Author : Ben Fountain
What is it about : A collection of eight short stories, mostly on the theme of displaced Americans abroad in edgy countries ... For a change I would be giving a brief description of each story below.
Near-Extinct Birds Of The Central Cordillera - An American bird specialist became a hostage of the local guerrilla group in the Columbian jungle and was accidentally freed during a trip by the New York Stock Exchange executives.
Reve Haitien - An American Aid worker tried to do some good by throwing chess games away to the local Haitiens and ended up smuggling famous paintings out of the country.
The Good Ones Are Already Taken - An American Marine returned home after a stint in Haiti where he "married" a local voodoo goddess and his loving wife back home having a tough time trying to get to grips with these new arrivals (inculding a shrine and the whole shebang) !
Asian Tiger - A minor league golfer became a sensation with the Myanmar chiefs and got caught up with designing golf courses in war zones.
Bouki And The Cocaine - Haitien villagers figuring out ways to transport millions worth of cocaine out of their coastal village under the greedy watchful eyes of the local policemen.
The Lion's Mouth - An American Aid worker making good use of some "blood diamonds" in Sierra Leone and her diamond trader boyfriend was in for a surprise.
Brief Encounters With Che Guevara - A southern American recalled the different occasions the famous Argentinian revolutionist crossed path with him since childhood days.
Fantasy For Eleven Fingers - Two pianists with eleven fingers stunned the world during their different eras.
Some thoughts after having read the book : If I hadn't read the Q & A at the end of the book, I would not have known that (with the exception of Haiti) the Author actually had not been to these exotic countries and the stories were the results of his research. So it was no surprise that the stories took on a more cumbersome and mechanical tone and texture. What gave me these impressions ? Perhaps it was the over-detailed description of the flora and fauna of the Columbian jungle or perhaps the Author overcooked on the number and details of the piano symphonies. I did not feel the stories moved smoothly a la Graham Greene or La Carre (excellent writers on the theme of bystanders caught up in turmoils on foreign soils); but take nothing away this Author, he touched on great themes of irony, tragedy and the life of a lost soul abroad. It's just that the candid Q & A took away a certain degree of authenticity and credibility. By the way, the story " Fantasy For Eleven Fingers " had a definite feel of a Pushkin or may be a Chekov and this story gave me the feeling that the Author was experimenting with styles.
Would I recommend this book to you : The Author might not have the reach and depth of Graham Greene or La Carre on these topics (or perhaps he needed an epic-length novel to illustrate he is in fact on that level); but for now, I had been very content with this book as it provided plenty of food for thought regarding poverty, culture clash and revolution. Great theme for the readers to actually consider writing a different ending for each of these good short stories.
