Week 17: Island Folk: The People of Isle Royale by Peter Oikarinen (University of Minnesota Press, 2008, paperback)
I read this novel at the suggestion of a friend, to preview a hiking trip I’m taking this summer to Isle Royale, the largest natural island in Lake Superior.
This is a simple novel in its goal—it covers a series of interviews with current (as of the 1970s) inhabitants of Isle Royale. Only a few families still live on the island; no new developments are allowed and older developments are allowed to fall into disrepair. The goal is to return the island to its more natural state.
Oikarinen’s book provides short narratives of and from these remaining residents, most in their 70s and 80s. They relay stories of the island’s fishing history and incidents with moose, wolfs, birds, and other wildlife. They tell of shipwrecks and treacherous experiences with the weather and other boats. They are all rugged individualists, able to live with minimal amenities and desiring to live in isolation from the mainland. None of the individuals, in Oikarinen’s style, standout—it’s the collage they paint of the island that is more relevant.
This book has peaked my interest in Isle Royale, which is the most I could expect. The writing is not unique and the structure does little to give any one resident resonance. I’d only recommend it for those looking for something to wet their interest in this island, and just a few of the narratives will make that happen.
Next week . . . A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.