Island

Will Farnaby, a worn-out British journalist, is shipwrecked near Pala, a small island lying between Sumatra and the Andaman Islands. He works for the oil magnate Joseph Aldehyde. Pala has quietly shut itself off from the outside world, and Farnaby washes up on its shore with no say in the matter.

The family of Dr. Robert MacPhail nurses him back to health. As he recovers, he finds a society that combines Western science with Mahayana Buddhism. Children grow up in mutual adoption clubs, adults practise mindfulness, and a visionary "moksha medicine" is used for insight.

Published in 1962, this is Aldous Huxley's final novel, written as a deliberate answer to Brave New World. Farnaby's guide Susila shows him how the islanders live, and the book turns into an extended debate. Its subjects are ecology, overpopulation and schooling, along with the question of what makes a good life.

The novel is thoughtful and discussion-heavy, closer to a novel of ideas than a fast-paced story. Pressure still builds beyond the conversations. Oil interests, the military dictator of a neighbouring state and Pala's own ruling family all have designs on the island's fate.