Latest news with #Sloley
San Francisco Chronicle
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
In ‘The Island of Last Things,' a reimagined Alcatraz bears witness to the end of the wild
In the near-future world Emma Sloley brings to life in her second novel, 'The Island of Last Things,' San Francisco Bay pulses with jellyfish, the Marin hills have succumbed to perma-fires and the island of Alcatraz has become the last zoo in the world. To many of the characters that inhabit Sloley's novel, due out Tuesday, Aug. 12, the prison of Alcatraz and the zoo that now occupies its rocky landscape have become a beacon of hope for some of the last species on the planet. To others, it is more of a museum, where the memory of these animals — elephants, wolves, birds and more — are already passing on into history like so many other now extinct species before them. But to all, in this near-future, where billionaires and cartel gangs vie to exploit and protect these animals, the idea of this place exists like a mirror for our own humanity. Or, as the Australian-born Sloley, who divides her writing time between Mérida, Mexico and California, told the Chronicle, 'To live in the Anthropocene is to live with extinction, even when it's happening out of sight.' This 'cautionary tale,' as Sloley calls it, is all too present in the pages of 'The Island of Last Things,' where her two main characters — a younger, idealistic zookeeper named Camille, and a new edition to the staff, but a far more experienced hand with animals, Sailor — begin to question the commercialization of these animals. Those with the ability to pay an exorbitant entrance fee are described as releasing a 'reverent gasp' upon hearing they are looking at the last animal of their kind. 'There was something distasteful about how much the guests perked up when you told them an animal was the last of its kind,' Sloley writes in an early chapter narrated by Camille. 'Like it conferred a special status on them to be so close to an extinction.' This feeling, which steadily builds to a breaking point in the novel, inhabits every waking hour of Sailor's life, and, in turn, infects Camille, especially when Sailor first brings up the rumor of a sanctuary where animals can roam free. 'Sailor especially wants to write a different story than the one she sees unfolding,' Sloley told the Chronicle. 'She understands more than any other character that a better world doesn't just arrive, you have to go out and create it.' This desire is what 'The Island of Last Things' is all about. It is the core of what drives Camille's and Sailor's stories and makes the novel an important, engaging read, filled with the hope for what could be, all while the characters of this world live through what is. 'While the idea of a mass die-off of animals and plants may be far-fetched in reality,' she said, 'The forces that come together to exploit these tragedies in the story are all too believable.' Like all good books of fiction, 'The Island of Last Things' tells a real-world story that could be a few degrees of separation from our present-day world. For research, the author made it a point to visit zoos and talk to zookeepers. 'You learn a lot of fascinating insider intel about zoo life,' she said, 'But one of the biggest takeaways for me was how utterly devoted these employees are to the animals in their care.' Sloley expanded on her research by leaning into conversations she had with a Philadelphia-based architect who specializes in zoo design, Greg Dykstra: 'His insights about the relationship between animals and their environments have been so illuminating. Zoo design demands a delicate balance: satisfying both the human visitors' desire to observe and feel close to the animals in a natural-feeling environment, and the desire of the residents to live healthy, stress-free lives.' In addition to this, Sloley spoke about encountering the term umwelt, a German word that, roughly translated, applies to the environment and how animals and humans perceive and interact with their environment through their many senses, like sight, touch and sound. 'I think it's a really beautiful idea and a way into understanding and empathizing with the other living beings with whom we share this planet.' Sloley visited the real Alcatraz Island several times during the course of writing the book, and played up its 'funhouse' qualities. 'I wanted the tours to project a utopian fantasy where animals and nature are restored to an Edenic state, but it's all just smoke and mirrors.' With 'The Island of Last Things,' Sloley has created a work of activism, where the stories within exist not simply as a way to understand this world, but as a way to understand our own. It is a beautiful depiction of a changing landscape, often highlighted by startling lines of prose that focus the reader's attention not just on the characters, but inward on oneself. Yet despite the dangerous world created by Sloley in 'The Island of Last Things,' there is reason to be optimistic. 'Much like Sailor, I think it's important to reject doomerism. We need to fight with urgency to protect our wild spaces, our right to breathable air and drinkable water and our right to live joyful and free lives, but the future isn't written yet. All of us get to write it, and that collective project feels like the essence of hope to me.'
