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

by Grant Buday

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 himselfworking 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 thelayered 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.

Genres: Nonfiction

88 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2011

Reviews

[Karen]

A small, local curiosity. A memoir written by a man who moved from Vancouver to Mayne Island, from a big international city to a tiny, remote, rural life. The book is a bit dated now and the author comes across as a bit of a crank, but it’s interesting to get a little more insight into the quirks of Gulf Island living.

[Jay Dargatz]

A humorous look at Mayne Island

[Vontel]

2023: I didn't realize I had read this book nine years ago. A quintessential west coast of British Columbia book, although would probably be equally similar to east coast experiences as well. Always a good, quick read about Island life within the Gulf Islands, in between Vancouver and Victoria. Some excellent photos. The author has published several other books since this one.
2014: Excellent book, mostly observations about self and humanity, taking place after a move to Mayne Island in BC's Gulf Islands. Captures some of the uniqueness of island living and relationships. Love the writing style and descriptions and language.

[Richard McColl]

I enjoyed this book, it takes an interesting view at life away from the big city and the characters explored therein. I bought it out of curiousity given that I decided to create a business on an island in the middle of nowhere (although in Colombia) and wanted to see how I could create comparisons. It's a sliver of a book and can be read in a couple of hours and then revisited later.