Skinny DipPlot Summary
Joey's husband takes her on a romantic cruise for their two year anniversary and then proceeds to push her overboard. Chaz completes expects Joey to drown in the ocean. He plays the part of the grieving husband. Chaz miscalculates the ocean currents and Joey is a great swimmer and she is able to survive. She is rescued by a retired police officer named Mitch.
Now Joey has a conundrum. She can report Chaz's crime to the police but she knows that it will only be her word against his word. Or she can take matters into her own hands. Joey's parents died when she was young and she inherited millions from them.
Joey decides to get revenge on Chaz in her own way. She has millions of dollars at her disposal and Chaz believes she is dead. First, she wants to find out why Chaz dumped her over the edge of the cruise ship and then she wants pay back.
Critical Evaluation
I greatly enjoyed this book. Even though the actual subject matters of the book - murder, bribery, blackmail, dishonesty, etc. are serious they are treated in a lighthearted humorous manner. The only real serious topic is that of preserving the everglades in Florida. This is a common theme in Carl Hiaasen's books. He often interjects environmental issues into his book in a nonthreatening, unpreachy manner.
The characters are fairly predictable, stagnant people. The good guys are good and the bad guys are bad. Only one character really changes during the course of the book and that is Tool. Tool becomes Chaz's bodyguard once Chaz realizes something strange is going on. Tool has worked as a hired thug for years now but changes his ways and becomes kind, sort of! Chaz's character so lacks any type of integrity and is so self-absorbed he is nearly unbelievable. But he does make for a good laugh.
This book is definitely adult fiction rather than young adult. But it would make an interesting crossover novel. Although many young adult novels have swearing and sex, this book is different because all the characters are adults and the approach to the sex and swearing feels different than what one would find in a young adult novel.
Reader’s Annotation
Joey is thrown overboard by her husband but she survives. Joey seeks to find out the reasons behind her attempted murder and to get revenge.
Information about the author
"Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida, where he still lives with his family.
A graduate of the University of Florida, at age 23 he joined The Miami Herald as a general assignment reporter and went on to work for the paper's weekly magazine and later its prize-winning investigations team. Since 1985 Hiaasen has been writing a regular column, which at one time or another has pissed off just about everybody in South Florida, including his own bosses. He has outlasted almost all of them, and his column still appears on most Sundays in The Herald's opinion-and-editorial section. It may be viewed online at www.miamiherald.com or in the actual printed edition of the newspaper, which, miraculously, is still being published. "
http://www.carlhiaasen.com/bio.html
Genre
YA crossover, humor and maybe even some mystery
Curriculum Ties
This book has some excellent areas for curriculum use; such as environmental issues, agriculture, pollution, and the Florida evergreens.
Booktalking Ideas
*What would you do if someone wronged you and you could seek revenge? What would you do? If you inherited thirteen million dollars, what would you do with it?
Reading Level
Grade 10 and up.
Challenge Issues
No challenge issues for an adult novel. But as a crossover novel there is quite a bit of swearing and sex.
Why Included?
I included this book because I wanted some crossover titles in my selection. I had also read the book Hoot by Carl Hiaasen which is an actual young adult book and was curious to see what his adult novels were like. I found this title on list of suggested adult fiction reads for young adults located at http://colchestervt.gov/Library/attachments/CrossoverFiction.pdf.
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