Dark Island

by Vita Sackville-West

253pages. in8. Broché jaquette.

Genres: Fiction, British Literature

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1934

About the author

Novels of British writer Victoria Mary Sackville-West, known as Vita, include The Edwardians (1930) and All Passion Spent (1931).

This prolific English author, poet, and memoirist in the early 20th century lived not so privately.
While married to the diplomat Harold Nicolson, she conducted a series of scandalous amorous liaisons with many women, including the brilliant Virginia Woolf. They had an open marriage. Both Sackville-West and her husband had same-sex relationships. Her exuberant aristocratic life was one of inordinate privilege and way ahead of her time. She frequently traveled to Europe in the company of one or the other of her lovers and often dressed as a man to be able to gain access to places where only the couples could go. Gardening, like writing, was a passion Vita cherished with the certainty of a vocation: she wrote books on the topic and constructed the gardens of the castle of Sissinghurst, one of England's most beautiful gardens at her home.

She published her first book Poems of East and West in 1917. She followed this with a novel, Heritage, in 1919. A second novel, The Heir (1922), dealt with her feelings about her family. Her next book, Knole and the Sackvilles (1922), covered her family history. The Edwardians (1930) and All Passion Spent (1931) are perhaps her best known novels today. In the latter, the elderly Lady Slane courageously embraces a long suppressed sense of freedom and whimsy after a lifetime of convention. In 1948 she was appointed a Companion of Honour for her services to literature. She continued to develop her garden at Sissinghurst Castle and for many years wrote a weekly gardening column for The Observer. In 1955 she was awarded the gold Veitch medal of the Royal Horticultural Society. In her last decade she published a further biography, Daughter of France (1959) and a final novel, No Signposts in the Sea (1961).

She died of cancer on June 2, 1962.

Reviews

[Karlyne Landrum · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never given a book a one star rating; I mean, if it's that bad, I'm not going to read it. And, I'm giving this a two star because the writing is decent, at times even very good, but the subject material is muddled, as is the "heroine", and the story swings between nebulous "goodness" and twisted sadism. At the end of the third section, it got too nasty for me and I closed it and said, "Yuk".

It's not "X-rated", by the way. It's just not worth reading.

[Eliza · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dark Island, c’est l’île de Storn, une île sauvage sur la côte sud de l’Angleterre. C’est elle le principal personnage de ce roman étrange et sombre. Autour d’elle, une famille d’abord, les Wilson, qui passent toutes leurs vacances à Port-Breton, en face de l’île. Parents et enfants y ont leurs habitudes, ils connaissent les promenades à faire et les criques isolées. Dans l’une d’elles, Shirin Wilson, alors âgée de 16 ans, jeune fille sauvage et solitaire, contemple son île. L’île de Storn est son trésor, elle l’aime passionnément, de loin, comme une fascinante inconnue. Jamais elle ne rompra le charme en y mettant les pieds, elle se l’est juré ! Mais ce jour-là, dans la crique, elle rencontre Venn Le Breton, petit-fils du seigneur de l’île, qui lui propose de lui faire visiter. Curiosité, hardiesse, défi ? Elle accepte. Mais loin de briser l’envoûtement, ses premiers pas sur l’île ne font que renforcer ce lien invisible. Elle est faite pour Storn, c’est son destin.

C’est pourtant une toute autre Shirin que nous retrouvons dix ans plus tard. Déjà divorcée de Miles Van-Merrick (l’un des personnages de Haute société), mère de quatre enfants, elle tourbillonne dans les salons londoniens. Lors d’une soirée, elle recroise le chemin de Venn Le Breton. Il est fasciné par la jeune femme, elle est toujours fascinée par l’île : en quelques heures, il fait sa demande, elle accepte. Là voilà désormais châtelaine de Storn ! Pourtant, rien n’est facile dans cette nouvelle vie : Shirin porte en elle des blessures secrètes que le caractère impétueux et maladif de Venn n’apaiseront pas. Venn, de son côté, se rend vite compte que l’affection de sa femme pour l’île ne s’est pas reportée sur lui comme il le croyait. Il en devient jaloux, colérique, partagé entre son admiration pour cette femme puissante et son désir de garder l’île de Storn pour lui seul. Alors Shirin se renferme comme une huître, gardant cet amour pour l’île au plus secret de son âme, et défendant farouchement sa liberté.

Deux parties composent encore le récit, dans lesquelles Shirin a 36 puis 46 ans. Dans le huis clos du château de Storn, entre la grand-mère autoritaire de Venn et Cristina, une amie que Shirin fait ensuite venir à ses côtés pour lui tenir compagnie, le destin tragique de Venn et Shirin s’écrit en lettres de sang. Mais aurait-il pu vraiment en être autrement quand tous deux ne voulaient que Storn ?

