2011: Book 31

Getting Stoned with Savaged Savages by J. Maarten Troost


256 pages


Completed 3/25/11

A follow-up to his tales in The Sex Lives of Cannibals, Troost offers stories of his return to the South Pacific. Not as entertaining as Sex Lives, Troost and his wife, Sylvia, are maintaing residence on a populated, civilized island, where adventures are not experiences, as they were previously.

Where British and French influences are merged with an influx of Indian culture, the islands that make up Vanuatu are odd, wrought with stereotypes, racism, and sex for sale, mixed with the occasional cyclone and cruise ship. Troost seems obsessed with two things throughout this stay; the local intoxicating drink, kava, and the island's history of cannibalism.

With the impending arrival of their first child, the Troosts ascend a volcano; just one of a series of odd choices. Sylvia eventually gives birth to a child who is revered by the community, yet they decide to return to the US, even after griping about the states through the book. I should've stopped with the original book.

2011: Book 23

The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost


272 pages

Completed 3/14/11

With his humorous take on two years on a polluted, middle-of-nowhere, constant-Macarena playing island on the Equator, Troost shows a life not many could - or would - imagine.

Marooned with only shaky boats, duct-taped planes, and a lack of food with the exception of rice and fish, Troost and his girlfriend Sylvia learn the oddities of the Pacific island's culture, including the reason behind missing noses, dancing, a lack of elderly dogs, and a fascination - not fear - of sharks. My only complaint about this memoir was the lack of pictures, which would have added to the stories. Unbeknownst to me, Troost has had other adventures, all written about, which are now on my to-read list.