On Hammet Shore by Shelagh Meagher

Reviewed by Naomi MacKinnon

Henry’s love for Little Hammet is strong and, as much as he tried for years, he couldn’t stay away. He lives there now, most seasons, in the little cabin with its small bed and wood stove, its accompanying outhouse where he finds “comfort in placing his butt over the same, smooth hole he used as a kid.”

“His island is called Little Hammet. Sister to Big Hammet, which is right beside it with a sand bar running between the two as though they’re holding hands underwater.”

At eighty-five, Henry has seen enough of what it’s like to leave one’s death up to fate to make him want to be controlling when and how he leaves this world. He doesn’t want his death drawn out like his sister’s, and he doesn’t want anyone to have to clean up behind him when he goes. On Hammet Shore follows the last six days of Henry’s life as he carries out his careful end-of-life plans. Each moment, every place, every view reminds him of the past, and we are privy to his thoughts and memories as he reflects on his long life. More than anything, he wants to “add up the folly and beauty of the years and have it all make sense.”

The “folly” and “beauty” of Henry’s life are one and the same, a woman by the name of Sybil. Henry has loved her for almost as long as he’s loved his island; for better or worse, they have been intricately entwined in his thoughts and heart. But things with Sybil were never straight-forward, and he wonders if what went wrong, and the eventual course of their lives, was his fault. He wonders if his devotion to Sybil is as pure as he always felt certain it was. If not, what does that say about the way he has lived his life?

“Maybe every human has deceit lurking just beneath their morally upright outer skin, he thinks now. Lying in wait for the moment desire overcomes decency and the idealistic impression of yourself is blown to hell.”

The more I learned about Henry, the more I wanted to hear about happy times in his life, moments that brought him joy and contentment. I wanted him to have more than a life with an undercurrent of yearning for someone or something that he couldn’t have. Even at eighty-five, on the first day of the last six days of his life, Henry struggles with staying focused. Everything reminds him of Sybil: the heart-shaped beach stone he keeps under his pillow; the sight of Barter Island where Sybil used to live, just a boat ride away; his own cozy cabin where, decades ago, away from the eyes of their families, they clung to each other. Henry’s memories are visceral, evoking emotions of sorrow, regret, and deep longing. “He can almost hear her calling him, across water and time, and feel her pulling him toward her as they tumble onto the sand.”

Juxtaposed with these feelings of longing and regret is Henry’s devotion to his island. The joy and satisfaction he gets from living on Little Hammet comes through from the very beginning as he describes every nook of his cabin, the familiar view from his front door, and his routine walk to the outhouse. He refuses, even now at the end of his life, to disrespect his island by dumping his overnight jar in the woods rather than dumping it in the designated building. Despite the difficulty in untangling the island and the woman, the author makes it clear that Henry would always have been drawn back to Little Hammet with or without its haunting memories. “…he still, always, experiences a second or two of panic as he pulls away.”

“He tied the boat’s lines to a tree and stood still, just breathing in the air and taking in the fact that his bare feet were on this piece of the world again. He felt the sand under them. Took into his lungs the blend of forest and bog and ocean that was his island’s own particular scent. His heart began to calm.”

Shelagh Meagher has written a thought-provoking, haunting, and compelling novel about the end of life, while at the same time has written a novel about living, loving , and the big what-ifs. Henry’s connection to Little Hammet and his determination to do things his own way reminds me of Moses in Sweetland by Michael Crummey. Henry is a gentler version of Moses and Henry’s island less rugged and remote. But, like Moses, Henry has chosen an island filled with ghosts of the past over family and community, and, as with Sweetland, I wonder what kind of toll a person might pay living alone for months at a time with only memories to keep them company.

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About the Author

Shelagh Meagher started writing as a six-year-old but didn’t create publishable work until much later. Canadian-born, she’s also lived in England, Italy, Switzerland, and America. She’s been an advertising exec, landscape designer, mom, TEDX speaker, Huffington Post blogger, freelance marketer, health clinic owner and – always – a writer. Her current home is beside the ocean in Nova Scotia, a perfect and inspiring place for a writer to be.

About the Reviewer

Naomi MacKinnon lives in Truro, Nova Scotia with her family. She is the happy duck behind The Happy Duck Bookshop & Readery where she’s able to share her love of books with whoever walks through the door. Naomi can also be found talking about books online at Consumed by Ink.

Book Details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Askance Publishing

• Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 17 2025

• Language ‏ : ‎ English

• Print length ‏ : ‎ 251 pages

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1069304611

• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1069304612