Tarpon Lodge attracts gamefish that serious anglers have on their bucket list
The lodge got its name from the bucket list gamefish that attracts anglers from around the world seeking to hook up with the silver king, the nickname given to the regal tarpon.
This time of year, the fish migrate through Pine Island Sound, which offers a panoramic view from the lodge's dining room, which attracts locals and visitors who come for the fresh red snapper and tripletail, and several of its 22 units.
Those who bring boats to the lodge's docks can visit neighboring Cabbage Key and eat at its Island Inn Restaurant, as well as South Seas Resort on Captiva Island, which has condos for rent, swimming pools, a nine-hole par-3 golf course, and several restaurants specializing in fresh seafood as it rebuilds in the wake of recent hurricane damage.
Along with tarpon, visitors can tangle inshore with snook, sea trout and redfish, or head out to the passes among the islands of Captiva, North Captiva and Boca Grande. There you will find tarpon rolling on the surface as they gulp air, as well as schools of permit, which are next on the bucket list. Permit look like silver platters and fight hard as they turn their wide bodies against the current.
Head a little farther west into the Gulf of Mexico and you can fish wrecks and rock piles for grouper, mangrove snapper, cobia, jacks and sharks, while sea turtles come to the surface on their way to area beaches to lay their eggs.
I fished the area with members of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers, better known as AGLOW. The organization has members from 40 states, and several were eager to check off species from their personal fish lists.
Rob Shane, who lives in Washington, D.C., where he works for the American Sportfishing Association, a trade organization that is a leader in promoting recreational fishing as well as fisheries conservation, was after snook. While we headed across the sound to some mangrove islands that captain Bill Hammond of Endless Summer Charters had grown up fishing, Shane talked about issues that affect Florida anglers.
Among them are shark interactions, i.e. sharks that eat fish before they can be reeled in. Solutions include studying the use of magnetic technology to deter sharks from going after hooked and released fish and allowing the killing of shark species that are thriving.
Another concern is NOAA's Amendment 59, which would ban bottom fishing for 55 species from Melbourne to the Georgia border for three months to protect red snapper, whose stocks are soaring. The amendment is based on unreliable data that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration itself estimated to be off by 30 to 40 percent.
After arriving at a tiny island that had been hammered by Hurricane Milton, Hammond instructed us to cast live pilchards on lightweight St. Croix spinning outfits to the island. Shane was soon hooked up to a whopper of a sea trout, a 26-incher.
At the next spot, Shane added a keeper redfish that Hammond released. At the next spot, a mangrove shoreline, Hammond pointed out that the water was far back in the trees and that's where the fish were. As the tide fell, the fish moved out and Shane was soon catching and releasing one snook after another by casting his bait to the edge of the mangroves, giving him an inshore grand slam.
The next day, Hammond and I went offshore with captain CJ LaFauci, who runs one of Hammond's three boats, and Cristian Simpkins of Wisconsin. After trying for tarpon, which rolled all around us but ignored our live crabs, we headed about 10 miles to a rockpile in the Gulf. LaFauci put out a chum bag and used scissors to cut chunks of frozen herring that he added to the chum slick.
First we free-lined live pilchards back to the fish in the slick, which produced mangrove snappers, jacks and blue runners. We switched to a bottom rig, with a hook above a weight that kept the rig on the bottom. The results were immediate, as we caught mangrove snappers, Simpkins landing a huge 21-incher, and a snook.
The best fish was yet to come. On the way back to Tarpon Lodge, LaFauci stopped by the permit grounds, where he could see schools of the fish just below the surface. Using a live crab, Simpkins soon hooked one of his bucket-list fish.
The permit made several long runs, ripping line off the reel spool, but Simpkins fought it expertly. After he got the fish close enough to the boat for LaFauci to net it, an out-of-breath Simpkins was all smiles as he held the fish of his lifetime.
