[Signed Hardback, read aloud to Adelle]
After a life working for the British Foreign Office in various locations around the world, seemingly mostly in tropical protectorates, the writer and her husband rent an island in the outer Seychelles and try to make a living there.
The island, Remire, was a working island with a workforce, of sorts, in situ. There are something in the region of 20 people living on the island, including the families and ‘concubines’ (meaning girlfriend) of some of the workers.
The book starts with their finding their feet on the island, followed in short order by the ejection of a recalcitrant manager who seems not to have taken kindly to their arrival and desire to be involved in the day to day running of the island.
There are tensions between the inhabitants caused by licentious behaviour of one of the concubines and various personality clashes that need dealing with, all while trying to understand the laid back attitude of the Seychellois to work and general honesty. They end up banishing a small group of people to the otherwise uninhabited second island of African Banks.
They commission another boat in hope of having more reliable and longer fishing expeditions, also leaving them less at the whim of passing boats. Although one such boat did bring a character, who appeared to be drinking and sailing himself into a grave, but he hung around long enough to drink all of their hospitality.
Maintenance of the facilities on the island is a constant headache too, with the fresh water lagoon being leaky and intermittent attention of the weather undoing work on their buildings.
The island is now for rent by the week and is no longer a working island.