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vita Sackville-West may be more famous for her life-long romance with Virginia Woolf than for her books, but in Dark Island I've discovered a woman who writes beautifully, like others know how to paint, with rich details, changing colours and an exquisite way to display light and shadows in her stories.
I couldn't feel sympathy for any of the characters, although it surely wasn't the purpose of the book, and it ruined the story a bit for me. I couln't wait to finish the book, to get rid of the Heathcliff-like Venn or of his self-centered wife Shirin.
It's still a enjoyable book if you appreciate 1920-1930s literature, in the like of Fitzgerald, Woolf, or Forster.

[Carlos Allende · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not for everyone. I would only recommend it to those that like stream of consciousness or want to study the style. I started reading this novel because I liked the humor in the first paragraphs. The book is well written but the humor is gone for the rest of the book. Frankly, it ends up being disappointing. Too much telling and there's really no plot.

The main character, Shirin, is this charming girl that for reasons unknown decides to shut herself and not share her feelings with anyone. She still manages to behave like a gold-digger and marry the owner of Storn, the dark Island. She and her husband are very unhappy. Why exactly you never get to know. Apparently she wanted Storn for her, but her husband doesn't let her have it. What exactly she wanted to do with the estate is never told. Manage it? She's the lady of the house, brings her own secretary, imposes her childhood landlady as the housekeeper, but still can't enjoy her life.

It doesn't make sense, but again it's well written and the stream of consciousness is what's worth studying this book for. Instead of showing the author let us wonder inside the characters' minds without letting us know too much. Were Shirin and Christina lesbian lovers? Was Shirin trying to hide her homosexual tendencies all of her life? That's not even implied (or I missed it) and I only mention it because the author had several affairs with other women, including Virginia Woolf.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A female character, Shirin, that intrigued me throughout the story. I wanted/tried to imagine her situation and feelings since I have never known anyone who cannot love or respond to humanness even tho people are drawn to her. I waited through the whole book for the explanation of the dark mystery that lead Shirin to such a sad life. So, when the end of the story came but there was not explanation, I was very very disappointed. Venn's psyche had background: orphaned, isolation, no friends, powerful adults who did not love him. But, there is no explanation or leads to Shirin's psyche. Very frustrating. I guess it is comparable to other 1920s stories/ literature, like Woolf and Fitzgeralds characters. But, those heroines also make me feel crazy!"

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just started this book and am intrigued. The writing is delightfully British and has a very mysterious tone. The main characters both appear to have a "dark side" to their personalities, and of course that's what attracts them to each other. I am curious to see how it will all work out, now that the main character, Shirin, has arrived on the island of Storn as Venn's wife.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, weird, awesome.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deliciously dark! And having read several of Virginia Woolf's books, I want to say I much prefer the writing of her contemporary, Vita Sackville-West!

[Haley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was a waste of time. Bizarre, over-written passages, characters with absurdly random, unrealistic motivations, and some weird, implied sado-masochistic relationships.

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dark Island is a novel that follows Shirin for the best part of four decades. The book is divided into four sections and four ages -- sixteen, twenty-six, thirty-six , and forty-six. Shirin has a "crush" on an island called Stron. Every year her family vacations at Port Brenton a coastal town with the island of Storn off the coast. Shirin favorite picture is of the island, dark, and hidden features. She never visits the island during her family vacation. The island was sacred and she did not want to contaminate it visiting it on a tourist ferry. In her sixteenth year, she meets Venn who is occupying her hiding place at Port Brenton. She finds out that Venn is actually heir to Storn and meets his grandmother. An instant bond forms Shirin and the grandmother. Shirin sees a violent and controlling side to Venn but still agrees to see him the next day. Unfortunately, a family emergency forces Shirin and her family home. For the next ten years, she forces her family to break the tradition of vacationing in Port Brenton. The story picks up ten years later with Venn and Shirin would meet again in London.

Shirin carries some of the author in her character. Vita had that "rock star" aura where people, threw themselves at her. Shirin had much the same. She left a trail of broken hearts and hopeful men in London. She loved to be loved but had trouble loving anyone. Shirin like Sackville-West could not be tied down and held herself to bigger things than people. Shirin' love of Storn and Sackville-West loved Knole House and later Sissinghurst castle. This same theme is repeated in All Passion Spent with Lady Slane and the apartment in Hampstead.

Overall an interesting story and like most of Sackville-West's work it is important to understand the author and her life. Vita Sackville-West wrote what she knew and that was her life. She was able to loosely base novels on events in her life with great success. This book also helps explain this picture of the author.

[Rory G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great, lyrical moments and a few good ideas, but too repetitive when she struck one: like she was still trying to work it out/figure it out. Can see why she loved V Woolf. Interesting WLW. Same attempt at moment-expansion. Petered off towards the end. First half was best. Good gothic atmosphere.

[Gypsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This serious character study shows the life of Shirin in four episodes: one each at the ages of 16, 26, 36, and 46. The writing is wonderful, intelligent, and gripping, but the bleak and grim themes keep it from being a book one "enjoys". It is not a novel I would recommend universally, but it was still a thought-provoking and memorable read.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Vita excelled herself with this book, an unexpected ending and hints of Virginia Woolf's streams of consciousness included too!