The Colony by Magee is a follow-up novel to her earlier book titled The Undertaking, which was earlier selected for the Women's Prize in the Irish book honors. The Undertaking novel was an emotional book that explored the lives of ordinary Germans during Hitler's brutal rule. The Colony was set in 1980, on the west coast of Ireland, Magee's native home, and she applies a similar writing technique as in The Undertaking. The novel's setting is conventionally a remote area on the Atlantic island in Ireland, which is 3 miles long with a small population of about 100 people. The book also follows the literary conventions of famous writers such as Trevor and Tobin, depicting the Irish people as deeply buried in their culture.
Two incomers, one from London and the other from France, visit the island at different times. Jean-Pierre is a French professor who visited the remote island earlier to study the local Irish language and research how to preserve the local language. Lloyd is an English artist from London who visits the island later to explore his artistic adventures by painting every object he comes across. However, when Lloyd and Jean-Pierre meet for the first time, they view each other as an unwanted visitor to the small island, which is quite a paradox because the locals have no problem having both of them. Jean-Pierre thinks Lloyd has come to interfere with his linguistic work by introducing the English language to the locals. While on the island, Lloyd later meets James, a local young man who does not want to be a fisherman like his father but wants to be an artist. The two become good friends, and Lloyd discovers that James is a fine artist, and he offers to mentor him. Later Lloyd moves with James to England, where he becomes a famous artist in his rights.
The reader discovers that The Colony by Magee is a brilliant, poetic, and spicy novel because it moves from rivalry between Lloyd and Jean-Pierre to a great ending when James discovers his hidden talent and becomes a star in the artistic world.
