‘An incredible, brilliant act of retrieval. Atkins takes up three relatively obscure nineteenth-century lives and he turns them into epic narratives of island exile . . . A gripping and visceral book.’
PHILIP HOARE, author of Albert & The Whale

‘Atkins spins a marvellous tapestry of colourful tales, beautifully weaving history and travel accounts together with his thoughts on one of the most important subjects of our time: exile.’
ANDREA WULF, author of The Invention of Nature

‘A fascinating study of displacement and empire. Atkins’s voice is distinctive: subtle, reflective and tough-minded.’ COLIN THUBRON, author of The Amur River

‘[Atkins] is humane, humble and empathetic, as he passes through his own circle of daily grief . . . In this beautiful and moving tapestry of days, the nineteenth century comes to life, and from different corners of the globe arrive lessons on the meaning of un/belonging.’
ILYA KAMINSKY, author of Deaf Republic

‘Thoughtful, meditative, beautifully sustained and transporting.’
GAVIN FRANCIS, author of Island Dreams

‘An intricate and intriguing exploration of three exiles and the island prisons that held them, told with a wonderful combination of erudition and humour.’
JULIA BLACKBURN, author of Time Song