The Light Between Oceans: a novel by M.L. Stedman

This month's meeting was a special treat as it was the first time we were able to congregate at our newest member's home.  Not surprisingly, Ellen was a wonderful hostess, creating a cozy atmosphere in which we shared our meal together and then gathered to discuss our book. The darling wooden lighthouse centerpiece on the lunch table surrounded by colorful shells and interesting rocks was creatively eye catching.  The meal was a perfect complement to the spring weather and our novel's setting of Australia.  We enjoyed lamb with mint jelly, asparagus, and potato salad.  We were then all treated to an Australian specialty dessert called Lamington cake - squares of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and then rolled in coconut.  For this blogger, that dessert combined all of her favorite dessert ingredients, almost like a giant Mounds bar!

Synopsis:
Living on a remote island off the coast of Australia in the late 1920's, a lighthouse keeper and his young wife, while grappling with the loss of their babies through multiple miscarriages, rescue a baby who has washed ashore in a boat along with a dead man.  Their decision to claim the baby as their own child will have a ripple effect which will reach beyond their little island and bring both joy and heartache for all who love that baby girl.

Comments:
Isabella's grief at the loss of her babies while living isolated from society, takes a heavy toll on her emotional stability and on her marriage. "She knew that if a wife lost a husband, there was a whole new word to describe who she was: she was now a widow.  A husband became a widower.  But if a parent lost a child, there was no special label for their grief.  They were still just a mother or a father, even if they no longer had a son or a daughter." (p. 122 Nook)  However, when baby Lucy-Grace washes ashore in a rowboat, Isabella is able to convince herself that this is God's answer to her prayers.  Her husband Tom is not as easily convinced, but his love for Isabella and his desire to see her happy and strong again, overrides his conscience just long enough to begin that dangerous course from which there will be no return without dire consequences.  Tom was proud of his job as a lighthouse keeper, a job which employed precision and strict protocol.  After his stint in the bloody war, Tom needed the security and stability which came from a job where every situation had a set of guidelines and regulations which he must follow.  It was the breach of protocol when he did not report finding the baby that began Tom's descent into his own personal torment and the slow undoing of their marriage.  While Tom suffered, his wife Isabella appeared to flourish and bloom in her assumed role as mother to Lucy-Grace.  "He stared at her, seized by the sensation that perhaps she didn't exist.  Perhaps none of this existed, for the inches between them seemed to divide two entirely different realities, and they no longer joined." (p. 176 Nook)

The author presented unique and challenging moral questions.  We were able to clearly see the dilemma, yet like her characters, we could not find the perfect answer to please both the moral issue and the little girl, whom we adored.  "Right and wrong can be like bloody snakes: so tangled up that you can't tell which is which until you've shot 'em both, and then it's too late." (p. 173 Nook)  Perhaps our inability to declare a black and white answer to this novel's dilemma only proves that both the characters and the gritty, complex situations in this plot were indeed realistic.

Similar to last month's book discussion, we once again found ourselves discussing the idea of what stays hidden in families.  "History is that which is agreed upon by mutual consent.  That's how life goes on--protected by the silence that anesthetizes shame." (p. 151 Nook)  We couldn't quite grasp all the details of Tom's past, but we certainly could relate to how his past had shaped his future.  "There are still more days to travel in this life.  And he knows that the man who makes the journey has been shaped by every day and every person along. the way.  Scars are just another kind of memory." (p. 317 Nook)

Ralph was a minor character in the book, but we all agreed that he played a vital role.  He doled out his pearls of wisdom only when asked, but his words were treasures.  He was a hard working boatman, salt of the earth in whom Tom found a true friend.

Memorable Quote:
Hannah asks Frank how he manages to remain happy despite all the strife in his life: "I choose to," he said.  "I can leave myself to rot in the past, spend my time hating people for what happened...or I can forgive and forget." Hannah responds, "But it's not that easy."  He smiled..."Oh, but my treasure, it is so much less exhausting.  You only have to forgive once.  To resent, you have to do it all day, every day....we always have a choice.  All of us." (p.300 Nook)  Words to live by!

FAB Rating: **** (4 out of 5 stars)
We were impressed with this first time author's ability to emotionally draw all of us into her story.  We found ourselves gritting our teeth in frustration while reading about certain events, crying with hurting characters, and our stomach in knots during tense situations.  With the different level of moral questions, the emotionally conflicted characters, and the setting of a time period where World War I haunts the entire book, we found ourselves with plenty to discuss.

