The Island of Last Things - by Emma Sloley

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Island of Last Things:

A Best Book of the Year (NPR)

A Most Anticipated Book (Vulture, Town & Country, LitHub, Goodreads, BookTrib, Reactor)

"The Island of Last Things doesn't sugarcoat how bad things have gotten in that future world, but Sloley refuses to let her characters succumb to despair; she is intent on highlighting the small moments of beauty, joy, and care that emerge even during disastrous, horrible times. 'Do me a favor, huh?' Sailor asks Camille one night. 'Promise me you'll start imagining a better world than this one.' Imagining such a world, Sloley seems to be reminding her readers, is the only way to begin the work of creating it." --Los Angeles Times

"An important, engaging read, filled with the hope for what could be." --San Francisco Chronicle

"This sad, sweet and still hopeful book is for the animal lovers among us." --NPR

"A provocative, emotional novel about what our world could become." --Town & Country

"Sloley imbues this stirring near-future ecological disaster drama with a fierce sense of hope...Sloley keeps the pages turning with a thrilling plot and an intriguing slow drip of information about this dystopian world. Readers will be hooked." --Publishers Weekly

"Sloley's narrative is stark and evocative, reminiscent of Charlotte McConaghy's ecological fiction, inviting readers to reflect on the choices we may be forced to make in a world sliding toward collapse...Both a warning and a call to conscience." --Booklist

"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

"Dramatic, twisty...Sloley explores interconnectedness and the ways people can care for each other in this work of climate fiction that gives equal space and consideration to both human and animal characters." --Library Journal

"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 wither." --Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, author of What We Fed To The Manticore

Praise for Emma Sloley:

"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

"Emma Sloley is a terrific new talent." ―Alice Elliott Dark, national bestselling author of Fellowship Point

"Emma Sloley writes with urgency, emotional clarity, and a keen eye for detail." ―Hillary Jordan, national bestselling author of Mudbound

About the Author