Under the Wave at Waimea
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- Create Date：2021-04-18 02:30:58
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Paul Theroux
- ISBN：0358446287
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Summary
“Theroux’s work is like no one else’s。” –Francine Prose， New York Times Book Review
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。
Now in his sixties， big-wave surfer Joe Sharkey has passed his prime and is losing his “stoke。” The younger surfers around the breaks on the north shore of Oahu still idolize the Shark， but his sponsors are looking elsewhere。 One night， while driving home from a bar after one too many， Joe accidentally kills a stranger near Waimea， a tragedy that sends his life out of control。 As the repercussions of the accident spiral ever wider， Joe's devoted girlfriend， Olive， throws herself into uncovering the dead man’s identity and helping Joe find vitality and refuge in the waves again。
Set in the lush， gritty underside of an island paradise readers rarely see， UNDER THE WAVE AT WAIMEA offers a dramatic， affecting commentary on privilege， mortality， and the lives we choose to remember。 It is a masterstroke by one of the greatest writers of our time。
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。
Now in his sixties， big-wave surfer Joe Sharkey has passed his prime and is losing his “stoke。” The younger surfers around the breaks on the north shore of Oahu still idolize the Shark， but his sponsors are looking elsewhere。 One night， while driving home from a bar after one too many， Joe accidentally kills a stranger near Waimea， a tragedy that sends his life out of control。 As the repercussions of the accident spiral ever wider， Joe's devoted girlfriend， Olive， throws herself into uncovering the dead man’s identity and helping Joe find vitality and refuge in the waves again。
Set in the lush， gritty underside of an island paradise readers rarely see， UNDER THE WAVE AT WAIMEA offers a dramatic， affecting commentary on privilege， mortality， and the lives we choose to remember。 It is a masterstroke by one of the greatest writers of our time。
Reviews
Zachary Houle
，
As I age， I find that I prefer my anonymity。 I’ve tasted fame， a little bit of it， and have to admit that it isn’t what it’s cracked up to be — people， it seems， just want to pull you down off the pedestal， so fame is incredibly exhausting to maintain if you want to be viewed with any dose of positivity。 The protagonist in Paul Theroux’s latest novel， Under the Wave at Waimea， has the opposite problem， though。 Joe Sharkey is a 62-year-old surfer from Hawaii， and he is struggling to retain his re As I age， I find that I prefer my anonymity。 I’ve tasted fame， a little bit of it， and have to admit that it isn’t what it’s cracked up to be — people， it seems， just want to pull you down off the pedestal， so fame is incredibly exhausting to maintain if you want to be viewed with any dose of positivity。 The protagonist in Paul Theroux’s latest novel， Under the Wave at Waimea， has the opposite problem， though。 Joe Sharkey is a 62-year-old surfer from Hawaii， and he is struggling to retain his relevance。 He’ll go to parties where there are younger surfers， and nobody there seems to recognize him or understand who he is — which is as something of a local celebrity among Hawaiians of a certain age。 He wants to be known and remembered， and he tells stories about his past to anyone who’ll listen。 The problem is， he only has so many stories about himself， so he repeats himself at times， sometimes even embellishing the stories with untruths。 Thus， Under the Wave at Waimea is a story that looks back on a life that’s been lived and seeks to set the record straight。 At least， it does so in part。The novel is also about privilege。 Joe Sharkey is enough of a name that when he runs over a drugged-up， homeless man on a bike with his car and kills him， he pretty much gets away with it， despite having at least three beers in his system。 However， because Sharkey has bad luck from the moment of the accident onward， even nearly drowning at one point， he and his girlfriend Olive — who is much younger than him at 38-years-old — set out to find out who the nameless victim was as a human being， and then to honor him with a funeral procession at sea。 Most of the detective work is done by Olive， but， gradually， Sharkey comes to take responsibility in his role in the accident， which is fitting for， as a surfer， he has known no responsibility other than to himself and the monster waves he seeks out to conquer。Read the rest of the review here: https://zachary-houle。medium。com/a-re。。。 。。。more
Chris Gager
