I have thoroughly enjoyed almost everything Tremain has written, and while her fiction has traversed a number of genre, she is perhaps strongest when writing about the past, per Restoration. To this end, Islands of Mercy returns to somewhat familiar territory, set in the Victorian era. There were moments when reading the work that I was gripped by it, uncertain how the story would evolve. However, I felt what many critics seemed also to recognise, that Islands of Mercy does not fully cohere as a work. The parts set in Bath and London were markedly stronger than those appearing in the second strand of the story in Borneo. Similarly, although this was maybe more intentional, the female characters came across as more convincing than their male counterparts. In partial homage to Austen — hence the Bath setting — Tremain depicts strong female characters in control of their own destinies and not beholden to (conventional) male whims. Indeed it is the men in the novel who are typically exiled. At the centre of the novel remains the quest of all attempting to seek meaning in their lives. Eight and a half out of ten.
By Rose Tremain