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The Island of Last ThingsA SOARING, PROPULSIVE, AND UNFORGETTABLE novel about two zookeepers at the last zoo in the world "An important, engaging read, FILLED WITH THE HOPE for what could be." San Francisco Chronicle "Sometimes a new author will sidle up and whisper in your ear, and sometimes she'll grab you by the neck. Emma Sloley is in the latter camp." REBECCA MAKKAI Camille has always preferred animals to people. The wild has nearly disappeared, but as a zookeeper at the
A SOARING, PROPULSIVE, AND UNFORGETTABLE novel about two zookeepers at the last zoo in the world
"An important, engaging read, FILLED WITH THE HOPE for what could be." --San Francisco Chronicle"Sometimes a new author will sidle up and whisper in your ear, and sometimes she'll grab you by the neck. Emma Sloley is in the latter camp." ―REBECCA MAKKAI Camille has always preferred animals to people. The wild has nearly disappeared, but as a zookeeper at the last zoo in the world, on Alcatraz Island, she spends her days caring for playful chimpanzees, gentle tree frogs, and a restless jaguar. Outside, resistance groups and brutal cartels fight to shape the world's future, but Camille is safe within her routines. That is, until a new zookeeper, Sailor, arrives from Paris. From their first meeting, Camille is drawn to Sailor, who seems to see something in Camille that no one has before. They bond over their shared passions and dream up ways to improve their lives. When Sailor whispers the story of an idyllic, secret sanctuary where wild animals roam free, Camille begins to imagine a new kind of life with Sailor by her side. Sailor knows all too well the dangers beyond Alcatraz, but she increasingly chafes at the zoo's rigid rules. She hatches a reckless plan to smuggle one of the most prized animals off the island to freedom, and invites Camille to join her. The consequences if they fail would be catastrophic, and Sailor's contacts at the sanctuary go dark just as the threats from the cartels grow more extreme. Camille must decide if she's ready to risk everything for the promise of a better world. Propulsive and fiercely hopeful, with a heart-stopping final twist, The Island of Last Things is an elegy for a disappearing world and a gorgeous vision for the future.
Author: Emma Sloley
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Published: 08/12/2025
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.99lbs
Size: 9.36h x 6.52w x 0.99d
ISBN: 9781250329240
Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 06/20/2025 pg. 3
Booklist 07/01/2025 pg. 22
Kirkus Reviews 08/01/2025
Publishers Weekly 09/08/2025
About the Author
Emma Sloley is a two-time MacDowell fellow and Bread Loaf scholar. She is the author of the novels The Island of Last Things and Disaster's Children, and her work has been published in Literary Hub, Catapult, Joyland, and many others.
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4.5 ★★★★★
Based on 12 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Excellent book even though not exactly what I expected
Format: Paperback
I gave this 5 stars because I think depending on what you are working on, it could be. It wasn't as helpful to me. I was hoping for something that would tell me more about what "normal" people do because I know that I learned some odd ways of thinking and behaving when I was growing up. It did help somewhat in this, but I think the title is slightly misleading.
I recommend this as one of the first books to read if you believe that there might have been something dysfunctional about the way you were raised but you are not sure what or you're just starting your exploration of those issues. It's not a "parent bashing" book, but instead a kind and compassionate book on how to get better, not blame.
Chapter 19 about perfectionism resonated with me and gave some nice tips on how to deal with it. Unfortunately, that entire chapter is just two pages long, so it's not worth buying the whole book just for that.
It's an easy read and well written, so if you're on the fence, buy it. I think you'll get something valuable out of it.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2014
★★★★★ 5
My new ACA Bible
Format: Paperback
Whoever said it was too cookbook hasn't appreciated the the value of having a thorough one at hand. I loved the Friel's approach. It is a bit harder on the ego than the Woititz ACOA book but this one includes ALL dysfunctions, and I know even after years in recovery I will still find valuable resources in this book to guide me along my bumpy journey. As one who has NO idea what is normal, yet somehow manages to function at the basic level in society, I definitely appreciated the simple yet thorough approach used here.
This book isn't another "blame the parents--give you an excuse" soother. It requires that we take responsibility for our adult lives, recovery, happiness, misery, relationships, dysfunctional patterns & our future. This book shows me exactly what healthy (they don't believe in the statistical normal, to them normal means emotionally healthy, which is a far more useful definition of the ambiguous term "normal" anyway) living means, looks-smells-tastes-feels like! I can use this book as a check-up to see if I'm on the right track and if not, follow the suggestions or get further help.
Most of all this book helped me to recognize that recovery isn't an overnight process, can't be done alone in isolation, that I'm human and mistakes are actually a GOOD and WELCOME experience and do NOT have anything whatsoever to do with my self-worth. This book even includes several chapters on how to respond to con artists, abusers & generally rude, mean or unhealthy people. How to deal with zingers, how to set healthy boundaries & protect ourselves & our healthy boundaries, I could go on for pages praising this book.
I've bought numerous other self-help books & this one was the best. The authors do suggest waiting until one has 2+ years of recovery before tackling this book. To hell with that. Read it now, and every step of the way on your journey. Start feeling better about YOU & your life right NOW, today. Good luck on your journey, happy discoveries to you.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2001
★★★★★ 5
Important book
Format: Paperback
Got many insights from this book. Wonderful for healing
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Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2024
★★★★★ 4
Book on dealing with life if you are an adult child of an alcoholic
Format: Paperback
This book is a quick read but it is filled with numerous examples for how to deal with situations that occur in life, from dealing with loneliness, stress, perfectionism, dealing with people who say inappropriate or abusive things to me, and parenting children etc. Recommend it to anyone who struggles with codependency.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2022
★★★★★ 5
Extremely helpful
Format: Paperback
I am GenX and was raised by boomers who joined a religious cult. This book is a step by step guide to my childhood issues. And it gives me validation knowing that I’m not crazy and there’s others out there like me. Great book. Highly recommend.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2022