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The cover picture is phoney baloney（in more than one way）， as any surfer would see right away。
Mandy
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An ageing surfer in Hawaii。 A man who has spent his whole life living for surfing， on an endless quest for the biggest， the perfect wave。 Bullied at school as a child for being a “haole”， a white boy， he finds his refuge and his safety in the surf。 Famous for a while， he’s now facing increasing irrelevance as his place is taken by younger surfers， many of whom haven't even heard of him。 And then things get even harder to handle when an accident challenges his sense of self-worth and his whole wa An ageing surfer in Hawaii。 A man who has spent his whole life living for surfing， on an endless quest for the biggest， the perfect wave。 Bullied at school as a child for being a “haole”， a white boy， he finds his refuge and his safety in the surf。 Famous for a while， he’s now facing increasing irrelevance as his place is taken by younger surfers， many of whom haven't even heard of him。 And then things get even harder to handle when an accident challenges his sense of self-worth and his whole way of life。 I found this a surprisingly compelling read， even though I have no interest in surfing。 That really doesn’t matter as at its heart is the story of man becoming increasingly old and vulnerable。 Joe Sharkey is a larger than life character and ultimately a very empathetic one。 And in fact I actually enjoyed the surfing parts of the book。 Theroux writes with great authority and vividness， and I could really sense the skill in riding and the excitement of surviving those big waves。 I also very much enjoyed the portrait of Hawaiian life and society， in all its complexity。 A couple of aspects of the book didn’t work so well for me， which make it a 4* rather than the 5* read it so nearly was。 The quest to discover the other man involved in the accident goes on for far too long。 And the introduction of Hunter S Thompson into the narrative is not only unnecessary but actually irritating。 I understand that Theroux knew Thompson so perhaps this is intended as some sort of homage。 But not only does the episode add nothing to Joe’s story， but it distracts by being a portrait of a particularly unlikeable man whose excesses are neither interesting nor admirable。 And it all makes an already long book even longer to no good end。 However， these are relatively minor quibbles as overall I really enjoyed this well-written and interesting novel and I was engaged by it pretty much throughout。 。。。more
Nelda Brangwin
，
When Joe Sharkey， surfing superstar， accidently kills a homeless man with his car he looks back on his life。 Arriving in Hawaii at the age of 10 with his father， a special forces colonel stationed there during the Vietnam War， Sharkey remembers being bullied as a “haole。” He credits a native Hawaiian surfer for his survival。 Becoming professional surfer， he travels the world。 As he reminisces， his girlfriend and he travel to Arkansas and California to find out more about the man he killed。 Thero When Joe Sharkey， surfing superstar， accidently kills a homeless man with his car he looks back on his life。 Arriving in Hawaii at the age of 10 with his father， a special forces colonel stationed there during the Vietnam War， Sharkey remembers being bullied as a “haole。” He credits a native Hawaiian surfer for his survival。 Becoming professional surfer， he travels the world。 As he reminisces， his girlfriend and he travel to Arkansas and California to find out more about the man he killed。 Theroux’s fans will find this book to be enjoyable as they are taken into the Hawaiian surf culture。 。。。more
Jeff Matlow
，
Paul Theroux is a very prolific writer - mostly a travel writer。 I’ve heard of him but never read his books until this one - Under The Wave at Waimea。 Wow it was good。 Really tough to put down。 The story is about Joe Sharkey， accomplished big wave surfer who is past his prime。 He’s in his 60s， never married， angry at the world， narcissistic。 The book takes you through his life， how he became who he was and then leads to an incident in which Da Shark is forced to confront himself。 Set on a backdr Paul Theroux is a very prolific writer - mostly a travel writer。 I’ve heard of him but never read his books until this one - Under The Wave at Waimea。 Wow it was good。 Really tough to put down。 The story is about Joe Sharkey， accomplished big wave surfer who is past his prime。 He’s in his 60s， never married， angry at the world， narcissistic。 The book takes you through his life， how he became who he was and then leads to an incident in which Da Shark is forced to confront himself。 Set on a backdrop of Hawaii， Paul has a talent for bringing everything to life - the people， the scenery， the ocean， everything。 