The Colony by Audrey Magee
Synopsis
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2022
Mr Lloyd has decided to travel to the island by boat without engine - the authentic experience.
Unbeknownst to him, Mr Masson will also soon be arriving for the summer. Both will strive to encapsulate the truth of this place - one in his paintings, the other by capturing its speech, the language he hopes to preserve.
But the people who live on this rock - three miles long and half-a-mile wide - have their own views on what is being recorded, what is being taken and what is given in return. Soft summer days pass, and the islanders are forced to question what they value and what they desire. As the autumn beckons, and the visitors head home, there will be a reckoning.
Reviews
''Beautifully written.' STELLA, The Telegraph
'The Colony contains multitudes. . . with much of it just visible on the surface, like the flicker of a smile or a shark in the water.' The Times
'The Colony is a novel about big, important things.' Financial Times
'Beautiful, haunting and incredibly powerful book.' FÍONA SCARLETT
About the Author
AUDREY MAGEE was born in Ireland and lives in Wicklow. Her first novel, The Undertaking, was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, for France's Festival du Premier Roman and for the Irish Book Awards. It was also nominated for the Dublin Literary Award and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. The Undertaking has been translated into ten languages and is being adapted for film.