On Island: Life Among the Coast Dwellers

by Pat Carney

A collection of stories chronicling the characters and dramas that capture life in small coastal communities.

In this story collection, Pat Carney follows the rhythms of day-to-day life in coastal BC. Featuring a revolving cast of characters—the newly retired couple, the church warden, the musician, the small-town girl with big city dreams—Carney’s keen observations of the personalities and dramas of coastal life are instantly recognizable to readers who are familiar with life in a small community. With her narrative of dock fights, pet shows, family feuds, logging camps and the ever-present tension between islanders and property-owning “off-islanders,” Carney’s witty and perceptive voice describes how the islanders weather the storms of coastal life.

Carney writes evocatively of the magical landscape of the British Columbia coast, where she has lived and worked for five decades. At the same time, she addresses the less-idyllic moments that can also characterize coastal life: power outages, winter storms, isolation. On Island brings the West Coast landscape—human and natural—to life, and gives islanders and mainland dwellers alike a taste of what it means to be “on island.”

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Canada, Book Club

304 pages, Paperback

Published May 16, 2017

Reviews

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming collection of short stories about life on the British Columbia coast. I liked that the author decided "since there are no names, no names have been changed". Instead we met the Church Warden and his wife, the Professor and his wife, the Harbour Girl etc.

There were a couple stories at the end that confused me, they didn't seem to be set on the same island as the previous ones had and I'm not sure if that was deliberate or not...

Also since it was published in 2017 and the author was in fact a politician, she should have known to use the term Indigenous instead of Aboriginal.

[Bri Grove-white · Rating 2 out of 5]

A light read, enjoyable though predictable at times. I did like that there was usually no particular moral to be drawn from the stories. The coastal imagery was pleasant. I liked the characterization of the conflict between long-time islanders and their newer counterparts. I did laugh out loud at some turns of phrase, particularly in the front end of the book.

One caveat. I found the passage about resident schools disturbing, especially in light of Senator Lynn Beyak's recent remarks. Granted, it can be difficult to tell when one is reading an author or a character's opinion but I interpreted this as the author's opinion. I feel that one cannot acknowledge the horror and the intergenerational trauma endured by the first nations peoples at the hands of the resident school system on one page and ask why more people do not dwell on the positive aspects of the residential school system on another. It is not the victim's onus to assuage our guilt.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love a good book about island life

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story was off-putting, but after that, the first half or so was strong. There were interesting stories with interesting characters. Things started to go downhill around the part where she writes about how the residential school system wasn't all bad. Let's not forget that the entire purpose of the residential school system was to "take the Indian out of the child". Sure, there were some children who did better in residential schools than others who were raped, beaten, starved, and/or murdered, but the system was created to destroy them. That was its very purpose. Toward the end, the stories got less interesting. I think the collection would have been stronger had she kept more of the same characters around throughout the book.

[Jeannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pat Carney effectively captures life on a southern British Columbia island. I can see this because I know Carney's home island well. I know it's places - the free store, the recycling centre, the General Store, Community Hall, pub below the wharf store, and dock fire etc. etc. I know of many of the locals (though not as well as Carney) and their interesting jobs, and she doesn't use names and fully implicate others but finds truth in the types. If I could give this 3.5 stars I would, but I'm opting for 3 instead of 4 because I feel a bit of a generational remove from Carney's world - describing someone as the professor's wife (and never the fisher's husband), and when she says someone's body is "tortured with tattoos" I cringe a little even though I have one tiny ring tattoo. As others have mentioned her treatment of the residential school on another Gulf Island could have been more careful. Although it also brings to light other locales on the BC coast, the chapter called the Inlet did not really fit. Also there is a bit too much repetition to the tales in general. Nevertheless, Carney evokes the quirkiness of her much loved island world providing a glimpse that casual visitors would not otherwise see.

