
The Island of Last Things
$32.79
- Paperback
272 pages
- Release Date
12 August 2025
Summary
A propulsive and poignant novel about two zookeepers at the last zoo in the world. For readers who enjoy Tea Obreht and Charlotte McConaghy.
Camille is a keeper at the last zoo in the world, on Alcatraz Island. Reserved around humans, she is happy to spend her days caring for chimpanzees and tree frogs, and a magnificent, restless jaguar, while outside nature crumbles. Resistance groups and brutal cartels are fighting to shape the world’s future, but Camille is safe within her routine…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781923058606 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1923058606 |
| Author: | Emma Sloley |
| Publisher: | Text Publishing |
| Imprint: | The Text Publishing Company |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 272 |
| Release Date: | 12 August 2025 |
| Weight: | 342g |
| Dimensions: | 25mm x 338mm x 154mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
‘Sensitively written cli-fi – an elegy for the natural world that also bristles with urgent, life-affirming spirit.’ * Age *
‘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, New York Times bestselling author of The Great Believers *
‘Absorbing, daring, and ultimately hopeful, The Island of Last Things is at once a love letter to the natural world and a warning of what could become of us all if we let it whither.’ * Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, author of What We Fed To The Manticore *
‘Emma Sloley is a terrific new talent and I am her fan.’ * Alice Elliott Dark, national bestselling author of Fellowship Point and In the Gloaming *
‘Emma Sloley writes with urgency, emotional clarity, and a keen eye for detail.’ * Hillary Jordan, international bestselling author of Mudbound and When She Woke *
‘Electric…A moving and elegiac cautionary tale about the state of the world, and the beauty that we so often take for granted. An all-too-plausible look at what the future might hold for the natural world and the people who strive to protect it.’ * Kirkus Reviews *
‘A sharply-plotted character-driven thriller’ * Big Issue *
‘A stark yet strangely tender portrait of survival, longing, and moral reckoning… Sloley’s writing is elegant and spare, often poetic, and quietly immersive… The Island of Last Things is a provocative, moving read that lingers long after the final page… its emotional depth and moral complexity make it a standout entry in the slow dystopia genre.’ * NZ Book Lovers *
About The Author
Emma Sloley
Emma Sloley began her career as a features editor at Harper’s BAZAAR Australia. Now based in NYC, she is a freelance travel writer for international magazines. Emma has published fiction, short fiction, and creative nonfiction in Literary Hub, Catapult and other literary publications. Her work has been twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize, she is a two-time MacDowell fellow, and Bread Loaf scholar. She is the author of Disaster’s Children (2019).
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