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CNET
16-07-2025
- CNET
What I Pack in My Go Bag to Stay Ready for Any Natural Disaster
Floodwaters are rising. A fire has broken out next door. A tornado siren blares overhead. In a crisis, every second counts and every decision matters. Having a fully stocked emergency go bag means you won't be scrambling to find critical supplies, medications or documents when it's time to evacuate quickly. I live on the Gulf Coast in Florida in a town that's been hit hard by hurricanes in the past. With a new hurricane season underway as of June 1, I'm more on guard than ever. Hurricanes are nothing new to me -- I grew up near the water in North Carolina, where my parents still live -- but even still, news of a developing storm gets me anxious. That's why I'm always prepared with a bag of essentials. I've built my trusty emergency go bag from hard-won experience, including during last year's hurricanes Helene and Milton. (And this bag isn't just for hurricane preparation -- my sister lives in Oklahoma and has assembled her own go bag based on my recommendations for tornadoes.) Trust me: Having a bag ready can make a chaotic, terrifying moment a little more manageable. Read also: Tornadoes, Floods, Wildfires, Intruders: 4 Ways Your Phone Can Help in an Emergency What is a go bag, and why you definitely need one A go bag (also called a bugout bag) is a backpack or small duffel packed with essentials that you, your family and your pets might need in the hours or days after a natural disaster forces you to leave home. Emergency officials, especially in hurricane- or fire-prone areas, urge every household to have at least one on standby. Ideally, each family member has their own. That way, you're not lugging one massive bag or making heartbreaking choices about what stays behind. Why you should pack a go bag now Many disasters give us some forewarning, while others strike without mercy or notice. Even with a forecast, evacuation orders can come suddenly. You'll want to be ready to leave at a moment's notice if you live in areas that regularly face: CNET Hurricanes or tropical storms Flash floods Mudslides Tornadoes Earthquakes Wildfires Ice storms Tsunamis What to pack in your emergency go bag Here's a checklist of items to include in your go bag: Go bag essentials: Water filter bottle Flashlight (solar or crank-powered) Nonperishable food (MREs or calorie-dense freeze-dried meals) Personal hygiene items (soap, toilet paper, toothbrush, etc., in waterproof bags) First aid kit (bandages, antiseptic, meds) Phone charger and portable power bank (for either iPhones or Androids) Spare batteries Work gloves Medications and copies of prescriptions Important documents (IDs, insurance, passports, birth certificates in a waterproof bag) House and car keys Map and compass (don't rely on GPS) Cash (small bills and coins) Go bag extras: Paracord (strong, compact and versatile) Carabiners (for attaching gear) Whistle (to signal for help) Fire-starting tools (lighter, waterproof matches) Dust mask Blanket (vacuum-sealed to save space) Change of clothes and a poncho Sunscreen Family photo (for ID purposes, in waterproof bag) USB drive with digital copies of family photos Paper, pens and tape (for leaving messages) Other key considerations in case of an emergency Now that you know the vital items you should pack in an emergency, here are a few additional things to consider. Skip the gallons of water and pack a water filter instead Most emergency kits recommend storing three days' worth of water at home. But carrying that much water during an evacuation may not be realistic, especially if you're on foot. Instead, pack a water purification bottle like the LifeStraw Go Bottle or the Grayl GeoPress. These filter bacteria and contaminants from ponds, ditches or even puddles, turning sketchy water into a drinkable backup source. Both bottles can clip to the outside of your bag to save room. Just be sure to read the instructions since many filters must be primed with clean water before use. Opt for a solar flashlight A power outage is almost guaranteed during a major storm. Instead of packing batteries that may run out or get soaked, opt for a solar or crank-powered flashlight, such as the ThorFire LED Flashlight. Bonus points if it doubles as an AM/FM radio for weather updates. Don't forget your pets In the chaos of an evacuation, it's easy to overlook your pets' needs, but they rely on you just as much as children do. Whether you're evacuating for a few hours or a few days, packing an emergency kit for your animals is essential for their health, comfort and safety. Here's what to include in your pet's go bag: At least three days of pet food (stored in airtight containers or zip bags) Collapsible food and water bowls Treats (they'll need comfort, too) Pet ID tags with current phone numbers Microchip info, in case your pet gets separated from you Vaccination records and proof of ownership (these may be required at hotels) A secure leash and harness Crate or carrier labeled with your name and contact info A blanket or small bed with a familiar scent Toys or chews to ease anxiety during travel Waste bags for dogs Litter box and litter for cats (a small, disposable tray works well, too) Medications and dosage instructions Pet-safe wipes or a towel for quick cleanups How to choose the right go bag The best go bag is the one you can actually carry. Don't grab a giant duffel unless you're confident you can haul it long distances. A sturdy hiking backpack made from water-resistant canvas with padded shoulder straps and a chest strap is ideal. Look for one with lots of compartments and, if possible, a built-in water reservoir, also known as a hydration pack or CamelBak. One great option we recommend is the Sandpiper of California bugout backpack, which is durable, roomy and designed for quick evacuation. Additional resources Climate change is making hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters stronger and more frequent. Preparation is no longer optional -- it's essential. Taking a few hours to assemble and safely store a go bag could save lives, reduce stress and make evacuation just a little bit easier. While the devastation of these events can be harrowing, there are many steps you can take to protect yourself, your home and your loved ones from a natural disaster. Here are some additional resources: Hopefully, your go bag is something you'll never need. But if the day comes when you do, may it be ready, reliable and right where you need it.
Miami Herald
15-07-2025
- Miami Herald
From the Keys to Sanibel: Survey says Florida has some of the best islands in the U.S.
Florida's islands are still favorites among tourists. Florida's hotels, not so much. The Sunshine State is home to several of the best islands to visit in the entire continental United States, according to a newly published survey of nearly 200,000 travelers worldwide. That includes two locales hit hard by three hurricanes in four years — a tribute to Floridians' resilience. The bragging rights stem from the results of the publication Travel + Leisure's 2025 World's Best Awards, out in July. The annual issue, in its 30th year, asked readers all over the globe to vote on their favorite top destinations, hotels, and a host of other categories. While several of Florida's islands dominated in that category, cities and hotels across the state didn't perform quite as competitively. The winning islands were: ▪ Amelia Island in second ▪ Marco Island in sixth ▪ Florida Keys in eighth ▪ Sanibel Island in eleventh ▪ Captiva Island in fifteenth Florida dominated that category, providing five of the top 15. That was more than any other state in the continental U.S. It was also one more than it had in the 2024 World's Best Awards — Marco Island joined the other four for the first time this year. Florida's top islands Travel + Leisure had readers rate the islands on natural attractions/beaches, activities/sights, restaurants/food, people/friendliness and value. Amelia Island is known for beaches and horseback rides. In Nassau County, it's about 30 minutes from Jacksonville. It held the same position in last year's rankings. Marco Island is in Collier County and about 20 miles south of Naples. Abundant with wildlife, it's the largest of the Ten Thousand Islands. In the early days of COVID-19, it was an early rebel, even by Florida standards. In late April 2020, Marco Island City Council voted for a limited re-opening of its beaches. At the beginning of that month, Governor Ron De Santis had issued a shelter in place order for the entire state. It limited the public to essential activities or services. The city council later reversed course due to public pressure to keep the beaches closed. The Florida Keys dropped this year to eighth from fifth in 2024, but remains a regular favorite. 'Old Florida at its very best,' one Travel + Leisure reader wrote. 