Island in the Sound

by Hazel Heckman

Anderson Island in Puget Sound exists as a kind of tiny, autonomous world. Sharply defined by bitterly cold water, deep enough to float a destroyer; by dense fog; and by dangerous tide rips caused by the narrow channels, it is a community without an officer of the law, a minister of the gospel, or a doctor of medicine. Nevertheless, it is a tightly knit and well-organized microcosm in its wilderness environment.

Hailed as a 'local classic' by Murray Morgan and Wallace Stegner, Hazel Heckman's story of this Northwest island will have strong appeal for devotees of island life anywhere. The Pacific Northwesterner will learn much about his native soil, but this book will find an audience far beyond the shadows of Mount Rainier and the wild Olympics. It will be especially treasured by those who feel deep nostalgia for the leisurely pace of life in a small community.

Wit, depth of perception, engaging literary style ― all are warmly present in this saga of a Midwestern woman's experience with a new homeland, an environment strange and very different from the dusty Oklahoma country where she had lived for the previous twenty years. Feeling at first that the perpetual rain and gray skies were a high price to pay for a relatively comfortable year-round climate, Mrs. Heckman came to like, and eventually to love, the Northwest only after she discovered Anderson Island.

Located near McNeil Island in upper Puget Sound, Anderson has approximately ninety permanent residents. Most of them are descendants of the original Scandinavian settlers of the Island, and they seem to have inherited the individualism and self-reliance necessary to survive in a hostile environment. Thus, 'modern' innovations, such as regular ferry service and electricity, are comparatively recent developments.

This book is the lively chronicle of Anderson Island ― its history, its residents, its idiosyncrasies, its commonplaces. Mrs. Heckman's lyrical evocations of the natural life have captured the essence of Anderson Island.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

Paperback

First published January 12, 1972

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a particular reason for reading this book, as I spent 10 months living on Anderson Island in 2016-2017. And I still live in the Puget Sound region, on the mainland. I'll be honest and say openly I just wasn't cut out for life on an island. But I still have friends who live there and it is a beautiful place. The island is undergoing significant social change at the moment and it was an interesting look back at the past. I was less interested in the parts about the flora and fauna than in the social history, but most islanders are in fact very close to nature even now, so I didn't mind. It was an appropriate topic. I found it interesting to look at how the island was then, versus how it is now. Some things have changed greatly... And other things not at all. I thought the writing was very beautiful, and even though I don't usually read nonfiction it was an enjoyable read. Having said that, I would probably not have picked up Island in the Sound if it weren't for my connection to Anderson Island.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This love letter to Anderson Island was written with thought, humor, and affection. I picked it up as a random bookstore find in Bellingham because, as a child, my family would ride the Steilacoom ferry over to stay at my grandparents’ cabin on the island — yes, we were “summer people”! The cabin is no longer in the family, but this book has been an enjoyable exploration of this place that holds nostalgia for (I imagine) many others, Islander and summer person alike. 

This is a cozy read, easily taken a short chapter at a time, about a simple kind of life that seems improbable enough to feel like fantasy in 21st century USA. Heckman was clearly an amateur naturalist, what with her love and thorough explanations of island flora and fauna. She really brought the forest and beach to life.

Coincidentally, I started reading this around the same time as starting the video game “Stardew Valley,” and there are so many parallels between the two that “Island in the Sound” could have provided the template for the setting and themes of that game. If I had the time and skill, Anderson Island would make a fun modded alternate setting.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was an informative book especially if you want to or plan to go to anderson island in seattle puget sound area. It was written in 1967 so some of the info is out of date but the islands are insular areas and so a lot of the info is still accurate. I have a friend who has family there which is why when I saw this at a library book sale i wrestled it out of the hands of an octogenarian and ran and spiked it into the ground and did a touch down dance in the endzone of the sale.... ok! none of that happened. but it could have! it really could have.
This really goes into the history of settlement, who owns what and then mostly flora and fauna. lots of flora and fauna. lots and lots of....

[Adrianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gem of local color and history describes the small island life of Anderson Island in Puget Sound. On an island surrounded by frigid water and accessible only by boat, Hazel Heckman, a transplant from the mid-west, finally comes to appreciate the rain and grey and admire the individualism and self-reliance necessary to survive in an isolated environment. Published in 1976, it reaches back to the founding Scandinavian immigrants who hand-split logs to build homes and trawled the water to make a living, while also musing on the more current inhabitants of fewer than 90 who still share a determined spirit yet enjoy "modern" conveniences such as electricity.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because David Gutterson cited it as a source about island life for his book Snow Falling on Cedars. It's a charming little book about Anderson Island, Washington, an island in Puget Sound south of Tacoma, across from Steilacoom. The island Heckman describes is no longer the island of today--this book is sixty years old--but the book is delightful and the author is so positive about the island and its people. It's good balm for our Current Condition.

[Fritz Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look back at life on a Pacific Northwest island in the 1960's. Personal to me, since we stayed on Anderson Island for a week in 2018.

[Ted Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will look upon Anderson Island with new eyes as I fish and motor in nearby waters. What a great book this was about inland life, those who settled it and those who live there now.

[Galen Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up years ago in my favorite used book store in North Carolina, and later learned from my mother that my grandma spent summers on Anderson Island when she was young. I finally started the book when my book club made a weekend trip to the island. The book is dated (it is two years older than ME!), but Heckman has done a good job of organizing research and interviews on the (European settlers') history of the Island and describing much of the plant and animal life. The book is slow-moving, and there are many more misses by the copy-editor in the second half which can be distracting, but I think the book is valuable for capturing some of the area history in an accessible way. I definitely recommend it for people interested in South Sound/Puget Sound history (at least the settler perspective), but it isn't something I'd see a much broader audience getting much out of.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anderson Island.