It all seems so real。 My one not-as-positive feedback about this book is that it seems to be two novels put in one。 About 75% （300 pages） into it， it seemed to me it could wrap up and effectively end the story。 But， alas， the main incident happens and there is another 150 pages of that。 It’s not bad， it didn’t lose my attention， it makes sense in that the three sections of the book are the Present， the Past and the Future。 It was just surprising for me。 That aside， this book is great for anybody who loves literature and a good story。 If you like Paul Auster （great writing， great stories， makes you think）， you will love this Theroux book。 Now I’ve got to read some of his others。 #NetGalley #UnderTheWaveAtWaimea 。。。more
Lori L （She Treads Softly）
，
Under the Wave at Waimea by Paul Theroux is a highly recommended novel， especially for the right reader， of aging， mortality， but， most importantly， big-wave surfing。Joe Sharkey is a legendary big-wave surfer who is now in his sixties and past his prime。 Although there are some new， young surfers who realize who he is and recall his many incredible feats on the surfing circuit around the world， increasingly more of them don't recognize Sharkey。 Sharkey still checks out the wave forecast and trie Under the Wave at Waimea by Paul Theroux is a highly recommended novel， especially for the right reader， of aging， mortality， but， most importantly， big-wave surfing。Joe Sharkey is a legendary big-wave surfer who is now in his sixties and past his prime。 Although there are some new， young surfers who realize who he is and recall his many incredible feats on the surfing circuit around the world， increasingly more of them don't recognize Sharkey。 Sharkey still checks out the wave forecast and tries to surf everyday。 He seemingly has an ideal life now。 He is comfortable。 He is living with a much younger woman， Olive， a nurse from England。 But when Sharkey accidentally hits and kills a homeless man on a bicycle when driving home from a bar， he suddenly begins to question his mortality and begins repeating the many stories of his life to Olive。 She begins the process and encourages him to uncover the identity of the victim which will hopefully give him closure。The narrative also jumps back in time， to Sharkey's childhood， his family， and his start in surfing， as well as the bullying he experienced。 Then it covers his surfing life。 Basically， this is an in depth character study of a man who becomes a competitive surfer and follows his life， as he remembers it， in his search for the ultimate wave。 This is about Joe Sharkey， and it is a ponderous novel。 There is a whole lot of surfing in Under the Wave at Waimea， which is to be expected， and also a plethora of Hawaiian vocabulary， which can be frustrating without the context to always understand what is being said。 There are also passages of brilliant character insight along with vivid descriptions。The search for the identity and information about the man he killed， Max， does expand the focus of the novel and gives Sharkey a focus beyond his surfing stories。 It is this search that sets his own mortality before him and provides a new dimension to his character。 In the end， however， this is a well written character study of one man that suffers a bit from it's length and could use a bit of editing。 In the parts that are successful， it is amazing， but there are whole sections that could use some editing。 It also requires a higher degree of interest and appreciation of surfing than I expected。 Finally， Olive could have used more character development as she was an intriguing woman。 Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HMH Books in exchange for my honest opinion。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2021/0。。。 。。。more
Mark Walker
，
I’ve read and reviewed the last six books from the iconic travel writer， Paul Theroux， and was fortunate enough to snag a copy of the uncorrected proof of his next book， which will be available in mid-April。 Initially， I was unenthusiastic about reading about the life of an aging surfer in Hawaii， but after reading “On the Plain of Snakes” about Mexico， I felt sure he’d manage to turn Hawaii into one of his ebullient tomes—and I was not disappointed。 After all， the author has lived there for ove I’ve read and reviewed the last six books from the iconic travel writer， Paul Theroux， and was fortunate enough to snag a copy of the uncorrected proof of his next book， which will be available in mid-April。 Initially， I was unenthusiastic about reading about the life of an aging surfer in Hawaii， but after reading “On the Plain of Snakes” about Mexico， I felt sure he’d manage to turn Hawaii into one of his ebullient tomes—and I was not disappointed。 