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

Another month gone by and it was once again time to congregate for some hugs, laughter, food, and insightful discussion about our chosen book.  JoAnn was our hostess and she did an excellent job of providing a table laden with nibbles perfect for English tea time.  There were tantalizing and perfectly sized sandwiches with the crusts cut off, a tangy and sweet salad, crackers and cheese, and an olive tray.  Of course, we all had our English tea in fine china teacups.  Leaving room for dessert was easy when even dessert was perfectly bite-sized chocolate covered strawberries, English biscuits, and JoAnn's famous homemade peanut brittle.

Synopsis:
Laurel Nicolson's idyllic childhood is irrevocably scarred when she witnesses her mother kill a man.  Her life's direction changes and she leaves home early in an attempt to escape the inexplicable memories of what she witnessed.  Much later in her life when her mother is an elderly woman nearing death, Laurel finally begins to search for answers to what has haunted her for so many years.  Laurel's investigation will lead her to war ravaged London during the early 1940's where two women are eternally linked together through greed, love, despair, and ultimately death.

Comments:
One of the first comments, which found agreement with most of our members, was that the ever changing viewpoint as well as jumps in timeline created a disconnect with the main character(s) in the novel.  The reader is trying to figure out which decade and which character is now on stage instead of being fully immersed in the storyline.

The plotline twist which is revealed near the end of the book and clarifies so many mysteries was a surprise to all but one of us.  Following that "lightbulb" experience, we were able to go back and follow the trail of subtle clues which the author had scattered throughout the story.  Even as the puzzle pieces fell into place, we expressed a fair amount of disbelief that one incident in particular would have been so easily arranged and completed without legal recourse: bequeathing ownership of Vivien's home to Jimmy's family.

Ellen posed an interesting question, "Of whom does the title 'Secret Keeper' refer to? Mom or daughter?"  We were in agreement that it certainly applied to both women.  Brenda noted that she found it unfair of Laurel and Gerry to continue to keep their newfound knowledge from their siblings, thus continuing the cycle of secrecy begun with their mom.  However, Laurel does not entirely agree with her brother's choice and leaves open the idea that she may one day share the truth: "Laurel wasn't so sure.  Certainly, there were easier stories to tell; it was a lot to cope with, especially for someone like Rose.  But at the same time, Laurel had been thinking a lot lately about secrets, about how difficult they were to keep, and the habit they had of lurking quietly beneath the surface before sneaking all of a sudden through a crack in their keeper's resolve. She supposed she'd just have to wait a while and see how things turned out." [page 427 Nook]  This brought to discussion those of us who know secrets within our own family tree which have either been shockingly discovered or are still tightly guarded from certain family members.

We connected with the endearing character of Jimmy. His passion for the hurting and lost was expressed through his excellent photography skills and in serving at the children's hospital.  He cared for his aging and demented father with tender devotion.  Jimmy's love for both women was genuinely pure, although disturbing where it concerned Dolly.  Dolly was manipulative and self-centered and, therefore, disliked by all of us.  It was painful to watch how she used Jimmy's genuine desire to please her in order to accomplish her mean-spirited vendetta and selfish ambitions.

The false belief shared in this book that your parents did not experience an interesting life outside of and prior to your existence with them is universally common and laughable.  We have all dealt with this misconception either as children or as adults now.  "Children don't require of their parents a past, and they find something faintly unbelievable, almost embarrassing, in parental claims to a prior existence." [page 30 Nook]  "Youth is an arrogant place, and to believe simply that they were less adventurous than she was had suited Laurel just fine." [page 104 Nook]

Memorable Quote:
Katy Ellis: "...the belief system acquired in childhood is never fully escaped; it may submerge itself for a while, but it always returns in times of need to lay claim to the soul it shaped." [p. 345 Nook]

FAB Rating:  ***1/2 (3-1/2 out of 5 stars)
This storyline was fascinating in the sense that one wonders if stolen identity, which most likely did occur during chaotic times such as war and persecution, has to this day still been left undiscovered.  Also, there may be family secrets buried even within our own family which could tell a story just as captivating.  However, as mentioned above, the jumping around of viewpoint between the years was unsettling and portions of the novel were obviously contrived in order to tie up a few loose ends, leaving the reader feeling frustrated with the results.  Therefore, we deducted just a bit from this book's rating.

