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Why here?
Potato Island, Nova Scotia, is a quiet place sheltered from the problems of the outside world. When Ian McKendrie, a young man from Toronto, arrives and begins selling the products of his small meth lab, the Islanders are anxious to rid the Island of this scourge.
The judge in Halifax sees things differently. He sentences McKendrie to house arrest on the Island with conditions that seem no punishment at all. So, when an opportunity presents itself, the Islanders decide to take the law into their own hands and impose a few "conditions" of their own.
Suspense, chaos, and humour ensue as the locals attempt to take back their Island. With the victims now the jailers, the Islanders will have to decide what it really means to have justice served.
The judge in Halifax sees things differently. He sentences McKendrie to house arrest on the Island with conditions that seem no punishment at all. So, when an opportunity presents itself, the Islanders decide to take the law into their own hands and impose a few "conditions" of their own.
Suspense, chaos, and humour ensue as the locals attempt to take back their Island. With the victims now the jailers, the Islanders will have to decide what it really means to have justice served.
299 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
260 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 30, 2025
Smart, funny, and full of suspense! Why Here by Michelle Ferguson takes readers to Potato Island, Nova Scotia, where locals take justice into their own hands after a criminal’s unusual sentence. With sharp wit, unforgettable characters, and plenty of twists, this clever tale of small-town revenge and redemption will keep you turning pages to the very end.
September 9, 2016
I have an appreciation for drug stories that goes back to Evelyn Lau’s Runaway, read as a preteen and before I’d smoked a cigarette, let alone anything else. By the time I saw Trainspotting at seventeen, I’d done plenty. My parents objected to renting the movie because it glorified drug use, but it actually scared me off trying hard drugs. The “baby on the ceiling” hallucination scene may look kind of ridiculous by today’s special effects standards, but it was a pretty effective deterrent in my case.
Other drug and addiction books that I love: The Basketball Diaries, Heather O'Neill's Lullabies for Little Criminals, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, A Clockwork Orange, Go Ask Alice, every other Irvine Welsh books I've ever read. Oh, and Spun, which is a movie but relevant because it’s specifically about meth and absolutely horrifying. So that’s my frame of reference.
Why Here? is a a drug story. Addicts, dealers, and law enforcement dance around each other in a tiny isolated community, till the community’s had enough and regular folks turn vigilante. The premise is very similar to Ferguson’s first novel, From Away (my review), but this story succeeds in ways that From Away didn’t – the writing is fresher, and the stakes are higher. I really like how the older adults were the heroes; not the twenty-something drug dealers or the teenage drug addicts, but the people in their 50s and 60s who’d had enough. And the ending was great. I almost thought it was headed towards the “special moment” 90s sitcom ending, but then it was suddenly open ended and hopeless or hopeful, depending on your perspective.
Ferguson took some risks; however, the story just isn't gritty enough. All those drug books I've read have given me certain expectations. I want devastating relapses, and sweaty, hallucinating withdrawals. I want the manic filth of “Spun.” I want Trainspotting‘s baby on the ceiling. I needed something harrowing or horrible to believe that this community would take the law into their own hands. That, or I need a strong lead character to hang that belief on, and I didn't quite find that in the ensemble cast.
After two books with similar settings and themes, I’m left wondering about the author’s intentions. Are these morality tales? Celebration or condemnation of small town, maritime culture? I await Ferguson’s next move.
Thank you to the author for the review copy!
Full review on Reading in Bed: http://reading-in-bed.com/2014/01/19/...
Other drug and addiction books that I love: The Basketball Diaries, Heather O'Neill's Lullabies for Little Criminals, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, A Clockwork Orange, Go Ask Alice, every other Irvine Welsh books I've ever read. Oh, and Spun, which is a movie but relevant because it’s specifically about meth and absolutely horrifying. So that’s my frame of reference.
Why Here? is a a drug story. Addicts, dealers, and law enforcement dance around each other in a tiny isolated community, till the community’s had enough and regular folks turn vigilante. The premise is very similar to Ferguson’s first novel, From Away (my review), but this story succeeds in ways that From Away didn’t – the writing is fresher, and the stakes are higher. I really like how the older adults were the heroes; not the twenty-something drug dealers or the teenage drug addicts, but the people in their 50s and 60s who’d had enough. And the ending was great. I almost thought it was headed towards the “special moment” 90s sitcom ending, but then it was suddenly open ended and hopeless or hopeful, depending on your perspective.
Ferguson took some risks; however, the story just isn't gritty enough. All those drug books I've read have given me certain expectations. I want devastating relapses, and sweaty, hallucinating withdrawals. I want the manic filth of “Spun.” I want Trainspotting‘s baby on the ceiling. I needed something harrowing or horrible to believe that this community would take the law into their own hands. That, or I need a strong lead character to hang that belief on, and I didn't quite find that in the ensemble cast.
After two books with similar settings and themes, I’m left wondering about the author’s intentions. Are these morality tales? Celebration or condemnation of small town, maritime culture? I await Ferguson’s next move.
Thank you to the author for the review copy!
Full review on Reading in Bed: http://reading-in-bed.com/2014/01/19/...
December 3, 2013
I just finished reading ‘Why Here?’ written by Michelle Ferguson. I won this book in a Goodreads contest, and when I first read the summary I entered with a passing interest to see how a subject involving a meth lab can be woven into a contemporary tale. The author does this quite well, and the pleasant surprise about this book is that the characters on Potato Island are believable and they grow as the story unfolds.
Ferguson delivers a heart-warming tale that is more than just the about a community struggling with keeping the darkness of drug addiction from infecting their community. It is about a group of people rediscovering themselves when bound with a common purpose. The story is a delightful read and moves forward nicely keeping the reader interested. I enjoyed it.
Ferguson delivers a heart-warming tale that is more than just the about a community struggling with keeping the darkness of drug addiction from infecting their community. It is about a group of people rediscovering themselves when bound with a common purpose. The story is a delightful read and moves forward nicely keeping the reader interested. I enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews