Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Torday, Paul. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. New York: Harcourt 2007. Print.

First Sentences:

Dear Dr. James,

We have been referred to you by Peter Sullivan at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (Directorate for Middle East and North Africa). 

We act on behalf of a client with access to very substantial funds, who has indicated his wish to sponsor a project to introduce salmon, and the sport of salmon fishing, into the Yemen.

Description:

Not many authors can combine the dry, hot desert of Yemen with the sport of fly fishing for the cold-water-loving salmon to create a compelling story. But Paul Torday in his debut novel, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, manages to pull it off in the most delightful, clever manner.

In a nutshell, a wealthy sheikh from Yemen discovers the art of salmon fishing while visiting Scotland. A brilliant idea hits him. Why can't I, with my unlimited funds and passion for fly fishing, bring this sport to my home country of Yemen, making the joys of catching salmon available to me whenever I like and also promoting tourism among fishing enthusiasts?

So Dr. Fred Jones, a quiet, conservative British fisheries scientist, is contacted with the idea. Despite  his initial skepticism and reluctance to be involved in the absurd idea of flying and stocking 10,000 salmon in a desert river, Fred eventually is convinced by higher-up politicians and public relations people that creating a fishing destination in Yemen would be a great idea (and one that might distract the public from other less-desirable political issues).

Of course, tremendous barriers must be overcome, huge amounts of money are spent, and crazy logistics argued over, but impossibly the project moves forward. And along the way, Fred begins to find a new faith and belief in the sheikh, the power of dreams, and even romance.

Written completely in the epistolary style of memos, reports, emails, letters, articles, etc., Torday breathes a realism into this wacky project while poking fun at the politicians and public relations efforts that drive it ever onward. There is so much humor and satire to this quirky story that one cannot help but laugh out loud or at least shake one's head with a grin at the situations and solutions portrayed. It is absolutely delightful, one of my favorite books about when an otherworldly idea meets reality ... and the dream gains the upper hand.

(P.S. If you have seen the rather milquetoast movie version of this book, forget it. The book is wildly more entertaining, humorous, subtle, and inspirational. A really fun read.)

Happy reading. 

Fred

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