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@rolena-hatfield Oh my goodness, yes! It is not only totally possible, but it’s amazing when you pull it off right! I think your friend is correct in saying that people–espeically in today’s society–get easily bored and one setting for an extended period of time can be a dangerous play for sure. However, if you can pull it off, people will think you are a genius. XD

No, more seriously, an island is a great setting! You have potential for different scenes there, different parts of the island, etc. I’m not sure what all the book is about, but an island can have creatures, caves, waterfalls, jungle areas, sandy beaches, volcanoes, etc. There’s an incredible variety of scenery you can pull out of an island, small or large.

Have you ever seen Twelve Angry Men? (One of my all-time favorite movies! It’s such a classic!) It takes place almost entirely (save the intro credits where people walk into the courthouse, and I think like one scene where they take a break and walk into an adjoining bathroom) in one ROOM. One single room! And, yet the story keeps the viewers engaged. Similarly, there’s a movie called Buried, I think, in which the entire movie takes place, not in a single room, but in a coffin. The MC is buried alive. Two hours of one, single, very limited space setting. And yet, the movie is listed as a thriller. It kept viewers engaged, again through its plot.

I say that to say, I think the key to keeping readers engaged is tension. It’s the same way in music. The tension in the music, the discord you create has to be resolved eventually. There’s a climax in the piece and then the glorious resolution. But before you ever get to the climax, before you ever even think about the resolution, you have the tension. Building tension. Discord. Distrust. Mystery. Intrigue. Whatever you want to call it. As long as you maintain conflict in your story, your readers will be there. You have to have a mess before you can clean it up. It doesn’t matter where the mess happens. If there’s a problem, people want to find out how it’s solved.

Not to say you should neglect your setting. It’s still a crucial and important element, but it’s more than possible to pull it off in a limited and unique way. Tarzan of the Apes took place on an island. That book is considered a classic and has sold bazillions of copies, sequels, spin offs, movies, etc. I think you’re good 😉