Die vergessene Insel

by Sasha Troyan

A second novel by the acclaimed author of Angels in the Morning, The Forgotten Island is a lush work of suspense viewed through the refracted lens of childhood memory.

At the pivotal age of ten, Helen, along with her Ileana and their parents leave home in Paris to spend a summer on a Mediterranean island-an island full of exotic beauty, but marred by a series of mysterious tragedies. At once ingenuous and observant, Helen recounts from the sidelines the eerie events that ultimately lead to her sister's disappearance.

204 pages, Hardcover

First published April 4, 2004

Reviews

[Kirsty Darbyshire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eleven year old Helen spends the summer holidaying on an Italian island with her parents and thirteen year old sister Lea. The story examines the relationship between the sisters and Lea's disappearance. I thought the story and atmosphere were sound but found the writing a bit self conciously literary in places and a bit repetitive sometimes. Overall a pleasant little read though.

[Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forgotten Island? The Tragedy of Bella Terra would not have been an inappropriate title. I think the title and cover art are the reasons for a lot of the bad reviews. If you expect an exciting mystery with an inspirational heroine, this book is not for you.

From the first page, the setting immediately seems to deliver on the promise of the cover. The story begins with a family arriving at an idyllic Italian resort island, and all the action is described as seen through the eyes of an 11-year-old girl. But an ominous tone is set quickly, and the sense of foreboding contrasts sharply with the innocent, objective observations of the narrator as she chronicles, without judgment, the actions of the adults around her.

Like any normal person, I was sickened by the story. Disturbing, infuriating, depressing. But the story was skillfully told, the writing was beautiful at times, and the whole thing was just so disgustingly believable.

I see that the author has written only three books, and none since 2009, and I think that's a shame.

[Inge Hulsker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Een traag verhaal. Het heeft een vreemde verteltoon, waardoor het verhaal niet echt gaat leven.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a depressing book, actually. I read this on a hot summer day, so the setting kind of matched the day I was having. It felt like a breezy, sad summer read. Characterization wasn't too strong, and ironically the story line was very forgettable. I have the faintest recollection that I read this already.

If I could have written this, I would have liked to see Mr. Ashton take someone else and Lea and Helena go off to solve the crime of what he did (Lea as a way to get back at Prue and Helena because of the bathroom incident).

Or maybe I just don't like sad endings.

[Szanacska · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I found it boring...then it started to be more interesting, exciting. You can feel the weather, the island, the heat, the air, the sea....but at the end it will stay "The forgotten book" for me.

[Piper · Rating 1 out of 5]

not that good. dont really recommend it!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. I liked the writing at times, but overall not overly compelling.