The Maldives: Islamic Republic, Tropical Autocracy Paperback – January 15, 2016

I sat down intending to read a chapter or two of this book before bed, and was instead rather surprised to see the sun coming up as I turned the 100th page.“The Maldives” is a (perhaps unexpectedly?) pleasant surprise, and a thoroughly entertaining and recommended read. Equal parts investigative journalism, socio-political study, memoir, and How-To for the aspiring masochistic expat journalist, the author pulls off with style the rather ambitious feat of telling the modern history of a nation, from perspectives local to global. It's a credit to the author that I found myself chuckling out loud on almost every page-- it takes a great deal of tact to hint at the existential humor of an oppressive, hypocritical, and at times homicidally a-moral dictator (society?) without ever crossing the line into gauche or relying on sensationalism. Walking that line is where the author really shines, creating a fascinating and entertaining narrative in which through the use of wry humor, frank observation, and a touch of sarcasm, the writing itself imbues the subject matter with interest (for those of us not personally invested in the Maldives), rather than the other way around. It's easy to let banal writing be carried by a pop topic, but it takes real talent to create in the reader, “ex nihilo”, a genuine passion about a subject matter to which they were previously entirely apathetic.Ultimately the only thing which might hold this book back is the fairly nebulous subject matter-- not because it's too ambitious for the author to handle, because to the contrary the book seamlessly weaves together a staggering variety of topics, timelines, perspectives, and characters without so much as a hiccup in flow or lag in readability. I can personally attest that once a reader picks up the book they'll be delighted by how quickly it captures their interest and then consistently holds it. While I have no doubt that any intelligent consumer would enjoy this book, it's also hard to imagine the average reader buying it on a lark, which is truly a shame. The title certainly does it no favors here, as it appears at first glance to be an intimidating historical and political compendium of an island nation of which-- in full honesty-- most of the public isn't sufficiently interested to invest in a textbook. If one then looks a little closer at the cover, which features an underwater presidential Cabinet meeting, one may get a hint this isn't your average dry (pun intended) dissertation.But those who do take the risk are sure to be pleasantly surprised and glad that they did. The writing itself is an absolute pleasure, and the subject matter is consistently fascinating and enlightening. Buy it. Read it. Display it in your home or place of business to impress friends and acquaintances with you literary acumen and worldliness. You won't regret it.