The Island

The Island takes place on an ageless 800 acre duck hunting club on the Illinois River, land where the Illini Indian Confederation dominated for centuries before the white man came to North America. One can feel their presence. Hank Edson owns the island and it's more than a playground for this Chicago contractor, it's built with his sweat and dreams, the very essence of Hank's powerful life. But the island comes with its own legacy, the old time market hunter and local redneck, Gart Haggard. Not a young man, Gart's life-long reputation is that of an outlaw poacher, hot-headed and dangerous one moment, soft-spoken and generous the next. In his unsettled mind, the island is his by some strange birthright and the only way to achieve his goal is to drive Hank off this land. Fire is and always has been his weapon. A chilling story of two men in deadly conflict, the one honorable and immovable, the other arrogant and unstoppable, their confrontation growing as slowly and inexorably as Spanish moss. Hank is not a man to be driven off anything, particularly this ancient and mystic land that's so much a part of his soul. And thus the story unfolds. Set in a last best place where hunting ducks is inseparable from the character of the land, anyone who has sat out a cold, wet morning in a duck blind will be drawn to The Island.

The Island takes place on an ageless 800 acre duck hunting club on the Illinois River, land where the Illini Indian Confederation dominated for centuries before the white man came to North America. One can feel their presence. Hank Edson owns the island and it's more than a playground for this Chicago contractor, it's built with his sweat and dreams, the very essence of Hank's powerful life. But the island comes with its own legacy, the old time market hunter and local redneck, Gart Haggard. Not a young man, Gart's life-long reputation is that of an outlaw poacher, hot-headed and dangerous one moment, soft-spoken and generous the next. In his unsettled mind, the island is his by some strange birthright and the only way to achieve his goal is to drive Hank off this land. Fire is and always has been his weapon. A chilling story of two men in deadly conflict, the one honorable and immovable, the other arrogant and unstoppable, their confrontation growing as slowly and inexorably as Spanish moss. Hank is not a man to be driven off anything, particularly this ancient and mystic land that's so much a part of his soul. And thus the story unfolds. Set in a last best place where hunting ducks is inseparable from the character of the land, anyone who has sat out a cold, wet morning in a duck blind will be drawn to The Island.

Jim Freeman's book portfolio includes: NOVELS * EVOKE – exploring the societal effects of technology in a fictional context of the near future * Letters from Ceilia – an intimate story of a career woman's struggle in a world run largely by men * The Island – situated in duck-hunting country where two strong men clash in a conflict over land NON-FICTION * The Dark Side of the Moon – five books of political and social commentary on America's recent history * Dick Cheney's Fingerprints – a collection of observations focusing on the Iraq war and its origins POETRY COLLECTIONS * The Smell of Tweed and Tobacco – poems spanning relationships and life in Prague * Corner of My Mind – a more introspective collection also discussing the writing process * Broken Pieces – a mosaic of reflections about nature, hunting, travel, politics and life DRAMA * The Island – a screenplay based on the novel * Colors – a one-act stage play, winner of 1999 Pennsylvania Playhouse competition Jim Freeman was born in Evanston, Illinois and now lives and writes in Prague. His work has been published in a number of newspapers, magazines and anthologies.