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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Salmon fishing in the desert sounds more of a minority sport.", July 5, 2007
(4.5 stars) One of the most delightful and original satires I've read in ages, this debut novel pokes fun at every aspect of British society, from government spin-meisters and crass politicians to marriages of convenience, TV interview programs, consumerism, and the belief that many of the world's problems would be solved if only other people were "more like us." This satire is particularly refreshing, however, since the author writes it with a smile on his face, preferring to prick balloons with his witty needling, rather than wield a rapier in a slashing attack.
The absurdity begins on the first page, when mild-mannered and unimaginative Dr. Alfred Jones, a fisheries specialist, receives a letter asking for his participation in a project to introduce Scottish salmon and the sport of salmon fishing into the wadis of the Yemen during the yearly rains. Alfred finds the whole idea ludicrous and ignores the letter, until the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and eventually the prime minister weigh in. The PM's office favors this effort for its "environmental message," the new links it will forge to a Middle Eastern country, and not incidentally, the huge, positive news story that may push stories of Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia off the front page.
Through letters, e-mails, memos, diary entries, newspaper articles, records of the House of Commons, interviews, and even intercepted al-Qaeda e-mail traffic, the story of Alfred's efforts to create a suitable environment for salmon in the mountains of western Yemen unfolds. Gradually, Alfred becomes intrigued with the research possibilities of the project, and his contact with His Excellency Sheikh Muhammad ibn Zaidi bani Tihama, an avid salmon-fisherman who lives part of the year on a Scottish estate, broadens his vision and stimulates his imagination.
Within the framework that includes the salmon project, Alfred's love life (or lack of love life, since his wife lives in Geneva), and the sheikh's broad vision of a more peaceful world achieved through fishing, the author pokes fun at modern life--government officials who take credit for all Alfred's work, foreign policy which reflects the belief that the Middle Eastern poor hate the British because they do not have TV and material benefits, and even a communications expert who proposes a "Voice of Britain" TV channel with a quiz show in which poor Iraqi contestants can win dishwashers. Not even the British army's "Bereavement Management Center" escapes the author's sharp eye.
As Alfred accepts the sheikh's "belief in belief," he grows emotionally, and when the prime minister insists on going to the Yemen for the first release of ten thousand young salmon into the wadi, the scene is set for a grand finale. Filled with timely observations, an entertaining cast of characters, and a unique and well-developed story line (though the conclusion is a bit weak), this novel breaks new ground. There are not many satires that can be called "charming," and there may be even fewer novels about salmon fishing that can completely captivate those of us who have never climbed into a set of waders. n Mary Whipple
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Original debut, April 10, 2007
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is an original novel. The plot revolves around an absurdist plan by a devoutly religious sheik and fishing aficonado who wants to introduce salmon into his native Yemen. He comissions Alfred Jones, a gentle mannered fisheries scientist to assist him, and the vulnerable, pretty Harriet, an administrator, to make the plan work. Salmon are a cold water fish, the chances of them surviving in a desert climate are remote. The plot sounds ludicrous - and it is. Even more so once the story swings into political satire mode when the Prime Minister, spun a merry dance by his odious Press Secretary, Peter Maxwell (anyone familiar with the 'Little Britain' comedy series - think Sebastian!), becomes involved as a means of getting positive coverage out of the region to deflect attention from the Iraq conflict.
The story, told in fragmentary style through emails, diaries, memos and extracts from unpublished books, becomes complex, as several plots unfold involving Harriet's fiance posted on military duty in Iraq, Alfred's marriage to workaholic sourpuss Mary who is similarly on duty - to her job - for a bank in Geneva, the machinacions of political spin and Al Quaeda, who oppose the project as it is ungodly. All of this is right on the topical money. The story of Harriet's fiance, Robert, in particular has special topical relevance in light of the March 2007 hostage crisis in Iran when British servicemen were accused of straying into Iranian territory. The quality of the prose sags in places, and its tone is somewhat Pooterish in the style of those gentle oh so polite English novels of the earlier 20th Century, much satirised by Cyril Connolly. 'I was somewhat alarmed to discover that...' Elmore Leonard, this ain't. However every time I thought the plot would descent into lunacy or cliche, the narrative swoops back up with a fine stretch writing. For me the sections involving descriptions of salmon fishing, Alfred's marital communication with his estranged wife - saying much about modern professional couples, and the descriptions of the Middle East - the smells, the Muezzin call to prayer, gathered from the author's own experiences working in industry in the region, are superior to the political plot sections, which had a lot to say about the modern spin culture in politics but was fairly weak, obvious satire full of cheap jokes.
I think the author's true strength, on this evidence, lies not in satire but in light comedy with a heartwarming message. This is achieved by the end of Salmon Fishing, which becomes a fable about the necessity of belief (carefully avoiding the sickly mawkishness of religious 'faith'). Write about you know, so the saying goes, and Paul Torday has gathered his experiences and passions, pulled them through his artistic consciousness, and produced a light, witty and original page turner.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"I believe in it, because it is impossible.", July 17, 2007
Certainly the idea of establishing a viable salmon run in Yemen is, if not impossible, pretty darned close, and normally staid and compliant British biologist Alfred (Fred) Jones isn't shy about telling his superior so when his fisheries agency is approached to formulate a plan to do just that. Yet, Fred is dragooned into designing and overseeing the project anyway. His wife, Mary, is so preoccupied with her time-consuming career in finance, that she isn't the slightest interested in hearing about salmon in Yemen, so neglected Fred begins to form a confiding friendship with a younger woman, Harriet Chetwode-Talbot, the agent for the sheikh who is the creator and the bankroller of this salmon fantasia. Harriet opens Fred's eyes to the basically petrified habits of his life with her charm, her femininity, and her vulnerability. At the same time, both Fred and Harriet are changed by the "almost holy" Sheikh Muhammad ibn Zaidi bani Tihama, the Islamic visionary whose own belief in belief rubs off on them.
SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN is a smart, bittersweet send-up of bureaucracy, politicians, marriage, international relations, and fly fishing, among other things. So many books published these days can easily be fitted into genres and follow numbingly-familiar formulas. Paul Torday, in this, his first novel, demonstrates that deft, thinking-outside-the-box fiction is all-getout enjoyable. Although a few lesser plot points play out predictably enough, unpredictability wins the day where it counts. And although this isn't a pat alls-well-that-ends-well yarn, it leaves the reader (this one anyway) satisfied and enriched. This is satire, yes, but not a an lightweight "fish story." This a tender tale of adult growing pains and quasi-spiritual advancement. If unassuming and unimaginative Fred can learn to believe, can't we all?
Anglers, dreamers, and everyone else, treat yourself!
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