The Best Kind of Travel Writing
Witty travelogues from a self-deprecating, self-medicating Canadian? Yes, please! For those of you who aren’t familiar with J. Maarten Troost, I strongly recommend listening to his first book, “The Sex Lives of Cannibals” before this one. Though “Getting Stoned with Savages” certainly stands on its own, his frequent stories about life in Kiribati will be all the more amusing. In this second adventure, Troost finds himself on the island of Vanuatu, replete with typhoons, gigantic insects, and the hallucinogenic drink, kava. On the hunt for the last surviving cannibal, Troost’s wife Sylvia finds out she’s pregnant, and the two head for Fiji. Though life on the island paradise may seem slightly tamer, Troost always has a way of finding himself in awkward situations. What makes Troost stand out is his ability to deftly balance humor with insight. Despite his many missteps, you can’t help but want to sit down and have a drink with the guy. And underneath his sarcasm and outrage is something that all of us can relate to: curiosity. Perfect for “the flip-flip man” (or woman)—those of us who secretly dream of buying a one-way ticket to the other end of the world.