I requested this book in hopes of
reading something different. Well, it was different. It took me about three
weeks, if not longer, to finish it. Long story short, I didn't like it.
The book is Alex Sheshunoff's telling
of that time he quit his job in New York because he wasn't happy and decided to
move to the Pacific. OK, I can roll with that, although we know this is not
what people usually do. As expected, life in the Pacific is not always roses
and sunsets, one can't befriend the people over there as easily as the movies
let on, the neighbors are um, singular, but hey, you're on an island in the
Pacific, aka Paradise. It was somewhat interesting to see how he tried to
settle it and get involved in the community, but not over the top interesting.
My favorite parts were after he met Sarah. Once she was a more active part of
the adventure in the Pacific I became more curious about what's next because
she proved to be more down-to-earth that Alex, her eventually boyfriend.
Sure, this is not one of the favorite books I read this
year, but I give the guy the due credit for being brave enough to break the
soul-sucking routine and try something else. I enjoyed the author's funny
remarks and word choices throughout the book; the funny tidbits saved the
book. I wondered if it was really necessary to tell this story in almost 400
pages. If you are someone who enjoys reading about other cultures, or are an anthropologist,
whether by profession or an amateur, this is a light reading on the peculiar
people of the islands in the Pacific, and I assume you want details, hence the
400 pages that will probably appeal to you. Besides, all the peculiarities
can't be overlooked so there are a lot of words on many pages. I can’t say I have
any anthropological curiosities, so I wasn't the public for this book.
I received a copy of this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
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