Return to Solitude

It's been over a decade since renowned broadcaster and indie rock musician Grant Lawrence launched his writing career with the award-winningAdventures in Solitude, yet some things never change--including the winding Sunshine Coast Highway, close calls at the BC Ferries ticket office and carsick children. But this time, Lawrence returns as a husband and father, not as the vomiting and nerdy kid dragged along by his athletic and unflappable parents.

In his inimitable, high-voltage style Lawrence interweaves the rich and harrowing history of the Desolation Sound area with his own experiences of life on the coast. This lively book recounts the life and times of the legendary Cougar Lady, tracks a phantom-like squatter known as the Spaghetti Bandit, and details the bizarre exit and even more bizarre death of Bernard the German. Here too are many of the beloved personalities introduced in Lawrence's first book, including hippie recluse Russell the Hermit, plus the continued voyages ofBig Buck$, the decrepit family boat, and the incredible return of large ocean mammals to Desolation Sound.

From a hilarious, heartfelt and slightly wiser voice comes a momentous story of time, family and place whirling around one increasingly ramshackle cabin on a beautiful and not-at-all-desolate coast. (From Harbour Publishing)

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Lawrence is a writer, musician and host of the CBC Music Top 20. His memoir,Dirty Windshields, recounts his time as the singer of the Smugglers, a 1990s rock 'n' roll band that cut a chaotic path through Canada, the U.S., and Europe.