The Guardian
30-03-2025
- The Guardian
Police offer £10k reward for information about boy who disappeared in 2008
Police seeking information about a 33-year-old man who disappeared 17 years ago have offered a £10,000 reward. Alexander Sloley was just 16 and studying accountancy at college when he disappeared from Islington, north London in August 2008. His family and friends have not heard from him since, despite issuing an efit of what he might look like in his late 20s when the police investigation was reopened in 2019. Sloley is described as a 'light-skinned Black man, 5ft 5ins tall, with a medium build'. He is reported to have 'striking' blue eyes. Previously, police said he had little money, no wallet and no bag with extra clothes on him to indicate he was planning to run away, adding there was no proof that Sloley had been harmed and there was no evidence his case was linked to any other cases. DCI Sarb Kaur, who is leading the investigation, said: 'Alex was reported missing to police on 8 August 2008. Since then there have been extensive inquiries made by police but sadly Alex has not yet been found. 'We are now offering a reward of up to £10,000 for anyone who has information relating to Alex's whereabouts. 'This remains an active missing person investigation, subject to regular review by senior officers, with the aim of locating Alex and bringing some comfort to his family. 'We have recently met with Alex's mother to outline how we intend to progress our investigation to find him. 'I would ask anyone with information who could help to please get in contact immediately, no matter how insignificant you think this could be.' In 2023, research by the Missing People found that missing persons cases involving Black and Asian people are less likely to be resolved by police than those involving white people. Black and Asian children are also likely to be missing for longer, the report found. Only 16% of incidents related to black children and 19% related to Asian children were concluded with the person being found by the police, compared with 23% of incidents related to white children. In 2019, when the efit was issued, Sloley's mother, Nerissa Tivy, said it was a great picture of him, adding that she tries to imagine what her son might look like and how he might dress. 'He was quite a slick dresser, my son, he wasn't scruffy.' 'There's no closure to this and, with all the appeals and knowing your child would not just run away, you start thinking something terrible has happened to him,' she said at the time. 'I would love to see him walk through the door.'
Sky News
30-03-2025
- Sky News
Alexander Sloley: Police offer £10k reward for information about teen who disappeared 17 years ago
Police have issued a £10,000 reward for information about a teenager who disappeared from his home nearly 17 years ago. Alexander Sloley, a 16-year-old accountancy student, had little money, no wallet and no passport when he went missing in Islington, north London, two days before his birthday in August, 2008. He had been visiting a friend's home in Edmonton, but had set off home at around midday. His family and friends have not heard from him since, and, despite repeated appeals and enquiries, police have never been able to find him. Mr Sloley had no belongings or spare clothes that would indicate he planned to run away, and his phone, bank account, and National Insurance number have not been used since he went missing. He has also never been spotted on CCTV. In 2009, his case was one of the first to be publicised on nearly 13.5 million milk cartons at supermarket chain Iceland. When he went missing, Mr Sloley was described as a light-skinned black male, 5ft 5ins tall and of medium build, with striking blue eyes. According to the Camden New Journal, in 2012 a police officer said about Mr Sloley's disappearance: "It's like he disappeared off the face of the planet." In 2017, Mick Neville, a retired head of the Metropolitan Police's Central Images Unit, said he believed there was a possible connection between Alex and missing 14-year-old Andrew Gosden. Mr Gosden was last seen in King's Cross Station in London after taking a train from Doncaster, where he lived with his parents and sister. There has been no trace of him since. However, in 2019, detectives said there was no proof that Mr Sloley had been harmed and there was no evidence that it was linked to any other cases. Speaking about the Metropolitan Police's £10,000 reward, detective chief inspector Sarb Kaur, who is leading the investigation into his disappearance, said: "Alex was reported missing to police on 8 August, 2008. "Since then, there have been extensive enquiries made by police, but sadly Alex has not yet been found. "We are now offering a reward of up to £10,000 for anyone who has information relating to Alex's whereabouts. "This remains an active missing person investigation, subject to regular review by senior officers, with the aim of locating Alex and bringing some comfort to his family. We have recently met with Alex's mother to outline how we intend to progress our investigation to find him.
