Karin Altenberg

My best friend and I jokingly rate books and films on their “Susan-friendliness,” and that’s nothing more than the completely subjective scale of my idiosyncratic likes and dislikes. I should have known that Karin Altenberg’s debut novel, Island of Wings wouldn’t be my cup of tea. But that said, I don’t necessarily think that there’s a thing wrong with this novel. It’s not my kind of story, but I think that it was skillfully and effectively told.

Perhaps most interestingly, show more the story here is heavily based on historical fact. It is a fictionalized account of the life of Reverend Neil MacKenzie and his wife Lizzie. MacKenzie, dealing with demons of his own, asks the Church of Scotland to “preach the Gospels in the most godforsaken place they could offer—he had suggested Newfoundland, where he was sure he could do a world of good. In the end, the Society in Scotland for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge had asked him to go to St. Kilda—the furthest inhabited islands in Britannia.”

The novel, which is told somewhat episodically in eight parts between the years 1830 and 1843, has clearly been meticulously researched, and I found the author’s note at the end quite interesting. The setting of the novel is a fascinating place with which I was completely unfamiliar. When the couple arrives in 1830, the islanders are enjoying a happy subsistence, living exactly as their ancestors did centuries earlier. It’s a very different, rather primitive way of life. Altenberg does a great job of conveying the harsh beauty of this remote place, with special attention to the natural world.

What I personally had trouble with was the relationship at the heart of this novel, and the character of the Reverend. Women didn’t have an easy time of it back then, and while I can’t say that this novel is completely joyless, it’s a harsh existence and utterly humorless. Also, as a secular Jew, the whole idea of Christianity being forcefully foisted onto a disinterested people is distasteful to me in the extreme. Reverend MacKenzie is not a sympathetic character and was simply not someone I wanted to spend 300 pages with. Still, he was characterized well enough (and not as some kind of black and white monster, but as a very flawed human) to arouse strong feelings in me.

While Island of Wings ultimately wasn’t for me, I fully expect it to find its audience, and I am certainly open to reading Ms. Altenberg’s future work. show less

Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg is a darkly beautiful read.

Newly married couple, Lizzie and Reverend Neil MacKenzie, travel by boat to an outlying island of the Scottish Hebrides, St. Kilda. In the 1830's, when this novel begins, St. Kilda is characterized by extreme isolation, rugged cliffs, a terrible lack of sanitation, and a small Norse population. The inhabitants of St. Kilda speak only Gaelic. Reverend Mackenzie speaks both English and Gaelic, but wife Lizzie, speaks only English, show more which serves to increase her isolation.

Reverend MacKenzie arrives at St. Kilda with a sense of misson, to convert the heathens to Christianity and also to improve their lot in life. He is also driven by a mysterious incident in his past, as well as his own personality weaknesses. In contrast, young bride Lizzie is initially driven to please and support her husband, despite is his frequent bouts of bad temper and his habit of turning away from her.

Life of the indigenous St. Kidan's is intriguing in itself .Most notable to me was the neonatal death rate of about 60 %, usually caused by a strange " 8 day sickness." The St Kildan's lived communally off the land. Knowing the story is loosely based on historical fact I found both the story and the way of life on St. Kilda to be fascinating.

As time goes on, Rev. Mackenzie's character flaws become more evident. Even as he chastises the people for worshiping idols , he regards himself as " the minister - and master - of the island." page 148.

Conversely, young Lizzie, initially intimidated by her husband, and extremely isolated, gradually makes friends with the Islander's and recognizes her husband for what he is. Neil and Lizzie's marriage shows much strain , as does Neil's relationships with his "subjects." Despite Rev. Neil's self- importance, personal weakness, he is portrayed as a well rounded character, who occasionally questions himself and shows tenderness to his wife.

Beautifully atmospheric, an unblinking look at a difficult marriage, a fascinating look into a primitive culture and a meditation on faith, this is a wonderful, compelling novel. 4.5 stars show less

I struggled with this book, and not because of the writing – but rather because of the story and the conviction it laid on my heart.

I’ve not made any secret of the fact that I am a Christian. I’ve been there, right along with my brothers and sisters in Christ, supporting and encouraging missionaries – but this book gave me a picture (granted, a historical one) that made my heart hurt- not just for the missionary but also for those people he was sent to convert. Recently, in my show more Literary Theory class, we spoke about Colonialism and Post-Colonialism, and those views were heavily portrayed in Island of Wings.

The story here is one of a missionary and his young wife, a pretty enough gal, sent to a remote island in Scotland to convert the heathens there. They live in a state of filth that reeks of birds dead carcasses, they speak only Gaelic (the missionary’s home tongue), and they have a pagan worship that is hard to “free” them from. What amazed me through this story are two things.

First, that despite years on the island (15 if I recall correctly), the missionary’s wife, Lizzie, never learns any of their language. She is unable to communicate with the people she was sent to minister to, with her husband, after fifteen years. That is unreal to me.

Second, is how bleak the picture is. In this story there are no winners, there is only losers. The story of Neil and his wife are based in historical fact, but the tragedy of the infants deaths on the island (something like 80% didn’t live past 8 days), the lack of connection between Neil and Lizzie and the island natives, and the ultimate end of the story left my heart in shambles.

This is definitely a powerful book, and one to read if you are interested in the historical affects of colonialism on remote places. show less

A very cool, restrained book, this historical novel is set on St. Kilda, an island that is the furthest part of the British Isles. Beginning in 1830, the story follows Lizzie and her husband, missionary Rev. Neil MacKenzie, as they move from urban Scotland to the isolated, rocky, backwards island.

In some ways, the novel's arc is unsurprising -- the proper British couple is first charmed, then horrified, by the savage land -- but Altenberg's writing is controlled and captivating, and the show more development of Lizzie and Neil is surprising and familiar in a way that satisfies. I was strongly reminded of Jane Campion movies (like The Piano) in this novel: the focus on women, the impact of men on their lives, and a harsh and unforgiving world (both literally and emotionally).

There's a kind of historical mystery to the story, too, in the background, that Altenberg fully explains in her Notes. Altenberg's background is in archaeology, which comes out in the novel's almost naturalistic style of narrative, which fits the story: it has that kind of clinical feel of 19th century amateur scientists. The formal, controlled language, of course, does nothing to control, prevent, or manage the more 'earthy' events that occur, and it is that clash of aspiration and reality that provokes and changes Lizzie.

This is a sad novel, but not miserable, moving, with slightly unlikable characters. I felt affection and aggravation at Lizzie, some empathy and irritation toward her husband, Neil, and their marriage was one I rooted for and wished would end. They were, in short, real people, complicated and full, and their story and that of St. Kilda's is one that is moving, engrossing, and atmospheric. An unexpectedly rich novel for the end of my year. show less