An island without a harbour, encircled by perilous cliffs and rising high above the wild Atlantic Ocean, farmed by the same family for eight generations. What is it like to live at the edge of the world?


In this marvel of quiet reflection and keen observation, Tim Ecott takes the reader to Stóra Dímun - an isolated island farm in the Faroe Islands with only two permanent residents. He finds a remarkable way of living; one where you're isolated but never truly alone, surrounded by wildlife and an ever-changing landscape. On the island, every day is spent breathing fresh air, managing your livestock and continuing the work begun by your forebears hundreds of years ago. Here, time blurs - technology may encroach, but traditions are ingrained.


Tracking the rhythm of the year and the challenges of life on this island, this book is a celebration of both the human spirit and our relationship with the natural environment. It is about sustainability, resilience and how to survive and adapt when the world is rushing headfirst into a digital future of artificial intelligence and anonymous food chains. Eva and the Island is a call to anyone who has ever dreamt of an island of one's own.

"I loved this book. I could smell the salt air, feel the cold and fear the grip of the wind. Ecott never over-romanticises the reality of farming, but his affection for the island, its inhabitants and their traditions shines through. It's a joy to read: transporting, evocative and captivating." - Kate Humble

"There is no better guide to the Faroe Islands for English readers than Tim Ecott. In Eva and the Island he takes us further into its land and waters, weather, fauna and flora with an unequalled sensitivity for its people and culture, so intimately bound together." - Reverend Richard Coles

"Tim Ecott is a nature writer to make all other nature writers sea-green with envy at his ability to depict place and time." - John Lewis-Stempel, author of Meadowland

"Just wonderful." - Countrylife magazine