How is the island described in the novel, The Colony?

The island is home to a single small village, and the vast majority of the islanders spend their time here. The village is a small stronghold against the difficult weather, and it is extremely intimate; all of the islanders appear to know each other, and they frequently exit their homes en masse in order to gather for important or out-of-the-ordinary events. The arrival of the mailboat, for instance, is attended by each and every villager, and Francis and Micheál are always given a hero's welcome when they exit their boat and come ashore. The close quarters of the village are in fact too much for Lloyd to bear, and he ends up moving to a small, remote hut as a means of escaping the villagers to focus on his artwork.