Island of the World

A Novel

By: Michael D. O'Brien

Narrated by: Kevin O'Brien

Island of the World is the story of a child born in 1933 into the turbulent world of the Balkans and tracing his life into the third millennium. The central character is Josip Lasta, the son of an impoverished school teacher in a remote village high in the mountains of the Bosnian interior. As the novel begins, World War II is underway and the entire region of Yugoslavia is torn by conflicting factions: German and Italian occupying armies, and the rebel forces that resist them the fascist Ustashe, Serb nationalist Chetniks, and Communist Partisans.

As events gather momentum, hell breaks loose, and the young and the innocent are caught in the path of great evils. Their only remaining strength is their religious faith and their families. For more than a century, the confused and highly inflammatory history of former Yugoslavia has been the subject of numerous books, many of them rife with revisionist history and propaganda. The peoples of the Balkans live on the border of three worlds: the Islamic, the orthodox Slavic East, and Catholic Europe, and as such they stand in the path of major world conflicts that are not only geo-political but fundamentally spiritual. This novel cuts to the core question: how does a person retain his identity, indeed his humanity, in absolutely dehumanizing situations?

In the life of the central character, the author demonstrates that this will demand suffering and sacrifice, heroism and even holiness. When he is twelve years old, his entire world is destroyed, and so begins a lifelong Odyssey to find again the faith which the blows of evil have shattered. The plot takes the listener through Josip's youth, his young manhood, life under the Communist regime, hope and loss and unexpected blessings, the growth of his creative powers as a poet, and the ultimate test of his life. Ultimately this novel is about the crucifixion of a soul and resurrection.

©2009 Ignatius Press (P)2024 Ignatius Press

Historical novel outstanding

Very captivating portrayal of one man's journey through the Hell of Yugoslavia post WWII. From a young boy, through adulthood. He was in a tender marriage and successful career as a Math professor, about to have a child, and then his world collapsed as he was put in prison. it really affected my heart.

The wonderful use of language

It was so heart wrenching at times both in good and bad ways. Excellent poems, too.

Very formational content! This was a spiritually challenging book rooted in a vital Catholic metaphysical.

Nothing was negative. The poetry was beautiful. The presentation was excellent, and the content was life-changing.

Amazing story

Highly recommend. This is a book I’ll listen to again and again. What a wonderful story with amazing characters.

Catholic storytelling at its best

This is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. The story is unapologetically Catholic and traces the life of a man who suffers the under socialist horrors of Tito's Yugoslavia. It provides an excellent opportunity to study a lesser known (at least in the west) genocide and it invites us to experience it at a deeply personal level rather than the impersonal statistics of genocide. Maybe most importantly it shows us the redemptive power of suffering from the Christian perspective and one can't read this book without feeling moved to develop a deeper prayer life and grow closer to Christ.

Some will not appreciate the narration but I believe the voices for each character are necessary in order to parse the back and forth dialog between characters. it took a little getting used to but ultimately I grew to appreciate it