What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Island
Ninos Elmatzioglou · Series · 2010
If you loved The Island, start with The Island (Peter Benchley, 1980) — a book from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Island across media.
What hooked you in The Island was the way the isolation of a remote landscape forces profound transformations within a close-knit community.
Start with the source
Books on the same thread
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Scott O'Dell · Book · 2010
Shares a thread with The Island: Historical Fiction.
If the solitary struggle for survival in The Island resonated with you, this classic tale of a girl living alone on an island will capture your imagination through its resilience.
The Book of Fire
Christy Lefteri · Book · 2024
Explores: Greed, Loss, Environmental Disaster.
Much like the community dynamics in The Island, this story explores how a devastating tragedy reshapes the lives of villagers and tests their bonds to the land and each other.
Island Beneath the Sea
Isabel Allende · Book · 2010
Explores: Resilience and Agency, Slavery and Emancipation, Intergenerational Trauma.
This historical epic mirrors the grand emotional scope of The Island, tracing the complex power dynamics and endurance of individuals caught within the shifting tides of history and social change.
My Family and Other Animals
Gerald Durrell · Book · 2019
Shares a thread with The Island: Island Life.
For those who enjoyed the specific setting of The Island, this memoir offers a lighter, humorous look at life on a Greek island through the eyes of an eccentric family.
Films on the same thread
Shutter Island
Film · 2010
Explores: Mental instability, Grief and trauma, Paranoia.
The Island uses its remote geography to heighten tension, a technique utilized here to create a psychological atmosphere where isolation serves as a catalyst for paranoia and deep personal trauma.
The Leopard
Luchino Visconti · Film · 1963
Shares 2 threads with The Island: Adaptation, Historical Drama.
The Island captures the weight of changing social structures, much like this film, which examines how an aristocratic family adapts to the decline of their world during political upheaval.
The Ghost Writer
Roman Polanski · Film · 2010
Explores: Political Intrigue, Ghostwriting, Hidden Secrets.
Just as the setting of The Island dictates the fate of its inhabitants, this thriller traps its characters on a remote island where hidden secrets and political intrigue collide.
L'Avventura
Michelangelo Antonioni · Film · 1960
Explores: Alienation, Existential Angst, Moral Ambiguity.
This film mirrors the existential weight found in The Island, using a remote island setting to strip away social pretenses and expose the fragile, shifting nature of human relationships.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Archers
Podcast
Explores: family life, community, farming.
If you were drawn to the serialized community focus of The Island, this long-running rural drama provides an immersive look at the interconnected lives and relationships of people in a village.
Desert Island Discs
Podcast
Explores: life stories, personal narratives, musical influence.
The Island explores the identity forged by one's environment; this podcast reflects that same interest by asking guests to curate their lives through the lens of desert island isolation.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Island television series based on a book?
Yes, the 2010 television series The Island is an adaptation of the best-selling 1980 novel of the same name written by Victoria Hislop.
Where does The Island take place?
The Island is set in the village of Plaka and on the island of Spinalonga, which is located off the coast of Crete.
How much did it cost to produce The Island?
The Island is the most expensive Greek television production ever created, with a total production budget of four million euros.
When did The Island first air?
The television series The Island premiered on 11 October 2010 and achieved record ratings along with critical acclaim upon its release.