Description

Book Synopsis
In this complex novel, a gay man who has fled the violence of the city for an island retreat spends his time keeping a journal and writing stories. He invents a female alter-ego who haunts him, as does the ghost of the murderer who occupied his house in the 19th century; ultimately these hauntings are manifestations of his own psychic disintegration. Considered by many to be Dowell’s finest achievement, Island People conveys the fragmentation that results from prolonged isolation.

Trade Review
"Inside the book, the reader encounters teeming, charged emotions, dark and active with pain. Coleman Dowell... has evidenced courage and invention in creating a work of art so original and difficult as to be alive to baffling and baffled perceptions." -- Edmund White, New York Times "The kind of novel that can change a reader's life." -- Bradford Morrow, Voice Literary Supplement "This is a novel to take time over and to savor for its psychological insight and melancholia." -- Gay Times

Island People

    Product form

    £11.58

    Includes FREE delivery

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Wed 1 Jul 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Coleman Dowell

    Out of stock


      View other formats and editions of Island People by Coleman Dowell

      Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
      Publication Date: 18/07/1996
      ISBN13: 9781564780935, 978-1564780935
      ISBN10: 1564780937

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      In this complex novel, a gay man who has fled the violence of the city for an island retreat spends his time keeping a journal and writing stories. He invents a female alter-ego who haunts him, as does the ghost of the murderer who occupied his house in the 19th century; ultimately these hauntings are manifestations of his own psychic disintegration. Considered by many to be Dowell’s finest achievement, Island People conveys the fragmentation that results from prolonged isolation.

      Trade Review
      "Inside the book, the reader encounters teeming, charged emotions, dark and active with pain. Coleman Dowell... has evidenced courage and invention in creating a work of art so original and difficult as to be alive to baffling and baffled perceptions." -- Edmund White, New York Times "The kind of novel that can change a reader's life." -- Bradford Morrow, Voice Literary Supplement "This is a novel to take time over and to savor for its psychological insight and melancholia." -- Gay Times

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account