San Miguel, by T. C. Boyle

This is the story of two families who homestead on the Island of San Miguel, the farthest of the Channel islands off the coast of southern California. The first family moves there in the 1880’s, ostensibly as a cure for the wife Marantha’s tuberculosis. This turns out to be folly as the cold, wet, fog drenched island is far from healing. Marantha struggles with her health as well as the isolation as her husband plays sheep rancher. In the 1930’s a young married couple move to the island, seeking a home during the Great Depression. The island is still a harsh environment, but they make it a home for their family. The characters are based on real people who lived on the island. I enjoyed the book, it is very honest about the difficulties of living in a remote place.

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