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STAR ISLAND
by Carl Hiaasen
Knopf, July 2010
337 pages
$26.95
ISBN: 0307272583


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Carl Hiaasen's books are known mainly for their eccentric characters, and they are out in force in this novel – Bang Abbott, a photographer who once won a Pulitzer Prize under questionable circumstances and is now a paparazzo; Cherry Pye, a young singer who is constantly in and out of rehab; her bodyguard, Chemo, who in place of an arm bitten off by a barracuda has a prosthetic weed whacker; and Skink, the former Florida governor-turned-mangrove dweller who makes a return from previous Hiaasen novels.

With characters like these, the plot is almost incidental. Hiaasen is at his best when Skink is battling land developers or others who would spoil Florida's natural beauty. While a greedy developer does make an appearance here, and is dealt with in the usual Hiaasen manner, the story focuses on the current celebrity culture, satirizing the lives of Disney-created starlets gone wild. Cherry has no talent – her singing voice is horrible and she lip-synchs her way through concerts – and really no work ethic, complaining about rehearsals: "There's, like, eighteen songs to learn and they're all different."

Still, she captures the attention of Bang Abbott, who becomes obsessed with the drug-dazed, sex-crazed star, following her around South Beach and even out to Los Angeles. His plan to kidnap her goes awry, though, when he takes her body double, Ann DeLusia, instead.

This is not Hiaasen's strongest book – STRIP TEASE, SKINNY DIP and TOURIST SEASON come to mind – but it is an enjoyable romp. There are laugh-out loud moments when describing young celebrities and their obnoxious behavior. But the problem is that it all feels like you've read it before – because you probably have, in news stories about the real-life escapades of celebrities (and their parents). Truth is stranger than fiction, Lord Byron said. It's true in this case – the outlandish antics of Hiaasen's characters seem almost tame in comparison to the real thing.

§ Lourdes Venard is a newspaper editor in Long Island, N.Y.

Reviewed by Lourdes Venard, August 2010

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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