Away From My Island ~ The True Story of Eliza Gill by Gary Collins

Eliza Wicks was one of eight children born in 1914 to Mary Jane and Joe Wicks. She dearly loved her home on Silver Fox Island but always desired more than the fishing lifestyle afforded to her large family of seven brothers and sisters. As a child, dreams of "black, shiny, patten leather shoes and a long, gold-coloured dress" were frequent but replaced instead by daily chores or working "in service" as it was called in those days.  At the tender age of eleven she accompanied her father and nine year old brother on a schooner trip to the Labrador. Working day and night to cook for the fishing crew, Eliza quickly discovered she was exhilarated by the feeling of freedom and felt as though her "spirit was let loose and being carried over the bounding ocean".  Eliza eventually met and married the love of her life, a school teacher named Jacob Gill. Again, dreams of a better life for the newlyweds and their young family consumed Eliza even if it meant having to leave the island and eventually Newfoundland.  Navigating obstacles and overcoming difficult family circumstances, debilitating illness, and ostracization by her church and community, Eliza laboured and toiled with great stoicism and bravery, never succumbing to defeat . The ultimate challenge, however, proved to be her final act of love. Away From My Island by Gary Collins is the true story of the amazing life of an outport lady turned heroine.

How does one bid farewell to the birth den, say goodbye to the soil upon which one had flourished and been nurtured? Strangely, for me it was the natural part of my island that I found the hardest to leave. The part of the island that could not bid me farewell was the island itself - the magnificence of it standing boldly above the sea, the cleansing feel, the scent, the aroma of the sea lacing the spindrift at its foundation, created anew with each flood tide. It was the bastion that had sheltered me, upon which I had found refuge, and which now, of my own choosing, I was leaving.

Away From My Island ~ The True Story of Eliza Gill is Gary Collins' sixteenth book. Known as Newfoundland and Labrador's favourite storyteller, Collins does indeed weave a captivating biographical account engaging the reader with vivid images and great prose while encapsulating Eliza's entire life in a respectful and intimate way. There is no doubt that Collins fully delivers in communicating this tragic yet touching story but is also successful in telling the story of a generation of people who were shaped by the real world events of their time. As Eliza's life unfolds, Collins steps in with historically accurate commentary on the social and political climate of the day. Readers begin to truly appreciate Eliza's life circumstances as the facts are laid bare;  fishing families left "in the red" to wealthy merchants; men leaving their community in search of Labrador fish;  the effects of The Great Depression, the war in Europe and the TB outbreak on the Newfoundland people; and the unusually hot summer of 1961 that ravaged Collins' hometown of Hare Bay, forcing the residents to seek refuge on Silver Fox Island.  As the author expertly intertwines biography and historical facts, Collins' relationship with Eliza as her son-in-law is revealed as well as a most tragic and unexpected ending that left me both shocked and deeply saddened. I applaud Mr. Collins and his courage in telling this most difficult story and hope that it brings some solace and peace.

Away From My Island ~ The True Story of Eliza Gill  is a uniquely powerful story documenting the extraordinary life of one woman and her family. This riveting tale also reveals the complexities and hardships of a whole generation of Newfoundland people. I would sure love to see Gary Collins, the infamous Story Man, narrate this tale as part of a documentary series. Away From My Island ~ The True Story of Eliza Gill is a Flanker Press publication.