After all， the author has lived there for over 30 years， during which time he’s been gathering stories and materials about this unique 50th State。 Although he’s traveled the world， he lived the longest in Hawaii， whose complexity has fascinated him all that time。 In an article in Smithsonian Magazine entitled， “Paul Theroux’s Quest to Define Hawaii，” the author revealed， “My love of traveling to islands amounts to a pathological condition known as nesomania， an obsession with islands。 Each island is a small self-contained world than can help us understand larger ones。” He has written several fiction books like “Hotel Honolulu，” but said， “I have struggled as though against monster surf to write non-fiction about the islands。” Although he’s connected with people from different social classes and places in the world， he asked， “So why are the islands so difficult and why is a place like Hawaii， one of the 50 U。S。 States so uncooperative， so complex in its division？” The book begins with a quote from legendary Hawaiian surfer， Duke Kahanmoku， “Out of the water I’m nothing。” The protagonist， Joe Sharkey， “The Shark，” meets the Duke and seems to emulate his perspective on the meaning of life。 Initially， “The island has no bad days—he surfed like an otter on acid”。 Sharkey’s philosophy of life is summed up as， “I don’t want more than I have; therefore， I have everything。 It’s the economy of enough。” Sharkey is revered by many， but ignored by some of the younger surfers， generating this poignant passage， He thought with wonderment， I’m old。 When did it happen？ It wasn’t sudden—no illness， no failure; it had stolen upon him。 It could have been while I was surfing， going for smaller waves， becoming breathless and needing to rest as I paddled out。 Or maybe on the days I stayed home， making myself busy， unaware of time passing， and then it was sunset and too dark to go anywhere except to bed。 I hadn’t really noticed except for the ache in my knees some days。 And growing old is also becoming a stranger， with a different and unrecognizable face， withering to insignificance， ceasing to matter。 Nothing more will happen to me。 So soon， so soon—and how sad to know that I will only get older。 His life changes forever when， driving through a tropical thunderstorm with his British companion， Olive， he runs into and kills what he thought was a homeless man on a pushbike。 From this point on， the author takes us on a journey through what had been an unexamined life up to this point。 From a young， mediocre student， Sharkey constantly ditches school in order to hit the beach and surf。 His father is in the Special Forces in Vietnam and is more of a commander than a father。 After his death in a helicopter crash， his mother， although very wealthy， has a serious drinking problem。 Sharkey never really fits into his school， where he’s called an “Haole，” an outsider always picked on by the other children。 Surfing became his obsession and escape。 Hunter was one of the many memorable characters the author develops as part of Sharkey’s life journey。 A writer， his relationship with Sharkey’s represents his transition from a child to maturity。 Hunter was an advocate， praised him （although Sharkey never read his books）。 Hunter stops listening and begins withdrawing from life until he finally shoots himself。 Sharkey “found the wave but had no one to share it with。” Just when I was wondering where else the “Godfather of travel writing” would take us， Sharkey’s surfing competitions lead him to the far reaches of the surfing world like Tahiti， Cape Town， South Africa， and to the home of the “water monster”—Nazaré， Portugal， where the waves rise up over one hundred feet。 Sharkey considers this possibly life-ending experience the greatest feat a surfer can attain， and stays focused on riding the wave of his life。 Part three focuses on the mysterious identity of the homeless biker Sharkey ran into， and his world begins to crumble。 Upon arriving at their home after work， his British nurse companion， Olive， finds him “in a blank gaze， and sinking” and determines that the only way to get his life back on course is to identify who the man he killed was and accept his guilt。 Her normal supportive nature provides serious tough love for Sharkey:The police “gave you a pass… You’re a sixty-two-year-old man，” Olive said， holding him still， piercing him with her stare。 “You’re selfish， narcissistic， and ungrateful。 You’ve spent your whole life doing whatever the bloody hell you’ve wanted to， living on your mother’s money。 All I’ve ever heard from you is how awful the human race is， why most people are worthless， and why do women have children。 