Five Fabulous Novels Set on Fictional Islands: A Guest Post by Kerry Anne King
I’m on maternity leave! During this time, a few of my favorite authors offered to step up and write guest posts so that this blog would remain active while I adjust to my new role as a mother. I may also be a bit slower to respond. Thanks for understanding and for being so supportive of me, my family, and my blog. Want to donate a few dollars to keep this blog running or perhaps contribute to my diaper fund? You can do so on Venmo or Paypal.
Five Fabulous Novels Set on Fictional Islands: A Guest Post by Kerry Anne King
HBL NOTE: Read my author interview with Kerry Anne King, here.
When I sat down to plan out my newest novel, Improbably Yours, the book informed me (it’s true, the idea and the characters in my books boss me around) that I needed to create a quirky, small community that featured an annual treasure hunt. And if there’s going to be treasure, of course it should be on an island, right? So I made one up and plunked it down in the middle of the San Juan Islands.
I am not the only author to create an island on which to set a story! Here are five fabulous novels set on fictional islands that I loved and highly recommend.
Five Fabulous Novels Set on Fictional Islands: A Guest Post by Kerry Anne King
The Family Plot by Megan Collins
This is a delightfully creepy psychological thriller set in an eerie old house on a small, remote island. Three adult siblings have been called home for their father’s funeral – only to discover that the grave is already occupied. That premise hooked me immediately, but the book really just kept getting better from there. The main character and her siblings, raised – and homeschooled – by parents obsessed with true crime, are all indelibly marked by their unusual upbringing – and all are harboring secrets. The book is chalk full of mystery and psychological drama, the writing is gorgeous and lyrical, and I practically inhaled the story.
Five Fabulous Novels Set on Fictional Islands: A Guest Post by Kerry Anne King
The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister
Emmeline’s love for both her father and the remote island they live on called up for me my adoration of my own father and the farm of my childhood. But what’s particularly glorious about this book is the way the author explores the power of smell – to call up memories, and also to influence moods and behavior. In addition to being set on an atmospheric fictional island in the Pacific Northwest, The Scent Keeper has a lot in common with Improbably Yours. There’s a hint of magic, an undercurrent of romance, flawed characters growing into themselves and a deeper understanding of the world, along with a good mystery to solve.
Five Fabulous Novels Set on Fictional Islands: A Guest Post by Kerry Anne King
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
This is an utterly magical fantasy with fabulous world building and an engrossing plot, but it’s also a thoughtful exploration of human nature and personal growth and is incredibly and gloriously hopeful about human nature. The fantasy elements provide a perfect vehicle to explore the transformative power of believing in the possibility of change, and that giving the best of yourself can bring out the best in others. It’s a book about forgiveness and courage and it’s also quirky and character driven and has a mystery for the reader to solve.
Five Fabulous Novels Set on Fictional Islands: A Guest Post by Kerry Anne King
Summer at Hideaway Key by Barbara Davis
I’m not always a dual timeline fan, but I love the way Barbara Davis weaves two stories together into this novel, that of present-day Lily, who has just inherited a beach house on Hideaway Key from her recently deceased father, and the tragic history of her aunt Lily Mae, told through a series of journal entries. I love (of course!) the mystery element in this book. Due to a rift between her mother and her aunt, Lily knows absolutely nothing about the aunt whose name she shares. But then she finds an old journal and finds a tale of star-crossed lovers, sibling rivalry, and heroic sacrifices. This book broke my heart in places, but it also re-affirmed that there are good people in the world, and it left me smiling at the end.
Five Fabulous Novels Set on Fictional Islands: A Guest Post by Kerry Anne King
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
I came across this wonderful novel while Improbably Yours was still a baby book, and I was delighted and enthralled by the close-knit community Colleen Oakley created on Frick Island. It includes all of the elements I adore in a book – quirky characters, an unusual scenario, mysteries and secrets, and yes, a touch of romance. The way the people of the island come together to support one of their own, even when it means pretending her dead husband is still alive, touched my heart in all of the right places.
Of course there are so many more wonderful novels set on fictional islands and I’d love to hear about your favorites.
Five Fabulous Novels Set on Fictional Islands: A Guest Post by Kerry Anne King
