The release date for the English version of 'Small Island' by
Andrea Levy is Jan 2004. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
In 1948, Hortense Joseph leaves Jamaica for London, her life packed into a bag, her heart shattered but her will unwavering. Gilbert Joseph, her husband, expects to be hailed as a hero when he returns from the war, but he discovers that as a black man in Britain, he is treated less favorably. Raised as a farmer's daughter, his white landlady Queenie shows bravery and purity when she meets Gilbert and then Hortense. However, her husband Bernard, who has his own problems after returning from war, unexpectedly shows up.
Small Island, narrated in these four voices, is a brave book that captures the essence of the immigrant's existence. It tells the story of crossings made and passes lost, of heartbreaking sympathy and reckless hope in the face of tremendous obstacles.