The Colony by Audrey Magee is set on an isolated island off Ireland’s coast during 1979. There are two sets of characters – the inhabitants of the island mired in their traditions and two visitors, a painter from London and a linguist from France. Both visitors view themselves as respectful of the culture but in the end project their personalities, problems, and ambitions upon the island and take what suits their aims, like colonialists. The quality of the writing is excellent, and several islanders are important and well-developed characters in the story. Here’s what The Guardian says:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/feb/27/the-colony-by-audrey-magee-review-island-life-at-a-distance