Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen

I love Carl Hiaasen's work. I read about Skinny Dip in some magazine in a waiting room back in 2004, and it sounded interesting. Off we went to the library, but no Dip. However, they had older books. I checked out Lucky You and fell in love.

I love the gruesome humor, the characters, the settings, Skink.

Even Double Whammy, which is about fishing, for god's sake, is still great -religious hypocrisy, SKINK - with both eyes.

I got Nature Girl for Christmas, using an Amazon gift certificate. Thanks, Grandma Lucy!

When I saw the new Hiaasen was out, I ran to the local library.

Nothing.

Still nothing, which has to do with budgetary issues, caused by the splitting of the Memphis Branch Library system, which combined all the libraries in the county. The suburbs left because they wanted to save money, and now all the libraries are having money issues - even the Memphis ones, because they're funded a different way now. Whatever.

So I ordered it, along with some other silly books - I love silly books.

It has everything a Hiaasen book needs - the Everglades, a stupid asshole, sex, weird injuries, and someone teaching the asshole a lesson, or trying.

However, the teacher is normally Skink, and I think his last appearance was in Skinny Dip. He's the best politician - so honest he bugs out and runs away.

This time, the teacher is single mom Honey Santana, and she's got mental issues - she wants to protect her son from any kind of asshole. So she hatches a plot to teach a telemarketer a lesson. The story surrounding him is hilarious - the deli shot is a trip.

However, the Honey Santana and kid part is very similar to Flush and Hoot, his children's books. And to Striptease, except her ex isn't a dangerous asshole.

Nobody dies in a gruesome way, however, a guy loses his fingers to some crabs and the doctors mix up the labels, and his fingers are put on in the wrong spots - pinky where the thumb should be, etc.

The island part of the plot reminded me of Lucky You.

The part of the book that killed it for me was the Sammy Tigertail character. He's a half-blood Seminole, and he wants to be a hermit, and a co-ed tags along.

I just never got him, I think he could have been replaced by Skink.

According to the FAQ, he is related to a character from his first humorous book, Tourist Season.

I didn't know, and I don't care. He still didn't fit.

The book has the right elements, but it didn't do it for me. I'm not sure if I'll keep the book, actually.

I think it could have benefited by cutting out Sammy Tigertail - then it would be a book about revenge on a telemarketer.