My friends Iris and Robert Willey had previously told me how much they enjoyed reading novels written by Carl Hiaasen. Thus, when I saw Nature Girl on Lenore and John Carbone’s bookshelf during my visit with them, I asked to borrow it to read on this cruise trip.
Hiaasen’s 11th book is a funny story with a crazy cast of characters. There is the central character Honey Santana, who tries to rehabilitate a telemarketer who insulted her when she wouldn’t buy anything over the phone. Holly lures the dude to Florida and takes him out to an island to try and convince him to change his ways. As she makes him watch the sunrise though, she realizes her efforts are futile: “The man was unreachable; a dry hole. For such a lunkhead, there could be no awakening, no rebirth of wonderment. He was impervious to the spell of an Everglades dawn, the vastness and tranquility of the watersafe. Nature held nothing for a person incapable of marvel. He was forever destined to be underwhelmed.”
Holly also has some crazy guy stalking her and takes her hostage while on the island. Her son and ex are also running around the island trying to find her. And for good measure there is some part-Seminole guy entertaining two ladies who have hooked up with him on the island too. As I said, crazy story with some crazy people in it. My kind of novel! Here is a good interview with Hiaasen:
Hiaasen talks about growth for the sake of growth and it is only fitting that one of the first things I read upon returning home was a Letter to the Editor of the Enterprise from Robert Willey. In his letter Robert talks about the same issues Hiaasen raises and how they are impacting us here in Southern Maryland.