Author(s): Siri Ranva Hjelm Jacobsen

Novel | Denmark | Translated fiction

A lyrical, moving tale of love, loss and belonging, across three generations of a Faroe Islands family

Death brings the young woman back to the Faroes, the windswept rocky islands of the north where she has never lived but which she has always called home. There she finds her stories entwining with those of her ancestors as she searches for a way to connect with Faroese culture. But is "home" just a place name, or something more?

Island is a literary tale of exile and homecoming, split across three generations of a Faroe islands family, strongly inspired by the author's own family history. It is a beautiful story of emigration and immigration, and of what it means to belong.

Review: 'If somebody asked me what is the strength of this novel, I would reply without a moment of hesitation: the tone. The atmosphere. And then I would immediately add the style. The sentences which seep through the soul and never leave. Siri Ranva Hjelm Jacobsen captures what is vague and incomprehensible, breathes through the words, the characters, and the generations. And she also captures what is most beautiful and painful: the regret in time.' - Jn Kalman Stefansson

'Island talks about places as if they were people, of fjords as if they were the wrinkles of our souls' - Valeria Parrella, Grazia

Author Biography: Siri Ranva Hjelm Jacobsen was born in 1980 into a Faroese-Danish family. She lives in Copenhagen and works as an author and critic. Island is her critically acclaimed and internationally award-winning debut novel, and has been translated into five languages.