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The Mosquito Coast (novel)

February 23, 2023

The Mosquito Coast is a novel by author Paul Theroux.[1] Published in 1981, it won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was the Yorkshire Post Novel of the Year.[2][3]

The Mosquito Coast
First edition (UK)
AuthorPaul Theroux
Cover artistHenri Rousseau
The Snake Charmer (1907)
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
PublisherHamish Hamilton (UK, 1981)
Houghton Mifflin (US, 1982)
Media typePrint
Pages392
ISBN0-241-10688-5
For other uses, see The Mosquito Coast.

Inspiration

Theroux wrote the novel while living in London. Although he is rumored to have based the main character Allie Fox on himself, he denied this in an interview for Atlantic Unbound, saying he based the character on a number of people, including Pap, Huck Finn's father.[4]

Plot outline

The story is told from the viewpoint of fourteen-year-old Charlie Fox and centers around his father Allie, a brilliant inventor ("with nine patents, six pending") who becomes increasingly critical of consumerism in the United States, education and culture.

Part One: Banana Boat

Allie decides to move his family from Hatfield, Massachusetts to escape the influence of the United States and the world war he fears is imminent, to enjoy a simpler life in La Mosquitia on the eponymous Mosquito Coast of Honduras. They travel in their pick-up truck to Baltimore and after giving away their truck to a tramp they board a banana boat to La Ceiba. During a violent storm, Allie repairs a bilge pump and has several run-ins with Reverend Spellgood who is traveling with his family to his Mission in Honduras. His daughter Emily flirts with Charlie.

Part Two: The Ice-House at Jeronimo

At La Ceiba, Allie buys a tiny settlement called Jeronimo from a drunk German. They then travel up the coast via motor launch to Santa Rosa by which time Allie, through force of personality, has taken over the launch from its captain, Mr. Haddy and steers it up the Aguán River to Jeronimo. On arrival Allie inspires the local Creoles and Zambus and over the coming weeks they help him transform the overgrown settlement into a thriving community. He builds a huge ice-making machine called 'Fat Boy' powered by hydrogen and ammonia, and transports the ice it produces farther up the river to isolated tribesmen, only to find to his disgust that missionaries have already reached them and 'corrupted' them to the ways of the West. He then mounts another expedition to take ice overland into Olancho, but the ice melts on the journey. They arrive at a small settlement and meet a group of Indians and three 'skinny men' who they take to be slaves. On return to Jeronimo they find the settlement nearly deserted. A missionary, who earlier Allie had driven away, had returned and persuaded most of the Creoles to leave with him. Soon afterwards, the three 'slaves' from Olancho arrive with guns and threaten Allie's domain. He tricks them and locks them in 'Fat Boy' intending to freeze them to death, but their gunfire causes an explosion which kills the three gunmen, destroys Jeronimo and pollutes the river.

Part Three: Brewer's Lagoon

Escaping the explosion, Allie leads his family and Mr. Haddy through the jungle to Sico River, determined to move even further from civilization, and become less dependent on technology. They borrow a boat from a Miskito and float down to Brewers Lagoon where Mr. Haddy's mother lives in a nearby village. Mr. Haddy gave directions to the Laguna Miskita, 'it so small, when you gets there you ain't believe you there', which sounds ideal to Allie. On arrival they convert an abandoned dugout into a hut, beachcombing for materials (including an outboard motor which Allie repairs) and planting crops on the shore, achieving total self-sufficiency. Then the rainy season starts, and a storm surge from a tropical cyclone washes away all their work. Mr. Haddy arrives under cover of night and gives Charlie a drum of gasoline and spark plugs, which he knows Allie would not accept; Charlie hides them on the shore. Allie finds them and determines to use the supplies to sail upstream, against the flow "that Mosquito Coast is a dead loss...there's death down there...Everything broken, rotten and dead is on that stream and being pulled down to the coast... I've been fighting the current all along". Charlie and his brother Jerry want to return to the United States, but Allie tells them that it has been destroyed.

Part Four: Up the Patuca

The family heads up the Patuca River, passing several abandoned villages destroyed by the recent tropical storm. Allie bullies his family into agreeing to his plans to head farther away from civilization, and they hear about a village called Guampo far up the river. When they arrive, it's the Spellgoods' mission settlement complete with harbor, landing strip and church.

That night, Charlie and his brother Jerry swim ashore and contact Emily. They arrange to borrow the Spellgoods' jeep and escape back to the coast after learning that the United States has not been destroyed. On returning to the boat they try to persuade their mother to drive them, only to find that their father has also gone ashore. Determined to save the locals from the influence of the Spellgoods, he blows up the airplane and the generator and returns to the boat, but is shot in the neck by Rev. Spellgood. The family manages to drag Allie to the jeep and make it to the coast, where Allie dies.

Part Five: The Mosquito Coast

Mr Haddy hears of Allie's death and takes the family back to La Ceiba, and they return to the United States.