'Locally owned and managed eateries and hotels. Down-home Southern friendliness. Great food,' the magazine said. Sanibel Island, known for seashells on beaches and serving as a weekend getaway for South Floridians, slipped to eleventh from 10th one year ago. That it's ranked at all is remarkable given it was wrecked by Hurricane Ian in 2022. Parts of the Sanibel Causeway were damaged. Hurricane Milton in 2024 with its 120 mile-per-hour winds also hit Sanibel Island but didn't do as much damage. Captiva Island in Lee County, popular for redfish and snook, was hit by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Helene and Milton, within two weeks of one another in 2024. Iconic waterside restaurant The Mucky Duck was damaged by all three. Even as the island category was where Florida shined, the results also reflected the increasing pull of the world. Amelia Island, second best in the U.S., scored a total of 86.81. The 25th ranked island in the world had a higher score. The big winner was Páros in Greece, chosen as the top island in the world. Mount Desert Island in Maine was the best in the U.S. Hotels, cities absent? The findings however were not all sunshine. Among the best 100 hotels in the world, not a single one was in Florida. The U.S. overall had 16, California leading with four. Massachusetts and New York were also represented. In the best U.S. cities to visit category, not one from Florida cracked the Top 15. New York City, Chicago and Boston all did. Santa Fe, New Mexico, topped the list for the first time in the best U.S. cities to visit. 'Readers raved about the inventive New Mexican cuisine and the destination's natural beauty - sitting at 7,000 feet,' Travel + Leisure wrote. Santa Fe, which gets over 300 days of sunshine per year, also won praise for its markets and art galleries. These results reflect an increasingly competitive tourism market for Florida. Gone are the COVID-19 days when everyone flocked to the Sunshine State. It's now battling Europe, Asia, much of the United States and Latin America, too. While Florida was shut out in the top 100 hotels, Mexico, Chile, Peru and Costa Rica each had two. Argentina and Panama had one a piece. The 2025 results reflect a constantly changing travel landscape, Travel + Leisure Editor-in-Chief Jacqui Gifford said in a statement. 'From a high-desert city in the American Southwest to a quiet Greek island, our readers are seeking depth, character and a strong sense of place.'
Vox
15-07-2025
- Vox
The 9 best books of the year so far
is a senior correspondent on the Culture team for Vox, where since 2016 she has covered books, publishing, gender, celebrity analysis, and theater. A truism about stories (courtesy, more or less, of the novelist John Gardner) is that there are only two plots: a person goes on a journey, and a stranger comes to town. The joke is that they're the same story, from two different perspectives. In the first half of 2025, I've found that my favorite books have lived up to the claim. The best books I've read so far have all been preoccupied with the problem of travel, of leaving home, of being visited by strangers: how it broadens us and how it damages us, its attractions and its horrors. They are about how frightening it can be to enter a strange new place, and how frightening it can be when a stranger enters the familiar place we've known all our lives. In the books I'm going to tell you about, a married couple is stranded on a life raft for four months. A spinsterish aunt leaves home to become a witch. And a woman sexually attracted to airplanes travels from one airport to the next, searching for the plane that will marry her. Next Page Book recommendations — both old and new — that are worth your time, from senior correspondent and critic Constance Grady. Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. For your convenience, I've further divided these books about our fair travelers into two categories: the whimsical and the arduous. (There's overlap, of course, because how interesting can whimsy be if there isn't a touch of work to make it worthwhile? And how can anyone make it through unrelenting toil without a dash of whimsy?) These should help guide you to the perfect book to accompany you on your summer travels. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. Books in which homebodies go on whimsical journeys Mona Acts Out by Mischa Berlinski In this deceptively warm comedy, a middle-aged Shakespearean actress who is a tad high and a lot anxious spends Thanksgiving Day roaming the streets of New York City, her little dog in tow. Profane, self-indulgent, and conflicted over the recent cancellation of her disgraced mentor, Mona Zahad is indeed acting out. Although, speaking of self-indulgence, the mentor in question writes to Mona: 'I am dying, Egypt, dying,' scrawled on a postcard that pictures Mona in character as Lady Macbeth, covered in blood. The missive, from the theatrical director Milton Katz, prompts Mona to begin her walkabout. Milton discovered Mona, but he's been fired for sexual harassment. Officially, Mona's on Milton's side: after all, he'd never hidden the fact that the price of working with him was to put up with a little unsolicited