by Muriel Spark
First published 1958
When their plane plummets into the sea, January Marlow and two others find themselves marooned on a remote tropical island. Their reluctant host, the reclusive and suspicious Robinson, allows the castaways to stay, but he insists they keep detailed journals. As the days pass, tensions rise and mysteries deepen - is Robinson hiding something, or are the castaways' imaginations running wild? With the next supply ship months away, the survivors must grapple with their confinement, their sense of isolation, and the looming question of what really happened on this strange, fog-shrouded isle.
Genres: 20th-century, adventure, mystery, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Africa, Tropical Island
Period: 20th Century
176 pages · Paperback · New Directions