Book Review – Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flyn

This is a very informative piece of writing. The places Flyn visits, while possessed of an eerie attractiveness, are hardly beauty spots, in her series of visits she investigates the ecological impact of human activity on each location and to what extent nature can bounce back in a truly engaging manner.

There is exceptional research also, and a wealth of knowledge on our planet from a 28 year old journalist from the Highlands.

Inevitably, some of the places are of more interest to some people than others.

My personal highlights were Swona island (near Orkney) and its cattle, Plymouth in Montserrat follwing the volcano, Zone Rouge in Verdun (the only place I have visited) and Detroit.

I was far less enthusiastic about the Five Sisters in Lothian, and indeed the whole of the first part of the book. It actually gave me the wrong impression from the outset, but having completed the book, I can see the reason they were included, and can now appreciate them.

If I am allowed one criticism, it is not that they were included, its just about the order.