[Nancy Gillies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pat Carney, the former Member of Parliament and Senator, tries her hand at fiction with On Island: Life Among the Coast Dwellers. She’s a skilled writer, having honed her talents as a journalist and memoirist, and has an eye for the natural beauty and an ear for the quirky tales of the citizenry on an unnamed coastal island in the Salish Sea. These stories ring true for me, a resident of what Carney’s characters refer to as the Big Island (Vancouver Island). I too am familiar with the stormy winters and the ensuing frequent power outages as well as the vagaries of travelling by ferry. I can also relate to one of the characters, an “off-islander,” who gets involved as a volunteer at the local fish hatchery and immerses himself in learning about the spawning patterns and habitats of the different species of salmon. Carney’s take on the tightly knit community where everyone knows (or thinks they know) everyone else’s business is wry but not judgmental. With straightforward prose, Carney captures the flavour of life in this locale with fondness and humour.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have family that live in British Columbia, so my Mom got a bunch of books about or set in the area. Most of them were unreadable, but this was okay. It's nothing really memorable. It had its moments, but I think it's a book I'm going to give away.

Sometimes, the stories get rolling, and then goes nowhere. Many animals make an appearance, like the cats in the first story, bats, salmon in another. The best parts of the book were the illustrations.

Stories:

* Cat Dump
* Nature Lovers
* Preists and Pagans
* Garden Party
* Blondie
* Bats in the Belfry
* Pet Parade
* Battle for the Beach
* Medical Clinic
* Burn Pile
* Fish Fry
* Dock Debates
* Lights Out
* Book Theif
* Harbour Girl
* Family Feud
* Family Wedding
* Storm
* The Inlet
* Sea Wolf

[Tracee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve had this book on my “want to read” list for 8 years and finally found the book but sad to learn the author passed-on a couple of years ago.

After all that wait, though, this book really let me down. This wasn’t the island-hopping adventure story I thought it was going to be, it’s really just a gossip mag full of dull island characters.

I was truly befuddled at her choice of opening chapters as it was depressing and uncalled for. It was disconcerting to read how nonchalantly she dealt with animal deaths throughout the book.

The book production itself is not well done. The binding is too close to the inside text of the pages. You really have pull the pages apart to read the entire words near the inside, meanwhile, there’s a good inch left on the outer margins.

[Vontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoying this book of short stories about island life and characters, with a west coast flavour. I laughed out loud at a quote from "Bats in the Belfry", thoughts of the congregation on getting to know their new female Anglican priest from Nova Scotia as she's telling her story at a potluck dinner: "Everyone knows what Maritimers are like. All those dreary novels about incest and adultery and dysfunctional families that win CanLit book prizes and top best seller lists."

Great book. I've always enjoyed Pat Carney's writing, in her roles both as a journalist, and later as a senator from the West Coast, with the concomitant challenges of getting from a Gulf Island to Ottawa.

[ATLANTIC BOOK REVIEWS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminiscent of my reading of Stephen Leacock's Sunshine Sketches..., Pat Carney's On Island was a wonderful short story romp along Canada's West Coast and into the lives of the characters that inhabit tiny island villages. Laugh out loud antics and marvelous scene setting made this book a delight to read. Pat Carney is an island dweller and it is evident in her writing. She has first hand knowledge that shines through in her descriptions of people and places. Coming from Canada's East Coast I could actually see in my mind's eye, many of the book's characters that are in this book.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book as a gift in June and carefully saved it to read on a planned visit to Saturna in August. As it turned out, we holidayed on Salt Spring instead and I forgot to take it there, but I have now read it and enjoyed it very much. I missed our annual trip to Saturna and reading this brought fond memories of being a 'tourist' there. The stories a short gems each displaying a slice of island life in Southern British Columbia. I don't think you have to live there or have visited there to enjoy this book, but having done so enhances the read.

[Ruth Dahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic.

A collection of short stories centered around life in the B. C Islands.

You can tell that the author actually has spent time living in a small community. She describes the gossip and stick togetherness that small communities have very well.