11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King

Despite the gray, rainy weather, five of us were able to meet up at The Back Door Cafe in downtown Smithville.  Housed in one of Smithville's many historic commercial buildings, the cafe was as close as we could get to stepping back into the late 1950's and early 1960's like the main character in our book.
 

We all enjoyed a delicious meal and for our dessert, Jonetta provided a homemade orange-glazed pound cake.  If you have read the novel, then you understand the reason we got a laugh out of having pound cake at the end of our lunch!  This literary meeting brought about the addition of a new member to our club.  We are thrilled that she wanted to join our crazy bunch and bring our membership number back up to an even number six!  Welcome to the party, Ellen!

Synopsis:
Jake Epping is able to literally step back in time, but always to the precise time and date of 11:58 a.m. on September 9, 1958.  His objective is to live in the past in order to discover all he can about Lee Harvey Oswald with the intent of stopping the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963.  The trouble is that the past is obdurate - it does not want to change and will do all it can to thwart Jake's mission.

Comments:
Of course, one of the first questions we asked each other was, "Where were you when you heard that President Kennedy had been assassinated?"  Everybody remembers that watershed moment, not unlike when 9/11 occurred in 2001.  We questioned whether there was any other important moment in history which might have been even more vital to alter history for the good of mankind.  One suggestion was the rise of Adolph Hitler - how would history have been different if Hitler had been removed from the picture before his dangerous ideas took hold?

When asking that question, we considered the butterfly effect: the phenomenon whereby a small change at one place in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.  As Jake discovered, if we were to alter history by saving one man's life or taking one man's life, would the butterfly effect create a different and perhaps even more devastating disaster?  We considered the death of President Kennedy.  Perhaps the Vietnam War would not have occurred, but because of what happened to the president, future U.S. presidents were far more protected by their secret service agents and armored vehicles.  Would the death of a future president been even more dangerous and devastating to our nation?

Another question we asked one another after reading all the carefully researched facts found in this book and studying Oswald along with our main character was, "Do you believe Oswald acted alone?"  We had a mixed vote on that topic.  As one of our ladies argued, how could he not manage to successfully shoot General Walker from such a close distance, but manage to hit President Kennedy from a longer distance and at an odd angle - that's the wrench in the works.

Jake was a schoolteacher by trade, but surprisingly had a knack for tracking and spying.  His actions and knowledge made him appear a bit older than the age the author assigned to him.  I had struggled with the idea that a mild-mannered teacher could hurt and kill people, as he does even prior to beginning his job of tracking Oswald.  However, one of the FAB ladies pointed out that he had witnessed first-hand the shockingly violent attack of a mother and her children before he managed to reset history and then come back to pull the trigger on the would-be-attacker days before the tragedy.  Witnessing that horrible scene would certainly give you cause and courage.

We enjoyed reliving some of the more innocent and free times of this book's setting.  There were no seat belts, no TSA detectors at airports, no electronic devices to tote along and distract you, and some great music and dancing.  However, there was also heavy industrial pollution and a lot more smokers.  We do not miss the smoke-infused public facilities!  One distraction for me was the overuse of the foul language, especially during a time when cursing was generally kept out of public conversation and certainly did not include the F word with such frequency.

Other distractions in the storyline which created loose ends for us occurred during the time period that Jake stayed in Derry, Maine.  There were characters introduced for one scene with no connection to the main storyline and references to an evil entity.  Brenda had read that Stephen King likes to slip in references to other stories he has written.  I researched and found that Mr. King's scary novel "It" was set in 1958, in Derry, Maine, and a few of the character from our novel were also present in "It." Also, in his "Dark Towers" series there is an ongoing theme of the past harmonizing with the present.

