San Miguel is an island off of the coast of Santa Barbara in California. It's part of the Channel Islands. Last year when we drove down the coast from SF to SD, we passed by and my husband told me about these islands. Boyle's novel takes place on San Miguel, a stark, barren island, where Marantha Waters, suffering from tuberculosis is brought by her husband in 1888. He seeks a simpler life, raising sheep, and cleaner air for her to breathe. That promise proves to be folly. The house is dank, dark and overrun by mice. Their adopted daughter, Edith, hates her life on the island (she was forced to leave school to come to this place) and tries hard to escape. When Marantha dies, the second part of the book tells Edith's harrowing story and her father's attempt to keep her captive on the island.
The third part of the book jumps ahead to 1930 and tells the story of a couple, Elise and Herbie Lester, who move to the island looking for a simpler life. They have two daughters and a pretty idyllic life until world events change their life on the island.
I enjoyed reading this book; it was quite different from the other Boyle novels that I have read. His descriptions of the island really give the reader a sense of what San Miguel felt like for these very different characters.
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