Islands in the Stream is a posthumously published novel by Ernest Hemingway that tells the story of Thomas Hudson, a painter living a quiet life in the Caribbean. The novel is structured in three parts — “Bimini,” “Cuba,” and “At Sea” — each reflecting different phases of Hudson’s life and inner journey. In the first part, Hudson is portrayed as a solitary artist, immersed in his work and detached from social obligations, reflecting Hemingway’s themes of individualism, introspection, and the search for meaning.