handsiness. Unofficially, Mona can't help noticing that she's become a more relaxed and dynamic actress since Milton was drummed out. She knows that Milton has re-invented himself as a martyr, and she can't decide whether she wants to be a part of that martyrdom or not. Reeling from pills and emotional foment, Mona stumbles her way down the length of Manhattan, quoting Shakespeare to herself as she goes. Mona Acts Out is the only Me Too novel I have yet to read that's both sweet and sophisticated, an alchemical combination it must have borrowed from the Bard himself. Read if you: have a favorite Kenneth Branagh-directed Shakespeare and are still a little bitter he never did cast Judi Dench in one of the plays. Metallic Realms by Lincoln Michel Michael Lincoln, the hapless narrator of this metafictional romp, spends most of the events of Metallic Realms holed up in the Brooklyn apartment his parents pay for, eavesdropping on his roommate through a hidden microphone stashed in a house plant. But Mike is telling us his story from an undisclosed location somewhere in upstate New York. As we learn more about nerdy, awkward Mike — 'deeply introverted, Sagittarius sun and Libra rising, Ravenclaw, Water Tribe citizen, lawful neutral, and an INTP' — it becomes clear that it would take a real tragedy to get him that far away from home. Mike, Michel's funhouse alter ego, is a classic geek fanboy, unable to mention the object of his obsessions without making bombastic claims about how it has 'shattered the calcified worldbuilding paradigm that dominates science fiction.' In this case, however, Mike is hyperfixated on the deeply mediocre science fiction that his roommate's writing collective, Orb 4, has been churning out for fun. They've denied Mike entry into the collective, so he's appointed himself lore keeper instead. (The rest of the group doesn't know that he believes his role requires complete records of their meetings; hence that hidden mic.) It's a tragedy, a story about the grinding miseries and disappointments of trying to build a life that leaves you room to be creative and make art. Michel has described Metallic Realms as 'Pale Fire meets Star Trek,' and the Nabokovian comparisons aren't off-base. According to Mike, what we're reading is the collective work of Orb 4, interspersed with annotations and historical context from Mike in his capacity as lore keeper. Mike's commentary, however, lets us in on a bigger story behind his pompous bloviating and creepy stalking. It's a tragedy, a story about the grinding miseries and disappointments of trying to build a life that leaves you room to be creative and make art. Even if the art you create is, to all but the most biased possible observer, never more than just okay. Read alongside: Pale Fire for the structure, Vladimir for the Nabokov pastiche, and Among Others for the heart. Woodworking by Emily St. James In Woodworking, the debut novel by former Vox critic Emily St. James, leaving home is the dream, the impossible ideal. To leave one's old life and parents behind, reinvent oneself, and move to a new city where no one can ever say you were anyone different, like moving out for college but with no Thanksgiving homecoming. In the case of Woodworking's two narrators, Erica and Abigail, the dream specifically is to move to a new city where no one will ever know that they're trans. For Erica, a high school English teacher, the dream feels impossible: she's already built a whole life as a man in small-town South Dakota, complete with an ex-wife she's still in love with. For 17-year-old Abigail, Erica's student and the only out trans person she knows, the dream feels tantalizingly close. Abigail already hates her parents anyway, so what's one more level of estrangement? Woodworking is a charming, sparkling, and very human novel that packs a heavy punch. Its heart and soul lies with the vexed relationship between Erica and Abigail, forced into alliance after Erica comes out to Abigail and Abigail, horrified, realizes she's going to have to be her dorky English teacher's trans mentor and teach her how to paint her fingernails. This book is a hoot and a ride. Read accompanied by: Something fizzy and sweet with a little bitter kick in the background. Blood orange San Pellegrino, maybe? Went to London, Took the Dog: A Diary by Nina Stibbe The memoirist and novelist Nina Stibbe first arrived in London in the 1980s as a bright-eyed 20-year-old nanny. Her time caring for the children of a London Review of Books editor left her enmeshed in the literary scene of the moment, and the letters she wrote her sister about brushing shoulders with the bookish who's who became the basis of her 2013 bestseller, Love, Nina. In her new