Islands in the Stream
Ratings7
Average rating3.3
15
Ratings7
Average rating3.3
A posthumously published novel in three parts. Set in the Caribbean, the stories follow the main character during different periods of his life. The first part introduces Thomas Hudson, an American artist living quietly on a small island in the Bahamas. His tranquil life is disturbed by the arrival of his three young children who need to be entertained. The two youngest boys die in an accident shortly after leaving the island.
The second part is set during WW2 and Hudson is now living in Cuba. Having just heard of the death of his only surviving son he is now bitter and cynical.
Part three follows Hudson’s exploits as leader of a group of ‘irregulars’ who take on the task of patrolling the Gulf Stream for German U-boats.
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I typically don't bother with posthumous novels, but for some reason* I went ahead and tried this one, and on the whole, I'm glad I did, despite my rating. There's a lot to the characters in this novel that weren't in the previous novels. Still, as much as I appreciated various aspects of the novel, I just couldn't get into it as a whole.
Part 3, “At Sea,” did almost nothing for me – Thomas Hudson is almost impossible to recognize, and it's probably harder to sympathize with him – or his crew. Given that they're hunting Nazi's, it should be a pretty easy sell.
Part 2, “Cuba,” had some really interesting moments, some dialogue that leaps off the page, and once his first wife appears, Hudson becomes likable for the first time since Part 1. I don't recall Hemingway's characters having a pet before, and while Hudson's relationships with his cats seem more than a little strange, just having them made him seem more human. Like in Part 3, he's very different from the character we met in Part 1, but it's a bit more understandable here. While I didn't find that much to like about the character, the physical descriptions he gives towards Honest Lil are about the best, and most evocative, I remember in Hemingway.
Part 1, “”Bimini,” is what made this worth the read. Other than the kid in The Old Man and the Sea (which a significant portion of this section evokes), we don't really see children in Hemingway. But here, Thomas Hudson's two sons from different wives are spending a few weeks with him, a chance for them all to reconnect, and give their mothers some sort of break. I really liked these kids – probably more than any other characters he's devised. And Hudson's relatable, sympathetic, and even likable as a person – something that he loses quickly, and only regains briefly toward the end of Part 2.
Honestly, if you're inclined to give this a try, only read Part 1 – you'll be happier for it, and the scenes with Hudson and one or both sons are really great. Otherwise, you probably have better things do with your time.
* I'd already checked it out from the library before I found that out.
