Introduction

From Tatjana Soli, the bestselling author of The Lotus Eaters and The Forgetting Tree, comes a black comedy set on an island resort, where guests attempting to flee their troubles realize they can't escape who they are.

On a small, unnamed coral atoll in the South Pacific, a group of troubled dreamers must face the possibility that the hopes they've labored after so single-mindedly might not lead them to the happiness they feel they were promised. Ann and Richard, an aspiring, Los Angeles power couple, are already sensing the cracks in their version of the American dream when their life unexpectedly implodes, leading them to brashly run away from home to a Robinson Crusoe idyll. Dex Cooper, lead singer of the rock band, Prospero, is facing his own slide from greatness, experimenting with artistic asceticism while accompanied by his sexy, young, and increasingly entrepreneurial muse, Wende. Loren, the French owner of the resort sauvage, has made his own Gauguin-like retreat from the world years before, only to find that the modern world has become impossible to disconnect from. Titi, descendent of Tahitian royalty, worker, and eventual inheritor of the resort, must fashion a vision of the island's future that includes its indigenous people, while her partner, Cooked, is torn between anarchy and lust.

By turns funny and tragic, The Last Good Paradise explores our modern, complex and often, self-contradictory discontents, crafting an exhilarating and darkly satirical story about our need to connect in an increasingly networked but isolating world.

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Excerpt

Porca Miseria! Pig of Misery!

(The Sorry State of Things)

All men live enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life. And if you be a philosopher, though seated in the whale-boat, you would not at heart feel one whit more of terror, than though seated before your evening fire with a poker, and not a harpoon, by your side. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. Ann and Richard experience a strain in their relationship at the start of the novel, resulting from stress at work and a lack of intimacy. Do you think all couples face the same struggles to some degree? Of the two, do you think either carries more of the blame for their marital issues?
2. Dex retreats to the island in an attempt to escape his overwhelming depression and hoping to find inspiration for his next album. Do you think fame is to blame for Dex’s unhappiness, or do you think he brought it upon himself? If he were never famous, do you think he would have treated the women in his life better?
3. Cooked and Titi, set to inherit the retreat, are strongly opposed to tourists at the start of the novel. Do you sympathize with their views of the tourists? Do you think tourism is more harmful or helpful in remote areas?
4. How do you feel about the choice Loren makes at the end of the novel? Are you able to understand why he made that decision? Do you think it was a fitting ending for his story?
5. The local islanders in the novel are wage slaves, forced to live in impoverished conditions rampant with disease, and to cater to wealthy tourists and French settlers in order to survive. What do you think about the inequalities and social injustices that less-developed civilizations are forced to endure? Whose responsibility is it to help them?
6. Loren and Ann draw shapes in the sand at two pivotal moments in the novel. What do you believe is the importance of these shapes? Did you find Ann’s drawing fitting for the occasion? What do you think it said about her personal transformation?
7. The island that Ann and Richard run away to is totally unplugged. Do you think society is too tuned into technology? Does technology really bring people together? How did you feel about the webcam in the novel?
8. All of the guests at the resort are there in an attempt to flee from issues at home. Do you think it is possible to run away from one’s problems, or do you think the only way to solve a problem is to face it? Have you ever wanted to run away to a desert island?
9. There are several cases of infidelity in this novel. Do you think the affairs in this novel should have been forgiven? How did the infidelities affect your views of the relationships in the novel? Would you forgive a partner under similar circumstances?
10. Richard is a chef who doesn’t like working with meat. Do you think Richard is strong for continuing his career path despite his aversion, or weak for not being able to overcome his qualms? Have you ever done something even though it bothered you to accomplish a greater goal?
11. Which character did you relate to the most? The least? Why?
12. How do you feel about the decision Ann and RIchard make at the end of the novel? Can you imagine making such a decision? Why or why not?
13. All of the characters are looking for happiness in various forms. Do you think any of them find it or are closer to it by the novel's end? Do you think Americans are unique in thinking of happiness as an inherent right?
14. Much of the novel is about second acts in people's lives. Do you think second acts are possible, permissible, selfish, brave?

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