memoir Went to London, Took the Dog, Stibbe returns to London as a 60-year-old for a year-long sabbatical from her regular life in Cornwall. She plans to write her diary, she announces, in the style of celebrity playwright Alan Bennett: 'He just writes what he's been up to. Say he's had Ian McEwan over for tea …' Snoops rejoice: she does name names. Accordingly, Stibbe takes us to pub trivia with Nicholas Hornby and discusses the dishwashing abilities of her landlady, the novelist Deborah Moggach. Hilariously, she goes out of her way to sideswipe the notorious contrarian novelist Lionel Shriver. (Stibbe speaks at the same literary festival as Shriver and takes great care not to be caught alone at breakfast with her.) And all the perimenopause discourse around All Fours last summer should meet Stibbe's accounts of prolapsed uteri and menopause-induced incontinence. Snoops rejoice: she does name names. Every so often, however, Stibbe allows us a peek at what drove her back to London. It's a trial separation from her husband, whom she never mentions by name. Likewise, she never tells us what, exactly, the problem is with her marriage, only that her coupled-up friends act 'as if I'm going to infect their marriage,' and that 'sometimes I must forget to breathe or something and have a terrible headache afterward.' Then the diary entry ends, and she moves on, as breezy as though she had never made such a deeply sad revelation, to the next day's lunch meeting with Hornby and plumbing travails with Moggach. Read accompanied by: good crunchy salt-and-vinegar potato chips, for an easy, addictive pleasure. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner For a certain type of reader, among whom I count myself, Lolly Willowes will be a nearly perfect novel. First published in 1926 amid an England unsure of what to do with its newly-liberated women, and reissued this year by Modern Library, it tells the story of Laura 'Aunt Lolly' Willowes and her decision to become a witch. Selling her soul to Satan, Laura concludes, feels like a much better move than spending her whole life making herself useful to an unending stream of children. Laura is a decorous spinster who, in middle age, decides she is fed up with taking care of her family and moves away to a village by the woods. There, Laura makes the acquaintance of a supernatural cat and witnesses a macabre black Sabbath with a coven of witches. Selling her soul to Satan, Laura concludes, feels like a much better move than spending her whole life making herself useful to an unending stream of children. Lolly Willowes presents itself to the reader with all the placid charm of a comic English country novel, a Cold Comfort Farm or a Love In a Cold Climate. Yet its pleasantly arch, witty voice is hiding a deep well of fury. 'The one thing all women hate,' Laura tells Satan, 'is to be thought dull' — yet Laura's whole life is a series of dull, mean contrivances, built for her by other people. A little bit of witchcraft of her own volition does her good. Read if you: wish the Mitford sisters had written something a little more queer; have been known to mess with Tarot cards; go wild for a walk in an autumnal forest. Books in which the journey is harrowing Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie To say that Dream Count is probably the weakest of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novels is less an indictment of Dream Count than it is a recognition of how high she's set the bar. From Adichie, even a minor effort is worth a read. Dream Count tells the story of four women, all from Nigeria, all either currently living in the US or having recently returned to Nigeria from the US. Stranded in the early desultory days of the pandemic, they begin going back over their relationships with the (mostly terrible) men they have known — their 'dream count,' says one. Much of Dream Count is satirical, and Adichie is at her sharpest and most biting when dealing with the flummoxed reactions of white liberal Americans to wealthy, cosmopolitan Africans. 