Postcard from St Mira

A short review of The Accidental Immigrants by Jo McMillan

Last week I travelled to the Mediterranean island of St Mira, the fictional setting of Jo McMillan’s latest novel, The Accidental Immigrants. If you haven’t yet been, I’d thoroughly recommend a visit - though do hang on to your passport…

Described by the publishers, Bluemoose Books, as a mirror image of Britain, St Mira is at once foreign and familiar, an intriguing and original ‘soaring feat of the imagination’ (Aidan Cottrell-Boyce) and a carefully observed, miniature replica of Brexit Britain since the 2016 referendum. It’s a place for reflecting on recent years, for meditating on what may yet come if we’re not careful, and for reacquainting oneself with what really matters in this fleeting, unfathomable existence of ours.

Tracking the fate of a persecuted British couple, Tess and Arlo, the author offers us a prescient vision of the cruelty and senselessness one can expect when an electorate is seduced, controlled and diminished by a far right nationalist government. At the same time, it serves as a commentary on our present day; among other things, it highlights the insidious, bigoted narratives that have permeated mainstream political discourse, as well as our often contemptible treatment of those who seek safety on our shores.

Shining through all this and driving the story forward, however, is the quiet human kindness, tenderness, solidarity and determination that the protagonist and others demonstrate at key points in the plot - a welcome reminder of which way is up.