Favorite Quotes:
"...I think a human mind that's moderately well-adjusted can absorb a lot of strangeness before it actually totters..." (p. 50 - Nook)

"Sing high C in a voice that's loud enough and true enough and you can shatter fine crystal.  Play the right harmonic notes through your stereo loud enough and you can shatter window glass.  It follows (to me, at least) that if you put enough strings on time's instrument, you can shatter reality." (p. 680 - Nook)

"Humans were built to look back; that's why we have that swivel joint in our necks." (p. 136 - Nook)

"But stupidity is one of the two things we see most clearly in retrospect.  The other is missed chances." (p. 269 - Nook)

FAB Rating: **** (4 out of 5 stars)
This was a very interesting read with a couple of murderers, important historical moments, and a love story thrown in for good measure.  It was also an intriguing idea that if the assassination of one man could be halted then our world would be better off for it.  There were a few hitches which took a star off the rating.  One hitch was that we all felt that this book was a tad long.  There were many detailed days of Jake tailing Oswald or getting the layout of Derry which we found unnecessarily tedious.  Another hitch was the idea that the butterfly effect would cause an earthquake in L.A. if Kennedy was not assassinated.  We just could not find any basis for that occurrence using the chaos theory.  Ultimately though, time travel always makes for a good plotline, and we enjoyed our trip back in time.

Our FABulous Christmas Dinner

In lieu of our monthly discussion meeting, we chose to have our group meet for cocktails and dinner at Hasler Bros. Steakhouse in downtown Bastrop.  We invited our spouses to join us for this holiday outing which increased our number of participants to ten and afforded us a large, long table in a private dining room....a fortuitous move for the other restaurant patrons since we can be a boisterous group of talkers!

It was an evening filled with laughs, scintillating conversation, delicious food, and the strengthening of wonderful friendships with the addition of our handsome husbands.  This dinner party must now become an annual tradition every holiday season!

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin

It was the type of Texas fall day where we were able to enjoy a warm hearty soup and yet still retire to the screened in porch to bask in the afternoon sun. There we discussed Mrs. Tom Thumb and nibbled on delicious home baked basil shortbread cookies. Marcia has the ability to make our get-togethers, though simple in activities, seem much more grand and elegant.

Synopsis:
Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump was born an average size and weight baby in 1841. However, by the time she was two years old, her parents realized that she was not growing at a normal rate. Lavinia's full grown height never passed thirty-two inches, yet that did not stunt her rise to fame.  With PT Barnum’s promotion, Lavinia became world famous and traveled to foreign lands that were beyond the imagination of most Victorian-era citizens. 

Comments:
Lavinia may have been small of stature, but her dreams were larger than life.  “Never would I allow my size to define me. Instead, I would define it.  My size may have been the first thing people noticed about me but never, I vowed at that moment, would it be the last.” (p. 25 – Nook)  She fulfilled that vow throughout her amazingly successful career in show business.  Lavinia’s intelligence, high self-esteem, determination, and courageous, stubborn personality traits were admirable as she fought to prove herself as a teacher, capable of surviving outside of her family’s farm, and succeeding as a star among the wealthy and elite.  However, somewhere along the timeline of her life, those same positive traits became aggravatingly snobbish and unappealing, reaping negative results. 

 Despite her insistence upon being treated as an equal among normal-size folks and being disgusted at the amazement of others when she displayed her intelligence, she reacts the same way to others.  When she learns of a giantess who can recite Shakespeare, she reacts, “Really? Shakespeare?” I was astonished. Imagine – a giantess reciting Shakespeare! I would pay to see that, myself! (p. 68 – Nook)  Later, she encounters dwarfs in their traveling circus family and shudders at having to shake their hands and is outraged at the idea that anyone would lump her into the same category as those “grotesque, misshapen little people.”

Lavinia appeared to have only one healthy loving relationship and that was with her baby sister, Minnie, whom she genuinely loved.  Which is why we were totally baffled as to why she did not share her knowledge of the dangers of childbirth with Minnie before she became pregnant.  Everyone else in Lavinia's life either had a role to play to help her reach her goals or they were just minor characters taking up time and space in her story. In her self-centered life she admitted, “I simply felt driven to see, to experience – to give of myself to those whose approval should have meant less than my own husband’s but instead meant so much more…I simply realized I needed the warmth of an audience like a plant needs sun…I could not bear to think that there was somewhere I had never been, someone who might not know my name.” (p. 224 – Nook)   Lavinia had such disdain for her husband, General Tom Thumb, despite his kind heart.  Lavinia herself remarks, “It seemed to me I spent our entire married life refusing him, he who asked for so little of me.”  (p. 335-Nook)  She considered him simple and uneducated, but we, the readers, saw how the general had never been allowed to be a child or receive formal education and was used his entire life to promote PT Barnum’s humbugs, and we felt compassion for him.  Lavinia’s relationship with PT Barnum, was a combination of business and friendship.  Lavinia appeared to be secretly in love with Barnum, although we felt that Barnum was more inclined to treat Lavinia as a daughter.

