The Island

Synopsis

Melina was born elsewhere but raised on an island shaped by memory, migration, and longing. As she comes of age, she struggles to understand the fragments of her family's past while navigating love, friendship, and the quiet dislocation of living between cultures. Suspended between the place she calls home and the homeland that exists only in stories, she searches for a sense of belonging that always seems just beyond reach.

Written in luminous, finely crafted prose, The Island is a remarkable meditation on exile, identity, and desire. First published in 1984 and now recognized as a modern Australian classic, Antigone Kefala's novel captures the emotional landscape of displacement with extraordinary grace and subtlety.

About the Author

Antigone Kefala (1931–2022) was a Romanian-born Australian poet, novelist, and diarist whose work explores exile, memory, language, and belonging. Widely regarded as one of Australia's most important literary voices, her writing has gained increasing international recognition for its lyricism and emotional depth. This edition includes an introduction by Madeleine Watts.

Publisher
Transit Books

Publication Date
June 3, 2025

Format
Paperback

Pages
128

Subjects
Literary Fiction · Australian Literature · Contemporary Classics

ISBN
9798893380033