Looking back on a lifetime of travel from the Faroe Islands to the Aegean, from the Galapagos to the Andaman Islands, Gavin Francis also reflects on his responsibility as a doctor and parent approaching middle age. Illustrated with maps throughout, Francis's book is an examination of our collective fascination with islands, blending stories of his own travels with wisdom gleaned from psychology, philosophy, and great voyages in literature. "Gavin Francis is a wonderful writer—thoughtful, engaging, immensely knowledgeable, and supremely human."—Bill Bryson