Sex with a dolphin, nice! (Native Tongue - Carl Hiaasen)

Name: freediveheaven

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Product:	Native Tongue - Carl Hiaasen
Date:	02/05/07 (408 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very funny

Disadvantages: None really

Carl Hiaasen is one of my favourite comic writers, not only is his satire biting and his stories engaging but he often has an environmental slant to his work which I find appealing. Native Tongue is no different as it is based in Florida and focuses on Hiaasen horror at the destruction of the natural habitat in Florida in favour of golf and property developments alongside the ever expanding number of theme parks riding on the back of the Disney attractions. Not only does he write fiction on the subject but as an investigative journalist he also has some practical experience of such happenings and will attest to the view that often fact is stranger (or more worrying) than fiction.

The Plot

Joe Winder is a former investigative journalist who has sold his sole to work in the PR department of the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills a theme park based in Florida which seeks to rival the Disney operation through cheap imitation and corner cutting. Winder had little option in taking the job as he left his last post under a cloud besides which the fact that he had also worked for Disney was in his favour as was the fact that the Amazing Kingdom did not bother to do many background checks on its employees which is highlighted by the fact that most of the parks security is provided by former corrupt cops headed up by the steroid popping chief of security Pedro Luz.

When the last two surviving blue tongued mango voles are stolen from the Amazing Kingdom (and later retrieved dead) Winder initially prepares the press releases however soon events do not entirely add up and when the park employee responsible for the voles is found dead in the whale tank. which is claimed to be a suicide, then Winders’ investigative nose begins to smell something rotten in the Amazing Kingdom.

The Characters

Much of Hiaasen comedy draws its strength from the range of characters he includes and with Native Tongue this is no exception. Winder himself is a fairly typical investigative journalist type, a sharp mind and an even sharper tongue he finds himself surrounded by idiots, not least his smarmy boss Charles Chelsea who is forever fawning to the disgusting park owner Francis X Kingsbury. Kingsbury himself is the straight up bad guy property developer who has a rather crude tattoo of Mickey and Minnie doing a sex act and is also a former member of the witness protection programme who has carved out a profitable empire using dodgy business tactics whilst all the time on the run from the mob in New York. The fact that the signature ride at the park is called the Wet Willy gives a clue to the total crassness of the operation Kingsbury runs.

On the other side of the battle lines are the environmental campaign group the Mothers of Wilderness led by the feisty Molly McNamara, a wealthy pensioner who is quite happy to shoot people who do not do as she asks especially the two incompetent burglars Bud and Danny she hired to liberate the voles. They have an ally in the mysterious Skink who lives rough in the swamps and wears the tracking collar of a dead panther around his neck.

The Situations

The other strength of the comedy in this book is in the weird little situations that Hiaasen is able to pass off in a way that almost appears normal. For example the only way Winder can speak to his girlfriend Nina is to ring the premium rate sex line on which she works at a cost of $4 a time. Some of the situations portrayed appear absurd however in the context of the story they work which is a testament to the ability of the author. There is a heavy dose of satire right the way through the book with the drug taking elves and the homicidal animals in the park and there is a dark edge to the humour as well.

The action in the book is fast paced and there is a good blend of humour and suspense however it is the humour that ultimately dominates. I found the book hard to put down and this is assisted by the short paragraphs which switch the story telling amongst the main characters in the book. There are enough plot twists to keep it interesting and whilst at times the outcomes are a bit predictable the whole thread of the story works and whilst it may push the bounds of reality at times however there is always the possibility that such event could unfold.

There is a strong environmental message within the story, the bad guys are those that ruin the landscape and eco-system while the good guys are those that try to stop them even if their efforts are comical and in some cases counter productive.

This is definitely a book I would recommend if you like this type of humour and a good way to get into the work of Hiaasen. My copy was a complimentary one from GQ magazine however it is available on Amazon for £5.49 new or from a penny in the used section. Do make sure you order the right Native Tongue as there is also another book of this title by Suzette Elgin. The paperback version is published by Pan and runs to 325 pages.

Thanks for reading and rating my review.

Summary: Full of satire with an environmental message