 Despite Lavinia’s success and strong, take-charge attitude of her life, she still found herself unfulfilled:  “I knew only that at age forty-two, after almost twenty-five years of running….I still hadn’t found what I was looking for.  Why was I, alone of everyone I knew, always still seeking?  Still searching?” (p. 338 – Nook)  Her inability to bond to babies or maintain a healthy marital relationship exposed a shallowness in Lavinia which affected her entire life.  “I had no room for big love, big decisions, big messes, big happiness; not in this miniature life, spent under the magnifying glare of so many eyes, that I had made for myself.” (p. 217 – Nook)  Perhaps the best summation of how Lavinia had indeed chosen this successful, yet ultimately lonely life for herself is found in the Prologue: “Looking back, I’m forced to admit that my mother was right; I did lose my soul, and so much more.  But I’m not sure that I didn’t give it away freely.”

Memorable Quote:
“I wondered if this was how it always felt when all your dreams came true.  Perhaps, after living with them for so long, did you simply toss them away – and begin to dream about something else?” Lavinia (p. 155 – Nook)

FAB Rating: ****1/2 (4-1/2 out of 5)
This story takes us through a very fascinating period of time in the United States.  Although the Civil War was devastating, America continued to make great advances, among the greatest being the completion of the railroad connecting the east and west coasts across mountains and prairies.  The author’s addition at the beginning of each chapter of actual clippings taken from magazines and newspapers printed during the 1800’s time period made for enlightening reading.  Lavinia’s fame was unprecedented as she traveled to new territories and continents not yet fully explored.  Lavinia made a name for herself while mingling among the kneecaps of well-known and influential figures of history.  Quite a feat for a miniature woman and quite an interesting autobiography.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Brenda hosted our book club meeting at the new Bastrop Brewhouse.  We ate tapas style with guacamole and chips, reuben egg rolls, and a club sandwich.  We had a nice view of the Colorado River and old iron bridge from our table. 

Synopsis:
Set in 1938, this novel follows a tumultous year for a young Katey Kontent as she meets influential people, says goodbye to dear friends, and charts a new career for herself.  Only in her twenties, Katey experiences a lifetime of lessons in one short year.

Comments: 
The idea that a chance encounter or cursory decision in one's twenties can shape one's course for decades to come was an intriguing theme of this book and a part of our discussion.  We agreed that there are decisions we all made in our twenties, both good and bad, which altered our future.  Brenda added that although her choices have been of her own free will, God's plan for her life has still been played out, even if it meant taking a longer route to reach that place.  We definitely agreed with this statement.  Carrying around regret for our past mistakes, choices and losses has no positive outcome.  "Old times, as my father used to say: If you're not careful, they'll gut you like a fish." p.77 [Nook]

The characters in this novel were intriguing, varied, and well-developed. 

• We felt sorry for Dickie, the young WASP who was a charming friend and a romantic at heart.  Katey ran to him and used him to forget about her broken heart from another relationship. 
• Anne Grandyn was manipulative, cunning, and self-assured.  Her false introduction by Tinker as his godmother was actually rather appropriate.  After the untimely death of Tinker's parents while he was still in prep school, she became his guardian in all respects--a co-dependent relationship which continued into his adult years.  It angered a few of us when we read that Anne had been the one who had covertly arranged for Katey to get her job.  However, as reminded by one of the FAB girls, Anne may have set her up for the job, but Katey is the one who managed to successfully keep it. 
• Eve was a strong woman who knew what she wanted, even if it meant using the folks around her to achieve her goals.  Her willful determination was admirable only if you could ignore the way she used and hurt those around her.  We questioned whether her friendship with Katey was as sincere for Eve as it was for Katey, whom we felt displayed true characteristics of a loyal, loving, selfless friend.  Eve's strength saw her through the devastating accident and recovery, and her attitude was just as bold and confident as prior to the accident: "But I've learned a thing or two since the accident.  And I like it just fine on this side of the windshield."  (p. 201)
• We liked Tinker and were thoroughly disappointed when we discovered his 'dirty little secret.' We could not quite grasp the idea that he would choose to return to the dangerous docks to live and work, especially when he had other skills he could have used to at least live in a moderately decent manner.  Even with the idea that Tinker was continuing to punish himself for his choices and mistakes, it was unimaginable to us that he would choose filth and desperate poverty.
• The one character who we felt had the most maturity and was the most likeable was Wallace.  Of course, he is also the one character who doesn't stay in the story long enough.
• Interestingly enough, the main character through whom we heard this year-long tale, was also the one whom we had the most difficult time gleaning information.  Katey doled out information about her background, family, and even physical description in bits and pieces throughout the story.

