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There are a couple morals to this story. One of them: STAY THE FUCK OUT OF THE AFFAIRS OF OTHER COUNTRIES. IT CAN ONLY LEAD TO A HEAP OF SHIT (remind you of something?). The other moral, if it could be called a moral, has to do with greed, believe it or not, and how everything is based around it. The latter will come to play in the epilogue, and while it was a bit of a twist, I thought to myself, "yeah, I could see that happening in real life."
The basic plot involves Florance Forfaletti, a U.S. Foreign Service worker who is sent by a man who calls himself "Uncle Sam" (hell, he must work for the government with a name like that) to Matar (a country in the Middle East) to start up a television station aimed towards women. Seems innocent enough, but there is a sinister motive (who the fuck saw that coming?). The station is supposed to leberate women in neighboring Wasabi, a country who beheads women across from a Starbucks for such crimes as going out without a man and showing their face in public. The television stations work and a whole storm of rancid shit ensues that makes for some good reading.
I'm suprised that this novel hasn't stewed up any controversy. Its damn ballsy of an auther to write a Middle Eastern political satire in the middle of an American invastion of a Middle Eastern country. The two countries in the novel are both rich from oil; enough said.
Though not an exact replica, there are a few parralels, most notably sending people uninvited to the Middle East. "That ought to be our motto: 'U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Making Matters Worse.'"
There's even a direct knock at Bush: "Privately, the American president was said to be torn-between dispatching an aircraft carrier (perhaps the most dramatic gesture available to a president, short of actually landing on one)..." I wonder if Bush would read that with his angry, confused monkey face that seemed plastered on his face during the debates.
Christopher Buckly is a no fail auther who should appeal to people interested in politics, public relations and humor. As much as I like this story, I suggest reading some of his other books first, as they all seem to be part of the same universe. Though Nick Naylor's name in only mentioned at the beginning of the book, it sheds some light to "Thank You for Smoking," in which he was the main character. You may also want to check out "No Way to Treat a First Lady" (my favorite Buckly Book), which also has a bit of Naylor in it.
Reviewed by: RF