Why a Booktrail?
1987: Every man is an island. And the island of Jersey is the setting here for the story of one man and his secrets.
Mainlander
What you need to know before your trail
When Colin Bygate, a school teacher and mainlander married an islander, he fell in love not only with his wife but also the new lifestyle they shared on the island of Jersey – a quiet, scenic place blanketed by flowers and heather. The coastal area was a spot for quiet reflection, a Sunday stroll and the scenery as always was stunning.
But the storm clouds are gathering and when one day he argues with his wife and goes off to the cliffs to think. He sees a boy there – one of his pupils who seems distressed – was he going to jump? So he takes him home hoping that his morbid imagination was just that. However, when he fails to appear in class the next day, Colin wants to investigate but others don’t seem so keen to help.
Travel Guide
The blurb on the book states that ‘In Jersey, where everyone knows everyone else’s business, you must become your own island.’ And so from the a Rocco Tower in St Ouens Bay on the cover, the Mainlander transports you to such an island – Hundreds of feet below where Colin Bygate sat on a moss-covered rock, the Atlantic was eating away the coast.
“It was one of those sharp and clear dusks peculiar to Jersey, with a brightness that belied the approaching dark.”
When a school boy goes missing in the island you may think that there are not many places to search on the island at first, but thats’ not including the dark recesses of everyone’s minds and the closed ranks of its inhabitants. Even the police seem unconcerned –
“We don’t have missing people in Jersey. We’re on an island, surrounded by water. No way off it. So he’s not really missing. He’s just not where he’s supposed to be.”
When Colin Bygate first falls in love with a local girl and the island, everything is good but now everything is starting to feel claustrophobic. The atmosphere of the island is evoked with skill – windy cliffs, the rocky shoreline, a hotel bar and the sense of space – remoteness – isolation
Several voices can be heard telling their side of this island mystery- wife Emma, Hotelier Rob, friends Christophe and a copper by the name of Barney. But Colin, is the mainlander, the outsider and remains so, giving this entire story one of isolation, a closed and small community – an enclosed world. Where the inhabitants say ‘ in the island’ rather than “on the island”. Heck even the language gives a taster of the island landscape. As does the description of the policeman Barney:
“Jersey born and bred – strong in the arm and thick in the head”
Trail Gallery
Booktrailer Review
Susan @thebooktrailer
I don’t know what it is about island mysteries and the notion of outsiders and closed communities but this one really worked for me. Since I’ve never been to Jersey it also allowed me to go there via Will’s book and it was a very enjoyable journey indeed. Dark humour and a serious story about a missing boy was mysterious and the landscape and the remoteness of the island just cranked up the sense of abandonment and despair.
Will Smith is a comedy actor normally seen alongside a political colleague in The Thick of It on TV (which he also co-wrote) and his comedy friend Ricky Gervais. This is his first foray away from comedy but it was good to see much of the dark side of humour weaving in and out of the plot and within the characters themselves. His love for his Jersey where he grew up, is plain to see and it’s a very unique and mysterious ode to the island and its people. The characters are all so fascinating – I enjoyed their interweaving stories. Just what is going on? It was a thrilling ride to find out.
I really want to go there for real now, with a walkman in my hand and a mixed tape of Dire Straits and other 80s music to fully immerse myself in this island community which has now been placed firmly on the literary map.
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Twitter: @willsmithuk
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