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A review by jimbowen0306
The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux
3.0
I'm not going to lie, I can't see why people like this book.
Okay, so where to start? You know those "Alaskan Wilderness Men" reality-tv shows that are on at the moment? The ones where they have to survive in the wilderness, building tut, and catching animals? Well this book is like that, except it's set in what is now Eastern Nicaragua(ish). And the leader of the family (the father, Allie Fox) is an arrogant fool, and racist to boot.
Fox drags his family to The Mosquito Coast from Maine, because he's convinced that American society is on the verge of collapse, a race war, or nuclear war (so he's like one of those people too, all we needed was a purpose built air raid shelters in a basement, and the Mom being an extreme couponer to have the reality show trifecta). Once there he sets up an ice manufacturing enterprise (because, of course, that makes sense), with the idea that he'll work with the shiftless locals to get it set up (because he thinks, of course, that only the white man can get them organised). He starts with a bang, but as the book progresses, the wheels come off, as his communistic ideas, and racism, come face to face with reality.
Another thing that had me thinking was the similarity to Jonestown, and the People's Temple mass suicide/killing. In that, Jim Jones convinced 1000 people to go and live in Guyana for similar (if more religious) reasons. The big difference here is that I'm assuming Jim Jones had some charisma. Fox has as much charisma as a Wet Wednesday in Whitby. Oh, and his wife is about has no agency. Absolutely none. We don't even learn her name. Fox pontificates from on high, and his wife should know her place.
To make matters worse, I'm a townie. I can just about tell the difference between a sheep and a goat, and tend to view the countryside as the place you drive through to get somewhere. In short, I don't know much about rural ways of life. This said, I spent most of my time reading the book thinking "Why are you doing that there?", and "There's a reason the locals don't do that there." If an out and out townie can be picking holes in some of the Science Fox was using, most people are going to be thinking "You're a special sort of silly, aren't you?"
So all, not good.
p.s. I know those reality shows are staged, mostly.
Okay, so where to start? You know those "Alaskan Wilderness Men" reality-tv shows that are on at the moment? The ones where they have to survive in the wilderness, building tut, and catching animals? Well this book is like that, except it's set in what is now Eastern Nicaragua(ish). And the leader of the family (the father, Allie Fox) is an arrogant fool, and racist to boot.
Fox drags his family to The Mosquito Coast from Maine, because he's convinced that American society is on the verge of collapse, a race war, or nuclear war (so he's like one of those people too, all we needed was a purpose built air raid shelters in a basement, and the Mom being an extreme couponer to have the reality show trifecta). Once there he sets up an ice manufacturing enterprise (because, of course, that makes sense), with the idea that he'll work with the shiftless locals to get it set up (because he thinks, of course, that only the white man can get them organised). He starts with a bang, but as the book progresses, the wheels come off, as his communistic ideas, and racism, come face to face with reality.
Another thing that had me thinking was the similarity to Jonestown, and the People's Temple mass suicide/killing. In that, Jim Jones convinced 1000 people to go and live in Guyana for similar (if more religious) reasons. The big difference here is that I'm assuming Jim Jones had some charisma. Fox has as much charisma as a Wet Wednesday in Whitby. Oh, and his wife is about has no agency. Absolutely none. We don't even learn her name. Fox pontificates from on high, and his wife should know her place.
To make matters worse, I'm a townie. I can just about tell the difference between a sheep and a goat, and tend to view the countryside as the place you drive through to get somewhere. In short, I don't know much about rural ways of life. This said, I spent most of my time reading the book thinking "Why are you doing that there?", and "There's a reason the locals don't do that there." If an out and out townie can be picking holes in some of the Science Fox was using, most people are going to be thinking "You're a special sort of silly, aren't you?"
So all, not good.
p.s. I know those reality shows are staged, mostly.