Emily Seccombe reviews Ruby Free’s account of living on a windswept isle off the County Antrim coast, ahead of March’s UKY4N Book Club.
I loved reading Rathlin A Wild Life as it allowed me to vividly recall my own time on the
island’s seabird reserve last summer. I’ve rarely found a book that so perfectly captured the
spirit of a place.
Like Ruby, I found Rathlin to be an incredibly inspiring nature haven, and the RSPB seabird
centre is perhaps the most incredible single nature spot I’ve ever been to. I stayed on the
island as a residential volunteer for the RSPB in 2024 and it was a joy to relive my own
memories of the Rue Lighthouse, Craigmacagan Trail and of course the RSPB West
Lighthouse Seabird Centre through this book. Ruby’s illustrated ‘big 5’ tick sheet – clearly
photocopied many times over – was still in use when I visited and being appreciated by the
younger visitors.
I appreciated how open and intimate Ruby’s writing was about her family, neurodiversity,
grief, guilt and the feelings that come with being young and passionate about the natural
world.
As well as providing factual details on nature’s decline, I liked that Ruby had a keen
emphasis on her emotional connection to individual animals, especially the puffins. Some
nature writers avoid anthropomorphising and naming wild animals, but Ruby’s approach
resonated with my own experiences and aligns with her view (and mine) of seeing animals
as equal individuals with their own personalities and life stories to tell.
I’m looking forward to discussing the book with the rest of the UKY4N book club on Sunday
30th March and to chatting with Ruby herself about the book on Instagram live on Monday
7th April.
For more details about our book club, click here.