We loved the author's colorful and descriptive word pictures.  His writing painted such vivd mental pictures.  The following are a few of our favorites from the book:  "In the 1950s, America had picked up the globe by the heels and shaken the change from its pockets." (p. 13); "Slurring is the cursive of speech..." (p. 91); "In the apartment next door, I could hear the Zimmers sharpening their sarcasm.  Over an early dinner, they chipped away at each other like little Michelangelos, placing every stroke of the mallet with care and devotion." (p. 224)

Memorable Quote:
Said by Katey: "As a quick aside, let me observe that in moments of high emotion -- whether they're triggered by anger or envy, humiliation or resentment -- if the next thing you're going to say makes you feel better, then it's probably the wrong thing to say.  This is one of the finer maxims that I've discovered in life.  And you can have it, since it's been of no use to me." (p. 241)

FAB Rating: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
Mr. Towles wrote a novel that appealed to all of us.  There were interesting characters, unexpected twists in the plot, a love story, and a female lead who was appealing in both her vulnerability and her strength.  One of the most appealing aspects of this novel was its ability to stimulate good conversation whether it was regarding the questionable motives and futures of the book's characters or whether it was asking each other some of the same questions the characters themselves asked over their dinner parties.  We had such a good laugh as we shared our answers to the question, "What is one thing no one knows about you?"  However, in an effort to keep that knowledge to a minimum number of people, I cannot share those answers here!

The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost

Diana made it back from Oregon just in time to host our September book club lunch meeting.  We enjoyed a platter of fish surrounded by colorful vegetables accompanied by delectable crackers.  The dessert was the highlight of the island-style meal.  Diana had managed to procure sorbet served in coconut shell halves, pineapple rinds, large lemon rinds, and orange rinds.  The frozen treats weren’t just creatively served, they were delicious, too!  Throughout our time at her home, Diana managed to sneak in her background music of “La Macarena”!  I think she got her 69 cents worth out of that song ;) 

Synopsis:

Maarten Troost and his girlfriend, Sylvia, make a radical move from the urban life of Washington, D.C. to an atoll in the middle of the expansive Pacific Ocean.  The expected culture shock aside, Maarten’s sharing of their experiences during their two year tenure in the Kirabati islands is filled with humor, eccentric characters, and unbelievable adventures in shark-infested waters and duct-taped airplanes.

Comments:

We got a kick out of Diana’s choice of music because it played a major part in this story.  At the local Tarawa store one could find seven different audiotapes featuring the “La Macarena.”  The native islanders absolutely loved “La Macarena”…enough to play it everywhere, non-stop and loud enough for all the neighbors to hear.  Maarten was about driven mad by the constant barrage of this song.  We discussed the many uses of music whether to soothe or to aggravate.  It was noted that the quote, “Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak” [William Congreve] does not always hold true.  Actually, sometimes it can drive one so insane as to relent to any demands in exchange for cessation of the song.  Music has been used in psychological operations including interrogations.  We were also reminded of the instance where loud rock-and-roll music was played non-stop in order to get the dictator Manuel Noriega to surrender.  What was most entertaining about this part of the story was the author’s discovery, through trial and error, that the islanders could not stand the Miles Davis music he played!  And, so he found his weapon of choice to fight the “La Macarena” assault.

The odd and humorous names of the many islands and atolls in the Pacific were entertaining; almost as much as the reputations of some of the islands! 

