Boyle's first book was about his years living without money. Now, he has taken all of his concerns about the industrialization of every aspect of modern life and decided to participate in them as little as possible. He purchased a small landholding in western Ireland where he built a simple cabin that has no electricity, natural gas, or running water. He gave up all modern communication devices. He communicates face to face or through the post office. He grows or forages his own food. He eats wild game and fish that he hunts and fishes. He makes his own wine, although he does go to the local pub to meet up with friends and share a pint. This is Ireland, after all.
Boyle also gave up automobiles. He uses a bicycle for transportation or he walks. However, he will hitch rides with people and take trains if he has far to travel.
On his property he also has a simple hostel. He accepts donations but does not charge money for people to stay. He also built a gathering or meeting area.
The book chronicles the challenges, the high and low points of his first year. In this book I learned of the amazing cooking device called a Rocket Stove. All aspects of his new life are a challenge. But, the one I sense he mourned the most was the easy communication with his many friends and acquaintances. He writes several times about how difficult learning to write with a pence and paper was. Using a computer for writing has a different thought process than writing with pencil and paper.
Boyle offers beautiful brief descriptions of nature and the joy of friendships. He gets to know his neighbors well. He articulates his critique of all that is wrong with the modern industrialized world. His ideal of self-sufficiency and a community working together to survive is life on Blasket Islands before the islanders were evacuated in the 1950's.
Boyle's prose is easy to read and follow. Even when he is being critical, I didn't feel like I was being preached at. Boyle is just making his case for a return to a simpler, harder, self-sufficient lifestyle. And, he is figuring out how to live in a way that makes him feel most alive and attuned to the world.
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