Padma Venkatraman’s newest work for middle grade readers, Island’s End, is both a coming of age story and an homage to a way of life that has almost disappeared in our 21st century world. Set in the Indian Andaman Islands off the coast of Burma, a fictional tribe of aboriginals exists in harmony with the ebb and flow of the jungle and sea of their home. Uido has lived her life apart from the modern world and is deeply connected to both the natural world of her island and the spiritual world of her tribe’s belief system and so is called upon to train as the spiritual leader of the tribe, a role that is rarely held by a woman. She faces many challenges – physical, spiritual, mental and emotional – as she undergoes the journey to learn all she’ll need to know to lead the tribe forward, but her path is guided and supported by the current oko-jumu, or spiritual leader, Lah-ame. When men from the mainland descend on the island and the lure of their ways and technology threatens the tribe’s very survival, Uido must make hard choices and act with courage and confidence to guide her people away from great dangers.
Venkatraman based Island’s Endon the experiences she had on a research trip in 1994 to India’s Andaman Islands, creating a lush, rich, enchanting world. Her characters and the land they inhabit are full of life, spirituality, and a beautiful simplicity that captures the imagination and makes them easily relatable even to the modern American reader. There’s a sense of purpose and connection between the characters and the plot of Island’s End that at times reminded me of Pai’s journey in the 2002 film (and book) Whale Rider, and I cheered as Uido learned to embrace her skills, trust herself, and fully accept the responsibilities of being the tribe’s oko-jumu.
- Posted by Cori