Wrecker - Carl Hiaasen
Publication Date: September 26, 2023
She read
This is one of Hiaasen’s middle grade/young adult books; I will read anything by this author. I am way past “young adult”, yet I think this may be my favorite of his books. Maybe it was the Key West setting (one of our beloved places to get away to for a few days), or the iguana droppings I am constantly cleaning off our dock, or Hiiaasen’s ever present environmental messages, or the history infused into the story, but I thoroughly enjoyed this read.
Set during the time of Covid, it features fifteen year old Valdez Jones VII, nicknamed “Wrecker” because he is the eighth generation descendent of a 19th century diver who sought salvage from sunken ships. When he and his friend, Mimi, discover criminal activity in Key West, he gets involuntarily involved with it. Together, they save themselves and help put some crooks behind bars.
This is a fun adventure story interspersed with interesting history and, of course, environmental concerns. Sometimes Hiaasen’s writing can be a bit over the top, but I thought this one wasn’t at all. Some non Floridans may think it a bit crazy at times, but believe me as a south Floridian, it’s all feasible.
Although I am familiar with Key West and have roamed through the cemetery there, I learned quite a bit from this book, especially about the early non tolerance and pervasive presence of the Ku Klux Klan in this laid back community. I also wasn’t aware, touched on in this story and through further research on my own, that because the water was so much cleaner during the Covid cruise ship ban, sixty two percent of the voters supported a local referendum to restrict the size and capacity of cruisers that visit its ports. The Florida Senate, in 2021, passed a bill that voided the referendum and it was signed by the governor. So much for the will of the people.
I’d love to see a series featuring these two beguiling teenagers.
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