A small island off the coast of Nova Scotia declares its independence to the world. In this Utopian world, the ocean delivers many a curiosity, including a dead circus elephant and a raven-haired woman. When the turbulence of the 1960s draws the island’s inhabitants into politics, the Vietnam War, and the peace movement, and when civilization lays siege, an unexpected character comes to the rescue.

Sound impossible? Not on Whalebone Island, a.k.a. the Republic of Nothing. Where else could a psychic castaway, an anarchist-turned-politician, and American refugees cultivate their eccentricities?

This new edition of Lesley Choyce’s celebrated novel features an afterword by Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, leading readers to discover once again that nothing is everything.

“A triple-decker of a yarn shot through with mythic possibilities, it’s part fairy tale, part adventure story and part coming-of-age testimonial; it manages to be earnest and absurd, poetic and humorous all at once … a pleasure to read.”
– Globe and Mail

“Reminiscent, both in wit and sensibility, of Stephen Leacock.”
– Quill & Quire

“A little gem of a story that should be granted its appropriate label as a Canadian version of [Salman Rushdie’s] Midnight’s Children.”
– Montreal Gazette

“Radiant with energy.”
– Winnipeg Free Press

“The Republic of Nothing is an unpredictable universe … It’s this unpredictability that makes the novel a success.”
– Calgary Herald

“Choyce has mastered the skill of an old-fashioned story-teller.”
– Cormorant

“Choyce takes this deceptively simple story and … fills it with characters who are wry, warm, funny, and magical. This is by far the author’s best novel.”
– Canadian Book Review Annual

“The Republic of Nothing definitely has something to it.”
– FFWD

“The Republic of Nothing is the product of a sprawling and original literary imagination, bustling with colourful and sympathetic characters, bursting with fanciful incident, and propelled by a relentless narrative drive. It is, quite simply, a good read.”
– Pottersfield Portfolio

“This is Choyce’s best book yet … a reminder that we all need to keep a little creative anarchy in our lives.”
– Mail-Star

“If you need a little Zen in your life, The Republic of Nothing is a good way to learn to extricate yourself from the beaten path and find the wonder of nothingness.”
– Brunswickan

“Don’t miss The Republic of Nothing.”
– Guardian

“The Republic of Nothing weaves an intricate, sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic narrative.”
– Daily Gleaner

“The fact that the book has lasted for 10 years is a testimony to its popularity in these days when few books retain any life or fame after a year.”
– Chronicle Herald

“A contemporary classic in Canadian literature.”
– Telegraph Journal

“Quirky yet compelling drama.”
– Midwest Book Review

“An unpredictable universe … It’s this unpredictability that makes the novel a success.”
– Calgary Herald

“A national treasure.”
– Ottawa Citizen

“The written word is a powerful tool in Lesley Choyce’s hands.”
– Vancouver Sun

“The Republic of Nothing … stamps the eccentricity of the rugged Eastern Shore in a reader’s mind forever.”
– Atlantic Books Today