You’ve had every advantage and you’re still a misanthrope—and for your information， that’s someone who hates people。Sharkey and Olive begin to investigate the life of the man known as “Max，” which takes them to a homeless camp just fifteen minutes from their house。 Their shock at what they encounter is classic Theroux， a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who’s traveled the world meeting and questioning some of the most abandoned， isolated people in the world。 His attention to detail is uncanny: Olive saw again that the disorder of the camp was fixed and featureless， and so it was not a camp at all， but a settlement， like the ruin of a scattered household。 The burst cushion was left where it had been， those empty cans had not been picked up or kicked aside， the beach chair， the chewed boogie board， the mildewed mattress， the shredded plastic bags—all of it remained as they had seen it before， nothing moved or cleared， giving the squalor the look of solidity。 The same piercing smell， too， as before， wood smoke and damp rags and decaying food。 Olive was struck—not that it was ugly but that it seemed indestructible and everlasting。After several conversations with the household members in the homeless settlement they identify the biker and go to the Ozarks to find his family and， eventually， on to California to meet his ex-wife。 Max was actually a successful entrepreneur and sold his business to go to Hawaii and surf。 Bringing the story full circle， Max actually knew of and respected Sharkey。 Max’s wife admits to Sharkey how cruel she was to Max and mentions how much their “free spirits” have in common。 This encounter reflects the different types of people that arrive in Hawaii under very different circumstances and how their lives are often intertwined。 Dealing with the tragic accident and his turbulent past， Sharkey is “released” from the tragic past after meeting Max’s wife a second time while in California。 He finds his true calling when he begins teaching some young， novice surfers， reminding them， “In the water， you’re somebody special。 Remember that。” The author’s graceful use of language takes the reader through Sharkey’s life and reflects the cultural diversity that is Hawaii。 His use of “Pidgin” English gives the story a unique feel。 I was familiar with many of the terms， as it resembled “Krio” of Sierra Leone， where I worked for several years， but the author adds many native Hawaiian terms which add to the authenticity， “Oh， da cute！” “You try the pig？” Wallis said to Sharkey， tapping her chopsticks on the platter of dark shredded kalua pig。 “They imu it round the back。 Hee Hing famous for it。” Before Sharkey could respond， Winston said to his mother， “I told that fricken haole guy he never join the hui。 Hell with him。 He never bring no omiyage for present。”The author broadens the linguistic diversity with this passage about Sharkey’s companion。 At home， Olive was talkative， seeming to reassure herself， her characteristic and chatty back-and-forth， the way she muttered when she was alone， thinking out loud， more slangy and British when she talked to herself— grumble 。 。 。 “Cuppa tea would do me a power of good 。 。 。 Get cracking”—all of it unintelligible to Sharkey。 Theroux brings his tale to a close like few other writers， with the funeral for the deceased bike rider Max， Round him， in the lacework of sun-flecked shade， the surfers young and old， the young ones chattering， the older ones solemn and silent—Jock， Garrett， Brock， Ryan， the Florence brothers， and others on the beach sitting cross-legged， some pacing。 Sharkey recognized Stickney and Wencil， Alex， Fonoti and Frawley， and from the kapu camp Rhonda， Winona， and Kimo， and the schoolchildren gathered near them。 Skippy Lehua had come with some of his grommets， and Sugar with her three children， May and her Chinese husband。 All of them tense and tearful in their gaudy shirts。 Moe was there。 So was I。 “Insane，” Sharkey murmured。As we gathered on the foreshore， three black-and-white HPD police cruisers drew up at the edge of the parking lot。 Six officers got out and marched to the beach， where they stood in a line， at attention， and saluted。 Onlookers too， early risers， rock jumpers， beachgoers， gawkers， tourists， crowding the surfers。 A hoarse haole voice: “Some kind of Wayan ceremony？”Only to be topped off with this memorable last scene with Sharkey who， “…tipped his board into the wave’s shallow sloping face and got to his feet。 Without effort， like a hero on a flying carpet， not tensed in a surfer’s stance but standing confidently upright， a fearless boy again。 Hands on hips， he slid。”