By Matthew J. Barbour
Richard Lemmon was at the forefront of the slasher punk genre until his death in 2001. His stories were peppered with brutal depictions of violence and rape. Lemmon went beyond his peers, creating characters—villains and heroes alike—who seemed to indulge in unprecedented levels of perversion and sexual deviance.
islandWritten in 1995, Laymon is outspoken. In the form of a letter, island is a collection of diaries written by 18-year-old Rupert Conway. Rupert has just been shipwrecked on a seemingly deserted island. Well, at least, it should be deserted. Someone has started killing the shipwrecked people. Whoever it is seems to have targeted these people first, and Rupert Conway may be next.
If Rupert is going to die, he’s living out every teenager’s fantasy. He’s surrounded by a group of beautiful women, including his girlfriend, her two sisters, and her mother. They’re all scantily dressed and ready for a day at the beach. Rupert can think of little else besides their bodies, even when he should be thinking about self-preservation.
Our murderous villain has his own ideas about this woman. Unsurprisingly, his ideas aren’t too different from those of teenage Rupert. Before it’s all over, depravity will ensue.
The story has twists and turns, both expected and unexpected, which are further complicated by the fact that Rupert is not only a biased narrator but also unreliable. However, most of the plot twists are understandable, except for the ending, which leaves the story fairly open-ended.
This book is over 500 pages long. island needs to be resolved. What the reader is left with is far from satisfying. In Lemmon’s defense, there are subtle hints throughout the narrative that hint at the direction of how things will end, but even with those clues, the conclusion is still heavy. Maybe a little too heavy.
island Often considered one of Lemmon’s greatest works. It’s certainly typical of Lemmon’s style. It’s the kind of stuff Lemmon tends to focus on: sex and gore. However, it lacks some of the nuance displayed in some of Lemmon’s other works, and much of the social commentary is recycled from earlier novels. island It’s not bad. It’s just not groundbreaking. But for those who like Laymon, this book is still worth reading.
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score: 4/5
