Stranger on a Strange Island by Grant Buday

Stranger on a Strange Island: From Main Street to Mayne Island

  • Transmontanus
  • 80 pages, 7×10 inches
  • Price: $19 CAD · $19 USD
  • ISBN: 9781554200573
  • Date published: 2011-05-16
  • Availability: in print & available

 

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About Stranger on a Strange Island

In Vancouver, $600 a month gets you half a bachelor suite. On Mayne Island, it gets you a three–bedroom house overlooking the waters of Active Pass, with varied wildlife and lush trees as neighbours. With that in mind, Grant Buday trades in the high–powered city life in Vancouver for the small town eccentricities of Mayne Island.

The scenery, however impressive, is not the only change. A college English instructor for six years, Buday now finds himself working wherever a hand is needed. Some of his more adventurous jobs included stealing a boat with one of the locals, who in exchange asked Buday for a word of the day; sheep herding on a deer farm with no deer; and his current part–time gig, helping out at the Mayne Island Recycling Depot.

Living on Mayne has also presented Buday with endless opportunities for learning, whether it's firewood–picking lessons from his tree–felling Mennonite neighbour Jake, or chainsaw lingo lessons from the local dealer in Sidney.

In Stranger on a Strange Island, Buday explores the layered nature of small–town life, the rich history of Mayne Island and the reasons that compelled him to trade in city life for the island life.

Stranger On a Strange Island is number 19 in the Transmontanus series.

About Grant Buday

Grant Buday is the author of seven previous books. Two of his works, White Lung and Monday Night Man, were finalists for the City of Vancouver Book Prize. His writing has appeared in subTerrain, Vancouver Review and most recently, Canadian Notes and Queries. He taught English at Kwantlen University College and Langara College in Vancouver. He has lived on Mayne Island since 2002.

Visit Grant Buday's page