Star Island

not his greatest, but still pretty funny, the governor and chemo both needed more time in it though.

I've started this tradition of reading Hiaasen novels in the middle of winter. He tends to write so evocatively about Florida that it serves as a nice little mini-break from the weather, and the zany hijinks his criminals engage in can lighten the mood in even the dreariest of seasons.

From that perspective, I was a little disappointed in this one. The narrative's perfectly serviceable, and the satire of celebrity culture works a little too well - Cherry's so vapid and her personality so ephemeral that we never really care what happens to her, and Bang's so well-written as a sleazeball that we never empathize with him. It was a fun enough way to pass the time, but definitely not as entertaining as most of his work that I've read.

What the hell does a person even say about a Carl Hiaasen novel? Hiaasen is the master of writing bazaaro stories about scum of the earth characters, even the characters you LIKE are pretty deranged. That's just the norm (if you can call it that) and Star Island doesn't stray far from it.

In Star Island we get to meet Cherry Pye, a drug addicted mess of a pop star who is trying to make a big comeback. Cherry is surrounded by a gaggle of handlers including a criminal bodyguard who lost his arm to a barracuda and it is up to them to keep Cherry from croaking while also hiding from the public the fact that she's a frickin' mess.

Enter Ann DeLusia, a nobody actress who plays Cherry's double in order to keep the public in the dark about Cherry's serious drug problem. Ann is the only character in this book that you'll feel an ounce of sympathy for (not that she's asking for it), especially once she's kidnapped by a paparazzo goon with poor hygiene. After that things basically turn to shit as most of the characters are too busy scheming and backstabbing to practice much self preservation.

Hiaasen novels aren't for everyone. They are incredibly strange and he's got a knack for throwing in random little back stories for unimportant characters which I love, but a lot of people complain about. I'd recommend Star Island to anyone looking for a light read that isn't serious for even a second.

Though I must admit, Star Island isn't even close to being the best book by Hiaasen. Basket Case, Sick Puppy and Strip Tease are all way better. And by better I mean weirder.