Small Island

The novel is centered around World War II and the status of immigrants in Britain after the War. The story revolves around a British couple who'd been separated when the husband left to serve in the war effort. After his departure, his wife, Hortense, started renting out rooms to immigrants. The story then follows another arc, one of two married immigrants from Jamaica, Gilbert Joseph and his wife his wife Queenie, who are tenants in Hortense's home.