Bookclub in a Box Discusses the Novel Small Island

Small Island is a delightfully entertaining and probing book about Jamaican immigration to Britain in the days after WWII. Bookclub-in-a-Box will look at Levy’s presentation of the black and white issues of post-war London which include questions of class, race and Empire. Andrea Levy’s parents were part of this immigration movement and she is interested in examining the perspective of people like her parents. Bookclub-in-a-Box will introduce the reader to the immigrants Gilbert Joseph and Hortense Roberts whose mutual dream has always been to move to Britain, the mother country of the colony, Jamaica. After arrival, Gilbert and Hortense move into the boarding house run by Queenie Bligh while her husband, Bernard, is away fighting the war. Through these four characters, Levy explores the impact of immigration on both the immigrant and the citizen.