Island of the Sequined Love Nun
ISLAND OF THE SEQUINED LOVE NUN (Christopher Moore) - Four Stars
This book was a delight (as Moore's books, so far, have always been) but also a bit of a surprise. One of his earlier books, Island..., while still full of laughs, has a surprisingly strong plot and moments of drama, particularly in the first two-thirds of the novel as the reader tries to figure out what's going on.
Here's the setup...
Tucker Case, pilot for the pink lear jet of the "Mary Jean Corporation" (hmm, who is that supposed to be), crashes said jet during a mid-flight sexual liason and is forced to flee the country. He ends up on a tiny atoll (Alualu) in the South Pacific populated by a "cargo cult." To explain the cargo cult: during WWII, an American bomber with a blonde bombshell painted on the nose crashed on the island, introducing the natives to a variety of Western goods. In the present day, the cult still worships this "Sky Priestess" in hopes she will return to them with more gifts. When Tucker arrives on the island, he discovers a missionary doctor (Sebastian Curtis) and his blonde bombshell wife (Beth). Beth Curtis routinely appears naked before the villagers and they worship her as their god. Beth and Sebastian need a pilot, and Tucker finds himself in their employ even though not entirely sure what the heck is going on.
Unravelling the mystery of Alualu was an unexpected joy in the book. Expecting straight comedy and slapstick, Island... also presented me with a pretty well-structured and obfuscated mystery. Trying to figure out the purpose for Sebastian and Beth being on the island, what Tucker's role is, and the motives of the mysterious Vincent help to keep things grounded in a story involving shark attacks on man, man attacks on sharks, an old polynesian cannibal, a transvestite Filipino navigator, and a talking fruit bat named Roberto (yep).
This book was a delight (as Moore's books, so far, have always been) but also a bit of a surprise. One of his earlier books, Island..., while still full of laughs, has a surprisingly strong plot and moments of drama, particularly in the first two-thirds of the novel as the reader tries to figure out what's going on.
Here's the setup...
Tucker Case, pilot for the pink lear jet of the "Mary Jean Corporation" (hmm, who is that supposed to be), crashes said jet during a mid-flight sexual liason and is forced to flee the country. He ends up on a tiny atoll (Alualu) in the South Pacific populated by a "cargo cult." To explain the cargo cult: during WWII, an American bomber with a blonde bombshell painted on the nose crashed on the island, introducing the natives to a variety of Western goods. In the present day, the cult still worships this "Sky Priestess" in hopes she will return to them with more gifts. When Tucker arrives on the island, he discovers a missionary doctor (Sebastian Curtis) and his blonde bombshell wife (Beth). Beth Curtis routinely appears naked before the villagers and they worship her as their god. Beth and Sebastian need a pilot, and Tucker finds himself in their employ even though not entirely sure what the heck is going on.
Unravelling the mystery of Alualu was an unexpected joy in the book. Expecting straight comedy and slapstick, Island... also presented me with a pretty well-structured and obfuscated mystery. Trying to figure out the purpose for Sebastian and Beth being on the island, what Tucker's role is, and the motives of the mysterious Vincent help to keep things grounded in a story involving shark attacks on man, man attacks on sharks, an old polynesian cannibal, a transvestite Filipino navigator, and a talking fruit bat named Roberto (yep).
posted by Kevin at 10:48 PM
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