Ahoy, Bookworms!
I’ve always romanticized the idea of a deserted island. I mean, beautiful beaches, stunning sunsets, palm trees… Heavenly, no? Perhaps, if your deserted island isn’t a South Pacific atoll. I was positively stoked to discover my library had an audio copy of The Sex Lives of Cannibals
Okay, I’m just going to come out and say it. I freaking love J Maarten Troost! He is hysterical. Nothing could destroy my island dreams quite the way Troost’s colorful descriptions of life on an atoll did… And he made me laugh while doing it!
At the age of 26, Troost followed his then girlfriend to the island of Tarawa (part of Kiribati), an atoll in the equatorial Pacific. Youthful wanderlust gives way to the crushing realities of life on an extremely remote island and hilarity ensues. Intestinal parasites, folks using the ocean to defecate, marauding packs of wild dogs, and the incessant droning of “La Macarena”? Between the oddball expatriates making Tarawa their homes and the unfamiliar customs of the native population, Troost has QUITE the adventure.
After listening to The Sex Lives of Cannibals, I’ve begun to threaten my long-suffering husband with biting the nose off his face. Apparently, nose biting is totally an acceptable reaction to jealousy in romantic relationships in Kiribati. My threats are more often in reaction to bantering sessions I’m losing than jealousy, but I think the custom is under-appreciated. (Hubs used to threaten to purchase me a gold engagement nose instead of a ring after watching a documentary on the life of Tycho Brahe. He lost his nose in a duel and had a prosthetic made of gold. True story.) Gold noses might be JUST THE THING for the folks in Kiribati with mangled noses.
Y’all, if you like funny books, J Maarten Troost is a MUST READ author. Take my word (and maybe my nose) for it!
Talk to me, Bookworms! Have you ever had a fantasy completely destroyed by harsh realities? Anybody moved to a romantic or exotic locale only to have it fall short of your expectations?
*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission. I will be investing in the Tycho Brahe Memorial Nose Fund… Which is something I’ve completely made up that will funnel money back into my book buying habit.*
AMB
This sounds great! I’m looking for comedic reads to balance some of the heavier stuff I’m working on these days. Thanks for the review!
Words For Worms
Oh yes, comedic non fiction at its finest. Love me some Troost.
Heather @ Capricious Reader
Yes! Ethel! You are on a roll! Keep going! Getting Stoned with Savages is next AND OMG JUST AS FUNNY. Hold on to your Serenity pads.
Words For Worms
Yessssssssss! ALL THE TROOST!
Jenny @ Reading the End
I’ve never heard of J. Maarton Troost before! (Or if I have, I’ve forgotten.) I am sooooort of surprised you had romantic feelings about desert islands. When desert islands have come up in conversation in my life, it’s always been in the context of “what five [whatevers] would you bring to a desert island?” and then I’m forced to contemplate a world in which I only have five whatevers FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
Words For Worms
I usually daydream about deserted islands in the middle of winter and it’s cold as balls. Like right now. The limitations of being marooned seem less awful when I’m frozen!
Katie @ Doing Dewey
I love funny memoirs, especially if I can get them as audiobooks, so I’ll definitely keep this in mind! Great review 🙂