The author definitely dispels the popular image of some writers who stay for a week， gushing about the marvelous beaches， the excellent food， the heavenly weather， filling travel pages with holiday hyperbole。 As Theroux points out， “Hawaii has a well-deserved reputation as a special set of islands， a place apart， fragrant with blossoms， caressed by trade winds。， vibrant with the plucking of ukuleles， effulgent with sunshine spanking the water。。。” and none of this is wrong， although Theroux’s book shows that there so much more。 William Finnegan， author of Barbarian Days， winner of the Pulitzer Prize sums up the mastery of this book， “Extraordinary。 A frightening ride to the bottom of the soul of a man with a previously unexamined life。 This is contemporary Hawaii as it’s rarely evoked， with surfing strangely near its troubled heart。”The Author Paul Theroux’s novels include， “The Lower River” and “The Mosquito Coast，” and his renowned travel books include “Ghost Train to the Eastern Start， Dark Star Safari， and Deep South。 Several of his books have been adapted to major films。 He lives in Hawaii and on Cape Cod。 One of America’s hardest working writers， Theroux has written over 50 fiction and non-fiction books。 Book ReviewerWalker was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala and spent over forty years helping disadvantaged people in the developing world。 His memoir， Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond， was recognized by the Arizona Literary Association for Non-Fiction。 More than 25 of his articles were published in literary magazines， including one that received Honorable Mention from the Solas Literary Award for the Best Travel Writing， 2020， while another was an essay winner for the “Arizona Authors Association” 2020 Annual Literary Awards competition。 He’s a contributing author to “Revue Magazine” and has a column in the “Arizona Authors’ Association Newsletter，” which includes some of his 60 book reviews。 Walker is also producing a documentary on immigration in Guatemala。 His next book is tentatively entitled， The Moritz Thomsen Reader: His Books， His Letters and His Legacy Told by the Writers Who Knew Him Best。 He founded Million Mile Walker LLC in 2016。 His wife and three children were born in Guatemala。 He can be found at www。MillionMileWalker。com 。。。more
Dubi
，
The life of Hawaiian surfer Joe Sharkey is put under the microscope by Paul Theroux in （if my count is correct） his 60-somethingth book。 Across three sections， Theroux starts with the 60-something Shark still a surfing legend on the North Shore of Oahu but losing his mojo （and possibly his memory）， then goes into his backstory as a bullied army brat who finds peace and release in the water on a surfboard， and finally chronicles his transformation after a life-changing event。If you're a Theroux r The life of Hawaiian surfer Joe Sharkey is put under the microscope by Paul Theroux in （if my count is correct） his 60-somethingth book。 Across three sections， Theroux starts with the 60-something Shark still a surfing legend on the North Shore of Oahu but losing his mojo （and possibly his memory）， then goes into his backstory as a bullied army brat who finds peace and release in the water on a surfboard， and finally chronicles his transformation after a life-changing event。If you're a Theroux reader， as I was at least through Hotel Honolulu， which is now 20 years ago， you may find this to be reminiscent of that novel along with his best known novel， The Mosquito Coast， and his best known travel books， The Great Railway Bazaar and The Old Patagonian Express。 Set in Hawaii like Hotel Honolulu， taking you all over the world to big surf spots like his travel books， and pitting an idealistic， individualistic， somewhat misanthropic man against nature and native people like TMC。There is a lot of surfing。 I enjoyed it -- this is about a lifelong champion surfer， if there's not enough surfing you feel like you're missing out on a key element of your protagonist's character， but is there too much surfing in this book？ Not for me （and I've never surfed）。 The best part of Joe being a surfer are his trips to Tahiti， Christmas Island， South Africa， Portugal， and other locales （hence the comparison to Theroux's travel books）。There is a lot of character study。 This is all character study。 There is barely a plot -- something happens to Joe， it affects his life in unexpected ways， he and his girlfriend try to figure out why， and when they do， things change。 The plot is basically character study， and my only gripe there （being a big fan of literary fiction and its hyper-focus on character development） is that there is not enough on Joe's girlfriend and her backstory and motivation （some but not enough）。Overall， I unexpectedly loved this book。 