Finch wrote these essays during a series of trips to Newfoundland from 1987 to 1996 when he traveled throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, writing about the people he met, the arctic landscape, and the wildlife. Finch is charmed by the openness and curiosity of the people he meets regarding “CFAs” (come-from-aways) who, despite their isolation from mainland North America, are welcoming to strangers and always ready for a “b’il-up” (tea break) and conversation.

He accurately describes the pervasive economic challenges they’ve faced since the fishing ban that was imposed in 1992 to slow the over-fishing of the Grand Banks. The Englishman John Cabot discovered Newfoundland in 1497, and its abundant codfish supply quickly attracted new settlers. Those who were hardy enough to survive the harsh winters made their fortunes from the plentiful cod. The virtual cessation of the cod fishing industry in Newfoundland, however, has made it increasingly difficult for people to make a living in the out-ports – the remote fishing villages.

Throughout this book, Finch presents the stark contrasts of Newfoundland. There are the fabulous carnivorous pitcher plants in an otherwise bleak bog on the Great Northern Peninsula, satellite dishes attached to homes so isolated they can only be reached by boat or seaplane, older people clinging to life in increasingly deserted out-ports as their children flee to St. John’s, Halifax and beyond.

Finch demonstrates a keen ear for the unique Newfoundland vocabulary and accent – providing an entire chapter on common expressions heard nowhere else in the modern world, often rooted in Irish and English expressions that are hundreds of years old. Likewise, he captures the rhythm of life in Newfoundland - which even in the capital city of St. John’s moves at a slower pace and where people know and depend on their neighbors.