Realistic Fiction for a Modern

Realistic Fiction

For a modern realistic story I read Skin Tight, by Carl Hiaasen. This modern story takes place in the present, down in the Florida Keys. The story takes a great deal of local trivia into account, as the author himself lives in this area, and I suspect that if one were from the archipelago described that it would be easy to place exactly when the story took place by noticing small details (such as when certain "urban sprawl" homes and factories were first built) and comparing that to the present. However, as someone not familiar with the area, I could only tell that it seemed to be happening in the very modern era, obviously in the 1990s or 2000s. The story has a compelling, modern feel, mixed with a great deal of absurd humor.

The story is a hilarious detective story, in which private investigator Mick Stranahan discovers that there is a hit out on his life -- the problem is that he has too many suspects who might want to kill him. The remainder of the book is a crazy ride in which he tangles with a maniacal TV show anchor with a fetish for being beaten up on camera, his corrupt-lawyer brother-in-law who he is blackmailing, a plastic surgeon with very shaky hands who has covered up several severe botches (including a death), and a deformed hit man who eventually replaces on of his hands with a weed-whacker. And somehow Hiaasen manages to make this absurd cast seem like they are all part of a sane story.

One of the true stars of this story is the setting. There is a true sense of the Florida Keys gotten across in his story, and without Mick's stilt house, his "pet" barracuda, and his madcap adventures through deserted islands, the story would not be the same. Even the characters are all connected to the setting, for where else but Florida (and maybe Hollywood) would one find so many spoiled plastic-surgery victims, burnt out stars, and corrupt injury lawyers?

The characters are all generally well developed and rounded characters. However, the story functions by making them not just lifelike, but larger than life. They are not just three-dimensional, they are also very pointy, jagged, and interesting. One can certainly find corrupt lawyers and murderous plastic surgeons in every day life, but it's unusual to find so many of them in one book, or to get such a look into their psychosis. Of course, all these larger than life characters lead to a larger than life conflict, in which Mick Stranahan must not just go head to head with one villain, but with many. After he has faced so many struggles and foes, and fighting for his life against the "bad guys" while trying to hide the whole things from cops who might not appreciate him taking matters into his own hands, it is hard to say if Stranahan is really struggling against individuals or against society as a whole.

Despite the fact that the book ceaselessly mocks all sorts of prominent, respectable professions (doctors, tv anchors, lawyers, cops, actors, and wood-chipper-operators) it nonetheless escapes being didactic about its point. It could theoretically be controversial that this book suggests that many doctors and lawyers are corrupt, or seems to justify taking the law into one's own hands. However, the situation is treated with so much humor, and with such disparagement for the "bad guys," that one doubts anyone is actually offended. If there was going to be any controversy about the book, it would probably only be if it were being show to children. There is a lot of graphic sex and violence in the book, and it probably shouldn't be taught to young children. As one might expect from such content, it is difficult to give an answer as to "What benefits can a child derive from reading this book?" My gut reaction would be that "No child should read this book!" It is a very adult book, because it has such dark and sexual humor. On the other hand, after some thought I decided that a bright, mature child probably would find the book very amusing. Some of the characters are positively cartoonish, and the violence is often very much like an adult Saturday-morning cartoon. If a child wasn't bothered by the sexual content, and was old enough not to be disturbed by the violence, then they might not only have the benefit of being deeply amused (like I was!) but also learn something about the untrustworthy way of grown-ups. The lessons of this book, hidden under the funny gruesomeness, are that one should be careful before trusting selective surgery which is making a doctor somewhere rich, or before trusting a television host to tell the whole truth, or even before trusting a cop or lawyer who says he has your best interest in mind, regardless of his profit motives. The corruption of people who demand trust is a difficult lesson, and the sooner children begin learning that many grown-ups are only seeking their own best interest, the better.