Call number
FIC THE
Collection
Genres
Publication
Mariner Books (2021), 416 pages
Description
"From legendary writer Paul Theroux comes an atmospheric novel following a big-wave surfer as he confronts aging, privilege, mortality, and whose lives we choose to remember"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member diana.hauser
UNDER THE WAVE AT WAIMEA by Paul Theroux is brilliantly written.
The story expands outward in many ripples, exactly like the waves at the North Shore beaches on Oahu.
The book is very atmospheric. I can close my eyes and feel the breezes; smell the flowers and drink in the lush vegetation and
The book is a story of privilege, of aging, of mortality, of ebbing power and admiration.
The book is a detective story, a mystery. Not only does Joe Sharkey seek the identity of the stranger he accidentally kills; he also seeks his own identity and acceptance of himself.
This is a ‘coming-of-age’ story, but the person ‘coming-of-age’ is in his 60s. (I say better late than never.)
There are several main characters here - Joe Sharkey, of course; his companion/partner Olive; the ever-present water; the surf; riding the waves; the culture (at least on the North Shore) of surfing; the island of Oahu - good and bad, glossy and decadent.
UNDER THE WAVE AT WAIMEA is an ode to Hawaii and the art of surfing.
The bits with Hunter Thompson were intriguing.
I especially liked the the references to Vietnam. (That bit of history is slowly fading from our memories and I regret that.)
I took many ‘notes’ but two stand out. (for me)
“Anyone who did not surf had no idea how even the most basic maneuver took such strength and balance; how for long periods in a pounding shore break he was still driven by anxiety; how so many of his good friends had died - drowned in a hold-down, got hit by their board and knocked unconscious, got caught by their snagged leash. But it all looked so simple from shore, people invented improbable feats and heroics. They did not understand that simply to ride a big wave was a miracle of poise and strength. (p.17)
“Surfing was the pulse and passion of his life, not like a sport that involved catching a ball or swinging a bat, and not a recreation either. It was a way of living your life that only other surfers understood - even the posers and punks who’d somewhat spoiled it; and good waves took precedence over everything on land.” (p.41)
An excellent book, UNDER THE WAVE AT WAIMEA by Paul Theroux. *****
The story expands outward in many ripples, exactly like the waves at the North Shore beaches on Oahu.
The book is very atmospheric. I can close my eyes and feel the breezes; smell the flowers and drink in the lush vegetation and
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views.The book is a story of privilege, of aging, of mortality, of ebbing power and admiration.
The book is a detective story, a mystery. Not only does Joe Sharkey seek the identity of the stranger he accidentally kills; he also seeks his own identity and acceptance of himself.
This is a ‘coming-of-age’ story, but the person ‘coming-of-age’ is in his 60s. (I say better late than never.)
There are several main characters here - Joe Sharkey, of course; his companion/partner Olive; the ever-present water; the surf; riding the waves; the culture (at least on the North Shore) of surfing; the island of Oahu - good and bad, glossy and decadent.
UNDER THE WAVE AT WAIMEA is an ode to Hawaii and the art of surfing.
The bits with Hunter Thompson were intriguing.
I especially liked the the references to Vietnam. (That bit of history is slowly fading from our memories and I regret that.)
I took many ‘notes’ but two stand out. (for me)
“Anyone who did not surf had no idea how even the most basic maneuver took such strength and balance; how for long periods in a pounding shore break he was still driven by anxiety; how so many of his good friends had died - drowned in a hold-down, got hit by their board and knocked unconscious, got caught by their snagged leash. But it all looked so simple from shore, people invented improbable feats and heroics. They did not understand that simply to ride a big wave was a miracle of poise and strength. (p.17)
“Surfing was the pulse and passion of his life, not like a sport that involved catching a ball or swinging a bat, and not a recreation either. It was a way of living your life that only other surfers understood - even the posers and punks who’d somewhat spoiled it; and good waves took precedence over everything on land.” (p.41)
An excellent book, UNDER THE WAVE AT WAIMEA by Paul Theroux. *****
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LibraryThing member breic
Based only on his travel books, I wasn't sure what to expect from a Theroux novel. Would his misanthropy dominate, or his human curiosity? A pleasant surprise: this works very well. It is certainly still Theroux talking, as you can see from his descriptions, and from the main character. He bends
> That was the oddity of fame, not that everyone seemed to know you but that you were always confiding to strangers, speaking in general, everyone a potential ally or well-wisher, as though on a lifelong campaign, the guest of honor at every table, the brightest light at every party, always the talker among rapt admiring faces—it seemed that way. You were everyone’s friend, holding conversations with the multitudes, and so you had no real friends, but that didn’t matter, because the intensity of one intimate friend, or a loving wife, was an obstacle to talking to the world. The world was your friend.
> He had wooed her with his stories once, and now she was near to being repelled, except that she was so sorry for him in his plodding in circles.
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reality into a morality tale that, while not quite believable, is as or more compelling than another Theroux train trip. > That was the oddity of fame, not that everyone seemed to know you but that you were always confiding to strangers, speaking in general, everyone a potential ally or well-wisher, as though on a lifelong campaign, the guest of honor at every table, the brightest light at every party, always the talker among rapt admiring faces—it seemed that way. You were everyone’s friend, holding conversations with the multitudes, and so you had no real friends, but that didn’t matter, because the intensity of one intimate friend, or a loving wife, was an obstacle to talking to the world. The world was your friend.
> He had wooed her with his stories once, and now she was near to being repelled, except that she was so sorry for him in his plodding in circles.
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LibraryThing member ivanfranko
A rewarding novel from someone whose fiction I have always found engaging. The subject is an ageing pro-surfer who has passed his prime. He's a legend in his time but that time is passed when we encounter him. The tipping point for Joe Sharkey is the night he collides with a man on a bike, as he
Our hero declines and the novel, after examining Joe's upbringing and life up until this crisis, centres on the dead man's identity and Olive's dedication to restoring her lover's mojo and his lifelong love of the surf, specifically the spectacular breaks on Oahu's north shore.
Paul Theroux is always readable, the characters are well defined so there is no confusion as to who we are focussing upon. The writer is confident in his Hawaiian milieu - language, natural world, and he knows well the social tensions specific to the islands. (There's an added bonus for me, namely the frequent introduction of Hawaiian language and the opportunity to note its similarities to a sister Polynesian tongue, New Zealand Maori).
The introduction of Hunter S. Thompson as a player in the novel was a surprise and I'm not sure if this helps propel the plot or narrative much. However, it does not spoil an agreeable book.
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drives home drunk in the rain with his resourceful woman friend and partner, Olive, a nurse from England, and kills a stranger.Our hero declines and the novel, after examining Joe's upbringing and life up until this crisis, centres on the dead man's identity and Olive's dedication to restoring her lover's mojo and his lifelong love of the surf, specifically the spectacular breaks on Oahu's north shore.
Paul Theroux is always readable, the characters are well defined so there is no confusion as to who we are focussing upon. The writer is confident in his Hawaiian milieu - language, natural world, and he knows well the social tensions specific to the islands. (There's an added bonus for me, namely the frequent introduction of Hawaiian language and the opportunity to note its similarities to a sister Polynesian tongue, New Zealand Maori).
The introduction of Hunter S. Thompson as a player in the novel was a surprise and I'm not sure if this helps propel the plot or narrative much. However, it does not spoil an agreeable book.
Show Less
ISBN
0358446287 / 9780358446286