigued with each other. James uses his skills as a cartographer (illegal in this new world) to guide Nadia on her journey. Can Nadia make it on her own? Will James re-connect with her? Is there really a Lighthouse Island?

I did run across some beautiful prose:

"Small traveling elements of joy passed through her like x-rays and lit up all her bones."

and

"an elegant small skiff rocked on its painter as wave after wave boiled up under the trackway, impatient, as are all craft, to be at sea."

are two examples.

I would recommend this book, but know that it will take a while to get drawn into the story.





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