Author: Mark Haskell Smith
Grade: 68/100
A friend of mine, who shares my passion for literature, recommended I give Mark Haskell Smith a read. So, I figured I’d start from the beginning, with his debut novel, Salty.
Salty, is a gluttonous, hedonistic tale of suspense, told in the world capital for gluttony and hedonism─Thailand.
The basic premise is this─Turk Henry is an aging rock star from an old heavy metal band. While his band mates have all gone on to successful solo projects, Turk, the bassist, has no offers. He and his washed up, supermodel, liberal wife, head to Thailand for a little R&R. Shelia, the wife, heads out for a little day safari while Turk, a recovering sex addict, soaks up the sun and some beers while watching the local talent sunbathe naked. When his wife doesn’t show up for dinner, he starts to get worried. The next day, he is contacted by her kidnapper, the handsome Captain Somporn. Turk begins to rustle up the money, to save his wife, whom he isn’t even sure he loves anymore, while Ben, an I.C.E. agent, is intent on stopping the rescue, and keeping the ransom money for himself. Of course, to do so and get away with it, he’ll have to kill both the rock star and the supermodel. However, what nobody was betting on was a little Stockholm syndrome between the supermodel and the kidnapping Captain.
The storyline is a bit ridiculous, but that’s part of what makes it so fun… besides the sex and drugs, of course. The novel gives us a little insight into the decadent lifestyle of the Hollywood rich and famous, while showing that despite all the money and fame, that these people are just as sad and alone as the rest of us. Smith does a nice job of showing the despicable side of human nature, without boring us to tears, or depressing us, by balancing these harsh truths with some well timed comedy and lots of sex appeal.
I’ve been to Thailand, so I can attest, first hand, that his descriptions of Soi Cowboy girls, the bars, the brothels, all that, was pretty well done. However, the singular thing that bothered me in the novel was the light air with which he treated the sex industry there. I don’t want to be a downer on what was a fun novel, but the sex industry in Thailand, though it seems exciting and consensual when viewed from the outside, is anything but in reality. Most of the girls who work these bars are not doing so out of their own volition. Many of the girls are under the age of sixteen and almost all of them are literal slaves to the industry. It’s a sad, sad reality.
That being said, I enjoyed the read, was able to identify with and like the characters, even though, on the surface, there is not much to like about them. That, in itself, requires a talented hand. Smith hits on some sensitive and issues like the world’s perception and idea of love and the Universal understanding, to which we all succumb, that being a whore is a bad thing. Smith peels back the curtain on sexual addiction, and reveals that it is nothing more than man fulfilling his biological drives. I appreciate and admire him for having the guts to take on that subject, though I believe he could have been even more pressing with it.
Salty, though not the most eloquent, exciting, or thought provoking book of all-time, was extremely funny and a lot of fun. It’s a definite summery, beach read, and I recommend it to anyone who’s going to be spending some time, lying on the beach, in the near future.
