Love, Pamela: A Memoir of Prose, Poetry, and Truth

Ladysmith is a small town on the east coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The town is home to the Stz’uminus First Nation. Previously named Oyster Harbour by European settlers, Ladysmith was historically a working-class town with an economy based on fishing and forestry. Today it has a population of about 9,000 people.

In her memoir, Anderson speaks highly of Ladysmith, emphasizing its natural beauty and her love of the coast. She describes it as “A fishing village proud with beaches, parks, and First Nations reserves” (15). While Anderson lived in Malibu for years, she never forgot her childhood hometown and once her children were older, she decided it was “time to go home” (212). Anderson’s descriptions of her home in Ladysmith capture her sense of peace and belonging there. She writes, “A veil of silence, except for the laughter of swallows, who have stolen the woodpeckers’ holes. The water’s gentle lapping against the beach house at high tide […] This is my sanctuary. I’m blessed” (214).

The Colony was Anderson’s gated community in Malibu where she lived for many years.

She calls this upscale neighborhood “a playground for starlets, retired movie stars, writers, musicians, mistresses, and artists” (151).