The Island of Last Things

A propulsive and poignant novel about two zookeepers at the last zoo in the world. For readers who enjoy Tea Obreht and Charlotte McConaghy.

Camille is a keeper at the last zoo in the world, on Alcatraz Island. Reserved around humans, she is happy to spend her days caring for chimpanzees and tree frogs, and a magnificent, restless jaguar, while outside nature crumbles. Resistance groups and brutal cartels are fighting to shape the world's future, but Camille is safe within her routines.

Then a new zookeeper, Sailor, arrives. Glamorous and reckless, she seems to see something in Camille that no one has before. When Sailor whispers about a secret sanctuary where wild animals roam free, Camille begins to imagine a new kind of life, with Sailor by her side.

Sailor has a plan, and she wants Camille to be a part of it. Which means Camille must decide if she's ready to risk everything for the promise of a better world.

Propulsive and fiercely hopeful, with a heart-stopping final twist, The Island of Last Things is an elegy for a disappearing world, and a gorgeous vision for the future.

PRAISE-

'Nostalgia becomes this novel's emotional engine, reminding readers that even imagined futures carry the ache of lost worlds.' Andrew Leigh, Sydney Morning Herald

'Sometimes a new author will sidle up and whisper in your ear, and sometimes she'll grab you by the neck. Emma Sloley is in the latter camp.' Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of The Great Believers

'Absorbing, daring, and ultimately hopeful, The Island of Last Things is at once a love letter to the natural world and a warning of what could become of us all if we let it whither.' Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, author of What We Fed To The Manticore

'Emma Sloley is a terrific new talent and I am her fan.' Alice Elliott Dark, national bestselling author of Fellowship Point and In the Gloaming

'Emma Sloley writes with urgency, emotional clarity, and a keen eye for detail.' Hillary Jordan, international bestselling author of Mudbound and When She Woke