Thinking Like an Island, by Gabriele Chiapparini and Camilla Marrese, explores the multi-layered life of a unique community on an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Through a complex and unconventional structure, the book explores themes of isolation, identity, and coexistence, exposing a small society that exists without many of the common institutional systems.
The narrative structure reflects the unpredictability of island life and hints at an almost otherworldly quality, with references to hallucinogen-laced bread and an intricate web of family and historical ties. This presentation challenges clichés that paint islands as utopias or dystopias; instead, it positions the island as a dynamic space in which personal and collective identity is constantly evolving.


The Island is distant in the Mediterranean sea, and 675 metres in height. It’s inhabited by an uncertain number of 30 to 60 people, year-round, with no hospital, no cars, no priests or police. Some islanders never consider leaving while others tried, only to return to their lives in the remote bubble.

Supported by the Italian Cultural Institute in London.