On Whale Island

Notes From a Place I Never Meant to Leave

By: Daniel Hays

Narrated by: Bruce Altman

As chronicled in the best-selling book My Old Man and the Sea, the thirst for living an unconventional life led Daniel Hays to sail around Cape Horn with his father in a boat they built themselves. Thinking his wanderlust satisfied, Hays married and settled down, only to find himself restless for adventure once again.

On Whale Island tells the story of how he packed up three boatloads of supplies, his wife, stepson, and two dogs and moved to a remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia, fulfilling a lifelong fantasy of escaping from the confines of civilization and living by his wits.

On Whale Island tells three stories. In the foreground, we see Daniel who, not unlike one of Peter Pan's Lost Boys, joyfully lives a permanent boy's life. He generates electricity from solar power, creates a toilet seat from whale vertebra, and greets every storm with enthusiasm. But while Daniel is building windmills and funneling rainwater for showers, his spirited son feels isolated and his wife longs for the life they left behind.

Funny, tender, and filled with the details of an unconventional life, this is the story of how the Hays family lived on Whale Island, and how, finally, they had to leave.

©2002 Daniel Hays. Published by arrangement with Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill (P)2002 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"It's narrated by Bruce Altman, who sounds like he should be narrating a history of Brooklyn. Not that this is a bad thing. Altman is interesting, and he has a snappiness to his voice that keeps your attention....[He] keeps the story moving with impeccable diction and great timing, and he knows just when to nail a punch line. This is a feel-good book, and Altman keeps the mood upbeat." ( AudioFile)

It had mean from the first word!

I loves the switch back and forth of perspectives. Written with passion and personal clarity.

My 3rd time listening!

I loved it because I envy what they did...to simplify existence, move away, and live off the grid. Yeah, he didn't become a survivalist and grow or catch his own food, but he definitely minimalized. I bought the hard copy book too. I wish there was more pictures and maps.

I was excited at first...

...but quickly became disillusioned by the author’s self-centeredness, lack of awareness of his privilege, and sarcastic tone. I fast-forwarded through the final chapters because I really didn’t care what happened next.

The world’s most boring book

This book is painfully boring it is more of an account of Daniel Hays’ time on whale island. It is painful boring. Daniel is an awesome person and I hate to give him a bad review but in my opinion this one is a fail.