JODI PICOULT: Trouble in paradise

Prepare to be gripped as Diana O’Toole’s resilience is tested to the limit in an emotionally-charged novel set against the backdrop of the pandemic.

- Diana O'Toole

It was supposed to be a romantic holiday on the breathtaking Galápagos Islands, where Diana expected her surgical resident boyfriend Finn to propose marriage days before her 30th birthday. But then the pandemic hits, Finn is needed at the hospital, and he urges Diana to head off alone ... not realising she is about to be stranded alone with no food, no luggage, and nowhere to stay.

The next morning, my flight to Santa Cruz goes off without a hitch. But there is a sea lion between me and the ferry to my final destination.

It sprawls across the dock in the sunshine, a slug of muscle, whiskers twitching. I edge closer toward it with my camera, thinking I can send a picture to Finn, but the minute I’m within striking distance its head and shoulders swoop upward and its eyes fix on me.

I run, leaping over its tail as it lets out a yawp and a roar, and I nearly drop my phone.

My heart’s still pounding when I reach the boat. I glance over my shoulder, certain that the beast is right on my heels, but the sea lion is immobile again, splayed on the bleached boardwalk like a lazy dog.

There are only two ferries a day to Isabela Island, but the afternoon trip isn’t as crowded as I expect it to be. In fact, there’s only me and two other passengers. In broken Spanish, I ask the man who helps me board if I am on the right boat, and get a sharp nod. I take a seat outside. And then, suddenly, we’re afloat and Santa Cruz Island starts to get smaller and smaller.