Reception

Thomas R. Edwards in The New York Times praises the book, concluding "It is, characteristically, a fine entertainment, a gripping adventure story, a remarkable comic portrait of minds and cultures at cross-purposes...This excellent story, is an impressively serious act of imagination."[5]

Kirkus Reviews criticized the novel's plausibility, pacing and thin characterizations, but goes on to say that "though the presentation of the serious ideas here is more noisy and colorful than thoughtful, the storytelling itself—full of clever descriptive writing and inventive action—sustains the entertainment mightily"[6]

Adaptations

1986 film

Main article: The Mosquito Coast (film)

The novel was first adapted into a 1986 film starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren and River Phoenix.

2021 television series

Main article: The Mosquito Coast (TV series)

The novel was adapted into a seventeen-episode television series for Apple TV+ with Justin Theroux, Paul Theroux's nephew, playing the lead role. The series was developed by Neil Cross and the premiere episode was directed by Rupert Wyatt.

Publication history

[7]

References

  1. ^ "Interview: Paul Theroux". TheGuardian.com. 9 June 2003. from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  2. ^ "The mosquito coast". Scholieren.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Fiction winners". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Atlantic Unbound | Interviews | 2004.03.31". The Atlantic. from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Paul Theroux's Yankee Crusoe". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  7. ^ "The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved 6 January 2023.

External links

  • Official website
  • American Dreams: ‘The Mosquito Coast’ by Paul Theroux – The Daily Beast

