Narrator: Aoife McMahon (really great narration overall. The Irish characters were portrayed really well but the accents and voices used for any of the Canadian/North American characters was questionable).

The Island Child follows the troubled story of Oona who is forced to return to the Irish island of Inis when her daughter runs away. In her own magical way of storytelling that echoes the Irish folktales and mythology we grew up with, Oona weaves a tale of an island stuck in its old ways, and haunted by the fear of anything other. Of bitter people and regrets and women punished for simply being born a female in a man's world.

This was a really magical story that was full of the magical nature that comes with life on an island but combined with the cruelty and spite that can be human beings. It weaves in tragedy and regret, as well as mental trauma and sexual assault. There were times this was really hard to read, and the overall tone of the book is quite sad and sorrowful but this is a story for mothers and for daughters, and the complicated relationships that often occur between women.

I felt really engrossed in this story, and I found myself feeling so many things for Oona. As a child, I wanted to pluck her away from a mother who was cruel and spiteful (and remained so for the rest of her days), as a teenager I wanted to sit her down and explain to her the dangers of being a woman surrounded by men and to keep her spirit but also be careful of herself. And as a woman, I wanted to tell her she was okay, she wasn't spoiled and still had so much to offer. But as a mother, I often wanted to shake her and tell her to look after herself better so she could in turn care for her child.

Oona's mother Mary was probably one of the worst, wickedest characters I've read in a way that she was so real and I know there were so many women that were like her. Her unpleasant nature managed to sweep into the stories like the pages were dipped in poison and I could feel myself almost having a physical reaction every time she spat out some new negativity towards Oona.

This story left me feeling sad for the characters that the bitterness of the island affected so much of their life - for Pat and for Oona, and also Enda. The ending felt like a new wave in a way, and it ended on a note of hope which I liked. Pat and Oona deserved so much better and I like to think they got it.