Autobiography of an peninsula

Autobiography of an Island: A Memoir
By Sarah Faragher (2021)

Review by Carl Little

In 2004, while visiting Great Spruce Head Island, painter Sarah Faragher had the occasion to explore nearby Bear Island.

Conversing with a Bear islander, she learned of Birch Lodge, a humble dwelling that could be rented in June.

Autobiography of an peninsula

Invited to consider this option,

Faragher soon found herself taking up annual summer residence in the middle of Penobscot Bay, her painting supplies at the ready—and her soul, as it were, brimming with the possibilities of retreat and reflection.

With more than a decade’s worth of week-or-more visits behind her, Faragher decided to convert the notes she’d been keeping into one extended narrative of her island life.

The result is Autobiography of an Island: A Memoir.

Faragher has her share of demons, and the island has given her the time and distance to address them.

Being pretty much alone on the island lends a Petit Prince quality to Faragher’s situation.

Li