Carson's text contains several deviations from the TV series' established canon, including Ginger Grant being born in a fictional small town in Alabama (rather than New York City as depicted in the show); and the surname and birthplace of Mary Ann Summers.

Each of the seven castaways narrate an autobiographical story—almost totally unrelated to the events of the show—in order of their mention in the show's title theme.

Their stories intersect with a character named John Gilbert "Jack" Egan, a Marine-turned-CIA operative, whose own life is the meta-narrative which ties the novel together.

Each chapter features an important person or object in the lives of the castaways whose name is an anagram of "Gilligan"; additionally, a character whose name is a variant of "Susan" and Maxwell House coffee appears or is referred to in each story.

Publishers Weekly gave the novel a "starred" (favorable) review,[1] while The New York Times considered it "not as good as Finnegans Wake, but (...) better than Gilligan's Island.