On Whale Island: Notes from a Place I Never Meant to Leave

Daniel Hays, who happens to own an Island off the shore of Nova Scotia, apparently became disenchanted with his life and was able to talk his wife into joining him for one year, with their child (actually, Daniel's step son), and two dogs, and live on this remote hunk of rock. I have to admit I enjoyed ever word of the story of their adventure there. Hays has an easy style to his writing that keeps the story going in a pleasing way. I note that this work has come under some criticism for various reason, some, somewhat justified, some so far out in left field, that I am not sure if the reviews and I read the same book. The author does do a very good job of relating the different attitude that he and his wife take as to this adventure. Yes, they do look at it a bit differently. This is as it should be. To somehow get the impression that the author has less than a good opinion of women is stretching things a bit. If you want to take that route, then the same thing could be said of his wife's attitude toward men. Part of this story is about the relationship between a husband and wife in a situation which is not the greatest. People are going to act differently to situations, and gender has little to do with it. I enjoyed the writer's honesty. He did not gloss over their little arguments and was honest enough to admit that not all was peaches and cream. Again, that is as it should be. Hays does spend quite a bit of paper contemplating the meaning of his life. Many of his views I certainly do not share, but hey, this was not MY story, it was his. Just because I would have done things differently and just because I may perceive the situations that came up differently, and acted accordingly, does not lessen the author's work, or, its validity. Actually, I rather enjoyed this aspect of the book. I found myself repeatedly asking, "now what would I have done had I been in the author's shoes?" I suspect you could take twenty people and come up with twenty different answers. The author does have the ability to laugh at himself. There is no "back to nature chest beating" here. He, Hays, told it more or less the way it was. He allowed us to see his families' experience, warts and all. He allows us to see himself, warts and all. The author is indeed flawed, but there is no attempt made to cover this up or justify. I loved his description of the family dogs and their adventures and their relationship with their human partners. Anyone who lives with dogs will appreciate this. All in all, this was a pleasing read. The author certainly did not do things the way I would have done them, and certainly received his motivation from sources which I could not relate to, but that is fine. We are all different, and again, that is as it should be. Don't pick this book up expecting to read about a Rambo type of guy against the wilderness, or a family of disenfranchised hippies wanting to live off the land and weave baskets or, well...you get the

It was as if he was in the room with us. We listened to Daniel Hays read from On Whale Island and it mesmerized us! We smiled, we cried and nearly pee'd in our pants at the stories he told. Stories about his brave adventure on a deserted island with his small family. I personally loved it so much because they did what I always wanted to do. Throw off convention, wake up and go 'out there'. Told with honesty, humor and tenderness. I did not want it to end!

I LOVED this book! So few memoirists are able to write completely honestly, instead usually holding up some kind of complimentary or tidying prism on the experience with the effect of sanitizing and fictionalizing the end result ... not so here. I am actually surprised at a couple of the other reviewers' comments...misogynist? Just because he's honest enough to look at how he and his wife respond differently to the same situation? And anyone who lives with dogs will laugh out loud at Dan's detailed descriptions of some of the drawbacks of living in close quarters with them - and yes we love them but it can get disgusting. I think in a way it was as brave of Dan to choose to live in close quarters with his family on an island for a year - without the buffer of modern comforts - as it must have been to round Cape Horn in a sailboat. Anyway, anyone who likes to read about family, dogs or is interested in one person's examination of his attempt to get closer to an honest life experience by escaping the mainland should read this.

Daniel does it again. Gets out there and shocks the hell out of us while amusing us no end. This is a fast fun read. Leave it in the privy, or take it on a boat or to the summer cottage. Or read it one the subway. It makes for great escape, is truly funny and sweet.Sometimes I think I know this guy....

I am a voracious reader and can honestly say I have never read anything quite like this book before. It throws a little punch at you on just about every page. It is written in a cocky, sharply humorous narrative that keeps you snorting and turning the page. It will make you laugh, contemplate life, relationships, and running water (and all those other things we take for granted). Dan's adventures (and misadventures) will make you cringe, reflect and laugh out loud.