Also, one interesting thing is that none of the characters are given names. They’re all referred to by their title, such as “the Church Warden,” “his wife,” “the author,” etc. this lends a timeless charm to the stories. They could be about any island community, in almost any time.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s very gossipy, evident which gulf island it is, also evident who the people are. (My mother lives on this island. No one is happy with the author because she published this book, and is now a recluse. Lol.) It has wonderful imagery. Sometimes I feel like the imagery would only make sense to someone born and raised here in BC. But it’s beautifully written, in the way she describes nature, but that’s about it. She is a bit of a Karen/old conservative white woman in the way she writes about some of the people.

[Neill Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life on BC’s west coast islands

This is a collection of vignettes about various groups of people who have moved to one of the coastal islands between the mainland of BC and Vancouver Island and their joys, tribulationbs, and awakening to reality, joyful or desperate. I enjoyed it a lot having hitchhiked around some of the islands with my two dogs in the early 1970s and I highly recommend it.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these stories about life on a small Gulf Island in British Columbia. Each chapter takes on a a particular topic. The endless gossip, the feuds, the love affairs and most of all the people, all make for an entertaining read. Much of the reason I like this book is that it is very relatable, as I live on a small Gulf Island myself. Much of what is written is also true about my own island.

[Luisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book on goodreads in exchange for an honest review. I thought this was a sweet little book of stories set in the same setting with the same characters. It felt like a window into the lives of the people that lived on this eccentric island. I would recommend this book if you like reading books by Canadian authors, quick light reads, and short stories.

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pat Carney is a really good storyteller. On Island is a fictional collection of short stories that tell tales of island life. The island is not specific, but off the BC coast. Her characters have no names but seem very real. As I was reading, I got a real sense of island living. It was fun, entertaining, and sometimes funny.

[Laura Brzovic · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories are cute and quaint about life on a small, lowly populated island and are a pretty realistic depiction. However, the book had a certain lull to it that I can’t get over and few stories were memorable. I’d recommend it to someone who lives on the B.C. coast but would tell anyone else to give it a pass.

[Donald Schopflocher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strongly interconnected short stories of life on a small coastal island in British Columbia told with grace and gentle humour. Carney does not name her characters though she does inhabit their thoughts as narrator, and this gives her stories a fuzziness, an indistinctness, that gives them a homey, gossipy, apocryphal feel.

[Marni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book might not appeal to everyone, but after living on Vancouver Island for six years, I love reading local books. The West Coast islands seem to attract an interesting cast of characters. The author has written a fiction book of stories that sure sound like they are based on real people. The writing is entertaining.

[Canlit4ever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceeded my expectations. I'm not typically a fan of short stories, but these were both a delightful, well-rounded depiction of island life and winsomely pithy. Stray cats winding through the stories as a core thread is very clever. What a wonderful part of a particular history to capture in a fun and empathetic way.

[Cherop · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book of fictional short stories. Even though this is a book of several stand alone stories there was a thread of commonality and characters that tied the book together making it more interesting for me as I far prefer novels to short stories.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories but they are all tied together and become a description of small town island life. It is funny, tragic, touching, and illuminating. The writing is engaging and the stories are universal.

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is a journey into rural and small town island life. With an eccentric cast of characters that anyone who’s lived in a small town will recognized, and island life details specific to the coastal towns, On Island creates a sense of place that is a lovely journey.

[Cynthia Mackey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book both interesting and relatable. I live on Vancouver Island so I could identify with the stories.

[Leanne Swekla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t want this book to end, so many stories!

[Liisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the familiar location, some of the stories felt unfinished to me, but maybe purposefully so.

[Duncan Lock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly uneven collection of stories from island life off the coast of BC. Some are charming and well written, some less so, but overall rather good.

[Miguel Loeza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories are interesting, but I can’t stop feeling like I read a gossip column.

[Sailaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

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