Islands in the stream

Published posthumously in 1970, this novel follows Thomas Hudson, a renowned American painter living a disciplined, isolated life on the island of Bimini in the Bahamas. Divided into three distinct acts—"Bimini," "Cuba," and "At Sea"—the narrative tracks Hudson through various stages of his life, beginning with a bittersweet summer visit from his three sons, progressing to his wartime isolation in Havana, and culminating in his command of a makeshift patrol boat hunting shipwrecked German U-boat survivors during World War II. The text explores deep themes of grief, emotional detachment, artistic duty, and the inescapable bonds of family, offering a heavily semi-autobiographical reflection on the author's own late-life struggles and wartime experiences.