We were surprised by the lack of WWII reference until the very end of the book, especially since the author himself says, “The Battle of Tarawa is an inescapable part of daily life on the island.”  (p. 220) This bloody battle took place on the islet of Betio and resulted in the deaths of over 5,500 men, including 1,113 U.S. Marines.  The remains of that battle today include corpses found when digging wells, unexploded ordnance, antiaircraft guns, small tanks, bunkers, and reefs polluted with the rusting carcasses of ships and planes.  Maarten expressed dismay that among his American friends and acquaintances only one had any knowledge of the Battle of Tarawa.  “Perhaps it’s because I had been to Bosnia.  Once one sees a park transformed into a cemetery, one understands that battles ought to be remembered.” (p. 200)

Tarawa may have been modernized through machinery or shopping choices, but the people of the island still had some very primitive practices including the biting off of a lover’s nose when displaying your jealousy, the kidnapping of your bride as a form of courtship, the use of the bubuti system where one must hand over your belonging if asked for it by another person, and the belief that disposable diapers could not be burned for fear of burning the baby’s bum!  The lack of safe hygienic practices was alarming and literally sickening for the author and his wife.  The void of current news events was a minor annoyance for Maarten, at least until the Clinton affair was exposed.  At that point, Maarten’s need to access up-to-date information about drove him mad as he only received snatches of news broadcasts on the radio which enigmatically relayed words like “a cigar and a stained blue dress” followed by the static of the radio!

It was disappointing to hear confirmation of how governmental bureaucracy can be so wasteful and corrupt.  Not having governmental watchdogs in these smaller, more primitive places just increases the opportunities for governmental agencies and officials to misuse funds, oppress people, and waste taxpayers’ monies.  The worst example of wasted funds came from the $800 million dollars the Marshall Islands had received in American “aid” over a ten year period.  The result was corruption, inefficiency, and a dependency mentality in the government there.  The citizens now have a serious problem with hypertension, diabetes, and high blood pressure due to their local diet being supplanted by food imported from the USA.  Alcoholism and suicide have taken root.  What Western culture sees as a helping hand can actually be a crushing heel to their more stable, traditional way of life.

The author, whether intended to be humorously self-deprecating or painfully honest, portrayed himself as selfish, unmoored, and irresponsible.  None of us felt that he endeared himself to us.  His most damaging statement for one of the FAB ladies was in reference to his job at the World Bank: “And so, to the Third World countries who had the misfortune of working with me on their infrastructure projects, I wish to apologize. I was just kind of making it up as I went along.  I hope you understand.  I needed the paycheck.”  His wife, Sylvia, was such a minor character in his writing so that we did not get to know her at all.  Probably the most we learned of Sylvia could be summed up with these facts plucked from various chapters of the book:  studied international relations; good with spiders, indifferent to snakes, and unmoved by mice.  Hates cockroaches; she lost not a pound while living on Tarawa; and it was her job with the FSP which took them to Kiribati.  Unfortunately, that really is the most we could glean about his partner.

Maarten and his wife had trouble assimilating back into modern society once they returned from the island.  The trappings of materialism, the constant barrage of media, the modern technological devices, and such became a burden for a couple who had managed to exist with only the basics.  Sometimes those advancements which are intended to make our lives easier, have actually managed to weigh us down and fill our down time with active leisure instead of stopping and truly resting and soaking in the beauty which surrounds us.  Therefore, it was not so difficult to understand their desire to return to the simplicity of island life.

Memorable Quotes:

Regarding his foray into journalism: “The written word presented in a journalistic fashion is regarded by most as the indisputable truth and this just left me dumbfounded with a fear of being wrong.” (p. 14)

“I obtained press credentials through The Prague Post and soon found myself in Mostar, where I was deeply, deeply in over my head and utterly dependent upon the kindness of English mercenaries, and I learned there that the distance between civilization and savagery is exceedingly small and this has scared me ever since.” (p. 16)

FAB Rating:  *** (3 out of 5 stars)

We did learn about islands and areas of the Pacific we had little or no knowledge of before we read this book. Unfortunately, that new knowledge did not create any desire to ever visit these Pacific islands!  We could not connect with the author on a personal level and felt that much of the time his humor was contrived.  As he himself admitted regarding his style of writing, “I favor the ditches of digression.” (page 14)  Perhaps it was those rough rides through the ditches that caused us to lose our focus in the storylines so often and ultimately feel a great disconnect from this book.