At the age of twenty-six, Maarten Troost--who had been pushing the snooze button on the alarm clock of life by racking up useless graduate degrees and muddling through a series of temp jobs--decided to pack up his flip-flops and move to Tarawa, a remote South Pacific island in the Republic of Kiribati. He was restless and lacked direction, and the idea of dropping everything and moving to the ends of the Earth was irresistibly romantic. He should have known better. The Sex Lives of Cannibals tells the hilarious story of what happens when Troost discovers that Tarawa is not the island paradise he dreamed of. Falling into one amusing misadventure after another, Troost struggles through relentless, stifling heat, a variety of deadly bacteria, polluted seas, toxic fish, and worst of all, no television or coffee. And that's just the first day. Sunburned, emaciated, and stinging with sea lice, Troost spends the next two years battling incompetent government officials, alarmingly large critters, erratic electricity, and a paucity of food options. He contends with a cast of bizarre local characters, including "Half-Dead Fred" and the self-proclaimed Poet Laureate of Tarawa (a British drunkard who's never written a poem in his life), and eventually settles into the ebb and flow of island life, just before his return to the culture shock of civilization. With the rollicking wit of Bill Bryson, the brilliant travel exposition of Paul Theroux, and a hipster edge that is entirely Troost's own, The Sex Lives of Cannibals is the ultimate vicarious adventure. Readers may never long to set foot on Tarawa, but they'll want to travel with Troost time and time again.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
A Marvelous Read!:
Over 100 reviews and only one person gave a one-star rating, that should tell you just how marvelous this book is. This book is both entertaining and informative. I actually laughed out loudly several times (not a good idea if you are on a train) as I read this book. Troost's writing style is wonderful, he has a way with sentences that will have you in stitches. The one-star reviewer has offered to give this book away for free. If you haven't bought the book yet, I advise you take him/her up on his/her... more info
Hilarious, laugh-out-loud fun read!:
I don't know what inspired the eye-catching title, but the book was a great read despite its somewhat misleading name. It is basically an autobiographical account of the author's adventures (and misadventures) for 2+ years during his 20s where he and his wife moved to an atoll in the South Pacific for two years. Maarten's style is as he mentioned in the book "not too serious, not too stupid" and 100% enjoyable. As someone who grew up in South-East Asia, I recognized many habits and practices of the... more info
Fun and eye-opening read!:
I had my own picture painted about what I thought life on a remote island in the Pacific would be like. This book is far from my picture. This book is written in a way that gives you a really interesting idea of the reality of remote island living from an outsider's perspective. The author talks about the troubles that he and his girlfriend have adjusting and dealing with such a new type of life. And it's funny. It is really funny. The book is a great escape. You kind of feel involved in the story in a... more info
Wonderful book about real life in the Pacific:
This is a marvelously humorous and accurate account of living in a small country in the Pacific. Highly recommended!
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