February 23, 2023
mosquito, coast, novel, mosquito, coast, novel, author, paul, theroux, published, 1981, james, tait, black, memorial, prize, yorkshire, post, novel, year, mosquito, coastfirst, edition, authorpaul, therouxcover, artisthenri, rousseauthe, snake, charmer, 1907, . The Mosquito Coast is a novel by author Paul Theroux 1 Published in 1981 it won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was the Yorkshire Post Novel of the Year 2 3 The Mosquito CoastFirst edition UK AuthorPaul TherouxCover artistHenri RousseauThe Snake Charmer 1907 CountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishPublisherHamish Hamilton UK 1981 Houghton Mifflin US 1982 Media typePrintPages392ISBN0 241 10688 5For other uses see The Mosquito Coast Contents 1 Inspiration 2 Plot outline 2 1 Part One Banana Boat 2 2 Part Two The Ice House at Jeronimo 2 3 Part Three Brewer s Lagoon 2 4 Part Four Up the Patuca 2 5 Part Five The Mosquito Coast 3 Reception 4 Adaptations 4 1 1986 film 4 2 2021 television series 5 Publication history 6 References 7 External linksInspiration EditTheroux wrote the novel while living in London Although he is rumored to have based the main character Allie Fox on himself he denied this in an interview for Atlantic Unbound saying he based the character on a number of people including Pap Huck Finn s father 4 Plot outline EditThe story is told from the viewpoint of fourteen year old Charlie Fox and centers around his father Allie a brilliant inventor with nine patents six pending who becomes increasingly critical of consumerism in the United States education and culture Part One Banana Boat Edit Allie decides to move his family from Hatfield Massachusetts to escape the influence of the United States and the world war he fears is imminent to enjoy a simpler life in La Mosquitia on the eponymous Mosquito Coast of Honduras They travel in their pick up truck to Baltimore and after giving away their truck to a tramp they board a banana boat to La Ceiba During a violent storm Allie repairs a bilge pump and has several run ins with Reverend Spellgood who is traveling with his family to his Mission in Honduras His daughter Emily flirts with Charlie Part Two The Ice House at Jeronimo Edit At La Ceiba Allie buys a tiny settlement called Jeronimo from a drunk German They then travel up the coast via motor launch to Santa Rosa by which time Allie through force of personality has taken over the launch from its captain Mr Haddy and steers it up the Aguan River to Jeronimo On arrival Allie inspires the local Creoles and Zambus and over the coming weeks they help him transform the overgrown settlement into a thriving community He builds a huge ice making machine called Fat Boy powered by hydrogen and ammonia and transports the ice it produces farther up the river to isolated tribesmen only to find to his disgust that missionaries have already reached them and corrupted them to the ways of the West He then mounts another expedition to take ice overland into Olancho but the ice melts on the journey They arrive at a small settlement and meet a group of Indians and three skinny men who they take to be slaves On return to Jeronimo they find the settlement nearly deserted A missionary who earlier Allie had driven away had returned and persuaded most of the Creoles to leave with him Soon afterwards the three slaves from Olancho arrive with guns and threaten Allie s domain He tricks them and locks them in Fat Boy intending to freeze them to death but their gunfire causes an explosion which kills the three gunmen destroys Jeronimo and pollutes the river Part Three Brewer s Lagoon Edit Escaping the explosion Allie leads his family and Mr Haddy through the jungle to Sico River determined to move even further from civilization and become less dependent on technology They borrow a boat from a Miskito and float down to Brewers Lagoon where Mr Haddy s mother lives in a nearby village Mr Haddy gave directions to the Laguna Miskita it so small when you gets there you ain t believe you there which sounds ideal to Allie On arrival they convert an abandoned dugout into a hut beachcombing for materials including an outboard motor which Allie repairs and planting crops on the shore achieving total self sufficiency Then the rainy season starts and a storm surge from a tropical cyclone washes away all their work Mr Haddy arrives under cover of night and gives Charlie a drum of gasoline and spark plugs which he knows Allie would not accept Charlie hides them on the shore Allie finds them and determines to use the supplies to sail upstream against the flow that Mosquito Coast is a dead loss there s death down there Everything broken rotten and dead is on that stream and being pulled down to the coast I ve been fighting the current all along Charlie and his brother Jerry want to return to the United States but Allie tells them that it has been destroyed Part Four Up the Patuca Edit The family heads up the Patuca River passing several abandoned villages destroyed by the recent tropical storm Allie bullies his family into agreeing to his plans to head farther away from civilization and they hear about a village called Guampo far up the river When they arrive it s the Spellgoods mission settlement complete with harbor landing strip and church That night Charlie and his brother Jerry swim ashore and contact Emily They arrange to borrow the Spellgoods jeep and escape back to the coast after learning that the United States has not been destroyed On returning to the boat they try to persuade their mother to drive them only to find that their father has also gone ashore Determined to save the locals from the influence of the Spellgoods he blows up the airplane and the generator and returns to the boat but is shot in the neck by Rev Spellgood The family manages to drag Allie to the jeep and make it to the coast where Allie dies Part Five The Mosquito Coast Edit Mr Haddy hears of Allie s death and takes the family back to La Ceiba and they return to the United States Reception EditThomas R Edwards in The New York Times praises the book concluding It is characteristically a fine entertainment a gripping adventure story a remarkable comic portrait of minds and cultures at cross purposes This excellent story is an impressively serious act of imagination 5 Kirkus Reviews criticized the novel s plausibility pacing and thin characterizations but goes on to say that though the presentation of the serious ideas here is more noisy and colorful than thoughtful the storytelling itself full of clever descriptive writing and inventive action sustains the entertainment mightily 6 Adaptations Edit1986 film Edit Main article The Mosquito Coast film The novel was first adapted into a 1986 film starring Harrison Ford Helen Mirren and River Phoenix 2021 television series Edit Main article The Mosquito Coast TV series The novel was adapted into a seventeen episode television series for Apple TV with Justin Theroux Paul Theroux s nephew playing the lead role The series was developed by Neil Cross and the premiere episode was directed by Rupert Wyatt Publication history Edit1981 UK Hamish Hamilton ISBN 0 241 10688 5 Pub date 12 October 1981 Hardback 1982 US Houghton Mifflin ISBN 0 395 32075 5 Pub date May 1982 Hardback limited edition 350 numbered copies 1982 US Houghton Mifflin ISBN 0 395 31837 8 Pub date May 1982 Hardback 1982 UK Ulverscroft ISBN 0 708 98064 3 Pub date Aug 1982 Large print h b 1982 UK Penguin ISBN 0 14 006089 8 Pub date 30 September 1982 Paperback 1983 US Avon ISBN 0 380 61945 8 Pub date Mar 1983 Paperback 1986 UK Penguin ISBN 0 14 008290 5 Pub date 11 December 1986 Paperback 1995 UK Penguin Readers ISBN 0 14 081454 X Pub date 30 March 1995 Paperback 1999 US Penguin Readers ISBN 0 582 41814 3 Pub date 15 December 1999 Paperback 2006 US Mariner ISBN 0 618 65896 3 Pub date Jun 2006 Paperback 2008 UK Penguin Readers ISBN 1 4058 7664 6 Pub date 17 April 2006 Paperback 2010 UK Whole Story ISBN 1 4074 4916 8 Pub date 1 March 2010 Audio CD read by David Aaron Baker 2012 UK Penguin Readers ISBN 1 4082 9438 9 Pub date 10 June 2012 Paperback amp MP3 7 References Edit Interview Paul Theroux TheGuardian com 9 June 2003 Archived from the original on 11 April 2019 Retrieved 2 March 2021 The mosquito coast Scholieren com in Dutch Retrieved 6 January 2023 Fiction winners The University of Edinburgh Retrieved 6 January 2023 Atlantic Unbound Interviews 2004 03 31 The Atlantic Archived from the original on 2 December 2020 Retrieved 2 March 2021 Paul Theroux s Yankee Crusoe archive nytimes com Retrieved 6 January 2023 Book Reviews Sites Romance Fantasy Fiction Kirkus Reviews Retrieved 6 January 2023 The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux www fantasticfiction com Retrieved 6 January 2023 External links EditOfficial website American Dreams The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux The Daily Beast Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Mosquito Coast novel amp oldid 1132205842, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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