The last time I tried to read Theroux， I got about 10% into Millroy the Magician and without actually making a decision on whether to continue， I just stopped reading， moved on to something else and did not want to return to it。 But this book sucked me in right away and kept me there。 Doesn't hurt that I love Hawaii （have been contemplating moving there for quite some time， as Theroux did） -- and it doesn't hurt that this book has not a moment to spare for touristy Hawaii， taking us into a deep dive （pun intended） into real Hawaiian culture。If I have one gripe， it's the section on Hunter Thompson。 I know Theroux was close to him， and I assume that part of the book is autobiographical。 But I feel that it is a waste of time in an already long book， and I feel that it runs contrary to Joe's character arc -- for a lifelong loner who never suffered fools， or even non-fools， I don't get Joe's devotion to Thompson， who in fact is a major league fool （sorry， Paul， that's what I thought of him before， and still do after reading your take）。Thanks to NetGalley for this unique opportunity to read in advance the latest work of one of my favorite authors （despite my lapse over the past couple of decades）。 And thanks to Paul Theroux for a new novel that harks back to my favorite writings from his bibliography。 I've traveled to all seven continents， inspired not wholly or even majorly， but in some small part by Theroux's novels， set all over the world， his personal story， also set all over the world， and of course his travel writings。 。。。more
Jean-Luc
，
This latest novel from Paul Theroux reads like a biography， the fictional biography of Joe Sharkey， a 62 year old man who has given his entire life to surfing at the cost of neglecting everything else around him。 It is a very emotional piece of fiction from an American master。 A powerful testament to human resilience and an ode to the beauty and the fragility of Hawaii。 The reader will follow Sharkey as he struggles to overcome a bitter existential crisis and recapture a sense of normalcy in his This latest novel from Paul Theroux reads like a biography， the fictional biography of Joe Sharkey， a 62 year old man who has given his entire life to surfing at the cost of neglecting everything else around him。 It is a very emotional piece of fiction from an American master。 A powerful testament to human resilience and an ode to the beauty and the fragility of Hawaii。 The reader will follow Sharkey as he struggles to overcome a bitter existential crisis and recapture a sense of normalcy in his life。 I was actually very surprised because by the end of the novel I was shedding tears。。。Many thanks to Netgalley & Houghton Mifflin for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel prior to its release date 。。。more
Andrew Smith
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Joe Sharkey is a big wave surfer。 At sixty two maybe his best days are behind him， but when he wakes every day his first thought is still to check out how the waves are today， and living on Hawaii’s North Shore he’s in the perfect spot to take advantage of any opportunity to wax his board and get in amongst them 。 He can throw his board on top of his car for a quick drive to the beach or if he feels like it he can even put it under his arm and walk there， it’s close enough。 The waves here can be Joe Sharkey is a big wave surfer。 At sixty two maybe his best days are behind him， but when he wakes every day his first thought is still to check out how the waves are today， and living on Hawaii’s North Shore he’s in the perfect spot to take advantage of any opportunity to wax his board and get in amongst them 。 He can throw his board on top of his car for a quick drive to the beach or if he feels like it he can even put it under his arm and walk there， it’s close enough。 The waves here can be immense， up to forty feet high and only experienced surfers are skilled enough to take them on。 But Sharkey – known as The Shark in these parts – has seen it all and done it all， he’s surfed all over the world and won many prestigious competitions， the waves hold no fear for him and they roll in biggest at Waimea Bay。On this day we witness just how perfect his life can be。 When he wakes he has uncomplicated sex with his live in lover， Olive， an English nurse he met some six weeks ago。 When she’s departed for work he gathers fruit and eggs from his garden， feeds his chickens and admires the local flora and fauna before having a lazy breakfast and then he’s off to the beach。 He surfs and swims and sleeps on the beach when he’s tired。 In this way the whole day passes and as light dims he makes his way home。 We learn of his early life， his struggles as a non-native Hawaiian， a haole， resulting in some bullying at school and Joe’s regular escape to the beach as an alternative to attending lessons。 