Summers in Squid Tickle: A Newfoundland Odyssey

by Robert Finch

An acclaimed nature writer’s moving recollection of his two decades as a summer resident of a Newfoundland fishing village originally known as Squid Tickle.


Robert Finch arrived in Newfoundland in the summer of 1995 heartsick, directionless, his old life on Cape Cod in tatters. Burnside—traditionally known as Squid Tickle—seemed like a good place to heal. Located in the province’s rugged northeast, this coastal village was home to just fifty year-round residents. Drawn by a landscape of low ridges and archipelagos of rocky islands. Finch returned to Burnside each summer for its strong sense of community and the possibility that it might provide a new pattern for his new life.


Offering an exploration of the Newfoundland character and culture, Finch depicts how three generations of the village grappled with the changes of the past century. With characteristically elegant prose and deep sensitivity, he introduces us to Burnside’s inhabitants—and to the woman who would become his wife. Summers in Squid Tickle speaks to our era’s desire for quietude and a greater connection to the natural world and to each other.

Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography, Memoir, Canada

320 pages, Hardcover

Published June 17, 2025

About the author

Robert Finch has lived on and written about Cape Cod for forty years. He is the author of six collections of essays and co-editor of The Norton Book of Nature Writing.

Reviews

[Michael G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must be off to Newfoundland now, b’y. After reading this simple, honest, and elegant paean to the people of a small, remote fishing village, their stunningly beautiful surroundings, and their disappearing way of life, I don’t feel sad, but enriched to have shared in their experiences with the author, Robert Finch, in his last book. It was like reading about a heartwarming love affair with a people and a place and hoping it can last forever.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soooooo many characters...but such thoroughly interesting people!!!

[Nate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I spoke to this guy and then I did this and then i did that and then . . . .zzzzz

While the book breezes along, the story is lost in the details because it's all about details, mindless and unimportant details. There's no conflict to prime the engine that any good story needs. There are merely bits of everyday life, supplemented by the history of the land and the histories of the people. It's like reading someone's diary with explanatory footnotes added. It's initially interesting until it becomes repetitive and full of particulars that matter not one whit, eg (at random): "Wayne has a slow timetable for his house. Last year they got the sauna tubes poured. This summer they plan to get the deck on. At this rate, it may be done for Willis' centennial." Does any of this matter to or amount to anything? Nope.

Sure, we all talk idly at times with friends and family, about nothing at all. It passes the time. But imagine reading someone else's 300 pages of reportage about people you don't know and their idle talk. Way too painful. DNF.

[Marian Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I appreciated about this book was learning about the community of Burnside, located in Newfoundland. It’s intriguing to read about the lives of those who make up that small community. This is essentially the author’s journal about his summers in Burnside, and it reads that way. I have to admit it got a little slow going at times, but I like the people, and it was almost like being there.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the stories of life and the tickle!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started great but got boring quick.