''Island'' is a thriller novel by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

author

Richard Laymon Richard Carl Laymon (January 14, 1947 – February 14, 2001) was an American author of suspense and horror fiction, particularly within the splatterpunk subgenre. Life and career Laymon was born and raised outside of Chicago, Illinois, then li ...

, originally published in 1995 by Headline Features. It was reissued in 2002 by Leisure Publishing, with new cover artwork and a foreword by popular suspense novelist

Dean Koontz Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are billed as Thriller (genre), suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror fiction, horror, fantasy, science fiction, Mystery fiction, mystery, and satir ...

Synopsis

The novel is structured as a series of journal entries made by Rupert, a young man who finds himself stranded on an island in

the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...

(along with six other people) when their yacht mysteriously explodes. After an ax-wielding maniac claims the lives of two of the castaways, Rupert and the other survivors are forced to try and outwit the mysterious killer in order to save their lives. Since the concept of the novel is that Rupert is making his journal entries as events happen (with no knowledge as to how future developments in the "plot" will unfold), the reader is left uncertain as to whether any of the book's characters, including Rupert himself, will survive (unlike most first-person narratives, where the survival of the narrator, at least, tends to be a foregone conclusion). The novel plays with these expectations at several points, with Rupert's life constantly being in danger right alongside those of his compatriots. Eventually, the women are captured along with other captive women, and Rupert manages to kill the antagonists, one of whom informs him where the prison cells' key is. Rupert informs the prisoners the key is missing, and starts a sexual relationship with his girlfriend's mother. He feeds the women and keeps them as comfortable as possible, and tells via his journal that one day he may even decide check the key's location.

Comparisons to Laymon's other works

The book contains many similarities to Laymon's other novels, including surprising (and often outlandish) plot twists, a sexually depraved villain, portrayal of the heroines as beautiful, strong, and almost Amazonian in stature (despite also being depicted as vulnerable and scantily clad throughout much of the proceedings), and first and foremost, the characterization of Rupert, the protagonist and supposed "hero", who nonetheless displays lecherous tendencies and attitudes which may not be far removed from those of the book's villain. 1995 American novels Novels by Richard Laymon Novels set in the Bahamas {{1990s-horror-novel-stub