'They can't stand rich people from poor countries because it means they can't feel sorry for you,' remarks Omelogor, who hates America and moves straight back to Lagos. There's a jarring tonal shift, however, when Adichie delves into the mind of Kadiatou, the only poor woman among her four protagonists. Kadiatou's story is based on the account of Nafissatou Diallo, a hotel housekeeper who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempted assault in 2011. Adichie writes Kadiatou with a touching, at times reductive naivete — but what becomes deeply moving is the relationship Kadiatou develops with the other three women of this novel. America may not know what to do with African women of such disparate yet overlapping backgrounds, but they understand one another. Read if you: want to remind yourself that before that viral TED Talk and Beyoncé sample, Adichie was also a very good novelist. In 1972, Maurice and Maralyn Bailey, a real-life British couple, set sail in the little yacht into which they had sunk all their life savings. Obsessed with the idea of escaping the suburbs and exploring the wilderness, they planned to make their way from England to New Zealand. Instead, nearly a year into their voyage, their boat sank. The Baileys found themselves stranded on their tiny inflatable rubber raft, along with the few supplies they'd managed to salvage: fresh water, canned food, a biography of Richard III. There they would remain, surviving against all odds, for the next four months. The story of the Baileys became a media sensation after they were eventually recovered, but it has long since faded from the collective memory. In this elegant and electric account, journalist Sophie Elmhirst reconstructs every day of their four-month ordeal, and the blistering aftermath of their eventual rescue. Surrounded by far more wilderness than they ever counted on, the Baileys caught fish and sea turtles, tried and failed to signal to passing ships, and read every line of that damn biography over and over again. The book, optimistic Maralyn tells fatalist Maurice, will form the basis of their library once they get home. In Elmhurst's hands, the story of the Baileys' ordeal becomes a portrait of a marriage: how two people can drive each other to the edges of despair, and how they can keep each other alive in a time of almost unimaginable horror. I galloped through it in a single night. You will too. Read accompanied by: plentiful supplies to gloat over as the Baileys' condition gets worse and worse. Imagine you're a kid reading about Laura Ingalls Wilder's worst winter again, and go from there. Flashlight by Susan Choi Susan Choi's last book, 2019's Trust Exercise, was a structural triumph, so fine and precise it cut like a knife. Flashlight, her new novel, is a looser, less showy affair. It creeps up on you, so you don't quite register how deeply it's gotten its hooks in you until days later, when you're still thinking about it. Flashlight begins with a girl and her father on the Japanese beach at twilight, heading out to look at the stars. The girl, American-born Louisa, is a precocious 10-year-old. Her father, Serk, is a Japanese-born Korean man who is almost always angry. A day after they go star-watching, Louisa is found unconscious on the shore. Serk is lost and presumed dead, his body never recovered. Part of the deep pleasure of Flashlight is how finely Choi renders the mind of Louisa, who soon finds herself to be, like her father before her, always angry. Louisa is filled with rage at the adults around her: her teachers, who she considers stupid and incompetent; the school psychiatrist, who isn't smart enough to understand her; most of all her disabled mother, whom Louisa believes to be a liar and a malingerer. Louisa is angry in the way of a child: betrayed by the adults who have failed to live up to the expectations she set for them. And as Louisa grows into a fraught, uneasy adulthood, we see how her child's rage continues to shape her psyche in ways that she herself observes with surprise and confusion. Sky Daddy by Kate Folk The narrator of Kate Folk's sly, clever Sky Daddy presents her problem to readers on the first page. 'This was my destiny,' candid Linda says, with characteristic transparency: 'for a plane to recognize me as his soulmate midflight and, overcome with passion, relinquish his grip on the sky, hurtling us to earth in a carnage that would meld our souls for eternity.' Linda is sexually attracted to planes. She believes the only way to marry one is to die in a plane crash. With that simple equation in mind, she devotes her paltry salary to taking as many plane trips as she can; mostly regional ones, to nearby midsize cities. Nevertheless, none of the 'fine gentlemen' who woo her on each flight has yet taken her to be his bride. Desperate, Linda starts exploring the world of vision boarding to see if it can bring her closer to her destiny. There is a version of Sky Daddy that treats Linda as an object of malicious fun, but Folk never stoops so low. She takes Linda completely seriously: Linda, after all, has devoted her life to the pursuit of love, accepting the prospect of her own self-destruction with steely equanimity. Linda is part Ahab, part Ishmael, and her white whale is the first plane she ever fell in love with. This is a strange and tender novel, and it has lingered in my mind for months.