His father was a forbidding military man， a Colonel who was seldom at home， and his mother someone who he struggled to find a bond with。 But as a loner， a sea dog， he found his place amongst the waves。 Later， when he’d become a ‘name’， he became friends with the legendary journalist and author Hunter S。 Thompson， with whom he shared some bizarre episodes。 He had no interest in what was going on in the wider world， saw no need to clutter his mind with extraneous knowledge。 So in time his own world became a very simple one， he’d tell stories of his adventures， drink， smoke quite a bit of pakalolo， enjoy the company of women and most importantly he’d surf。 But then it changed。 An incident occurred and suddenly a rude interruption is introduced to this comfortable life。 It could be said that not much happens in this story， and to some extent that is true， except it misses the point that there is just so much texture to this book。 It’s a deep exploration of one man: who he is， what made him that way， and a reminder that things that can come along to derail any human being。 It’s about private thoughts and relationships and what makes people what they are。 The comparison between Sharkey and his friend Hunter is an interesting one: they are very different people – Thompson wild and constantly seeking attention and Sharkey the quiet， storytelling loner – but more than that， it’s clear that the writer will leave his mark on the world， the indelible footprint of his work， whilst lacking video evidence of his achievements Joe’s actions are instantly erased。 Theroux’s writing had me entranced from the start。 I believed in this man， I thought I understood him – I envied him。 But then I was reminded that life is more complex than that， that people are more fragile， that the good times are not a permanent feature in anyone’s life。 But then it’s about how we deal with the challenges that are thrown at us and who we have around us to lean on and who can support us。 There are elements here that will， I think， frustrate some readers - they might find the surfing episodes somewhat repetitious， the regular use of Hawaiian words （often unexplained） frustrating and， late in the book， the lack of challenge to Sharkey in respect of his actions bemusing – but that’s for others to judge。 For me， these were minor irritations in what I found to be a totally engrossing， thought provoking and an absolutely memorable reading experience。 It’s a chunky book and it took me a while to work through it and I found myself becoming more and more interested in the sheer excitement of surfing， to the extent I began watching online videos of surfers doing their thing at the spots featured in the book。 And there’s a long-term goal that Sharkey regularly alludes to within the story， that of tracking down and surfing the largest wave of them all – the Big Mamma， a hundred foot monster。 And in my internet surfing （excuse the pun） I came across the story of real life surfer Garrett McNamara who， it’s clear， is the inspiration for some of the action in this book。 Garrett is actually featured in the narrative， but I’ll not spoil the fun by disclosing any more than that here。 A wonderful book， brilliantly written， and one that will undoubtedly live long in my memory。My thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Brittney Chabot
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I could not get through the e-book version provided by NetGalley。 I wanted to enjoy the story but have decided that e-reading is impossible for me so I will update this review when it is released。
Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell
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Getting an ARC of this book！
Michelle
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This just kept plodding along。 I think there might have been a decent story buried in there somewhere， but I feel like some major editing is needed （especially for the middle part that went back to Joe's younger years）。 This was probably 1。5 stars for me， rounded up as I liked the descriptions of Hawaii。Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 This just kept plodding along。 I think there might have been a decent story buried in there somewhere， but I feel like some major editing is needed （especially for the middle part that went back to Joe's younger years）。 This was probably 1。5 stars for me， rounded up as I liked the descriptions of Hawaii。Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Under the Wave at Waimea
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Under the Wave at Waimea&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft