There are some books I’ve read that I fear my review won’t do justice and this is one of them. In the Palm is a novella about a woman deserted on an island with no memory of who she is or how she got there. With just over 25,000 words this is a quick and fulfilling read. I was immediately drawn in by the first paragraph in which our narrator is faced with the inevitable decision to cut off her own hand (this book isn’t gory, but there are some traumatic scenes typical to being stranded on an island). Her amnesia is pretty encompassing to most of her past life. She knows she’s a doctor, yet doesn’t remember her own name. Her attitude towards the situation is held together with a basic instinct to survive accompanied with a strong wittiness that made the narration entertaining and original. I felt her frustration as she struggled to remember anything about herself and the grief in ending up in such a dire position. However, these feelings were discarded by the end of the book.
There is an overall theme of loss that mirrors the poem One Art by Elizabeth Bishop’s- our narrator has lost her memory, everything she had before becoming a caste-away (all possessions aside from a few items in a handbag), and even a hand, all with carrying a tone rife with sarcasm and humor to this rather bleak situation. At times I wondered how our narrator could continuing this journey, but giving up was never a consideration- proving more to her character than any remembrances could. Even better, when the story comes to an end, more seems to be found than lost- memories, love, and even happiness.
I don’t want to give too much away and risk denying you the captivating way the story unfolds but I will say that there is romance and love and you won’t leave this experience feeling unsatisfied. It’s also worth noting that Holst’s writing is some of the best I’ve read so far in lesbian fiction. Just one reader’s opinion, but this is a book I’d highly recommend. https://www.amazon.com/Palm-Elna-Holst
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