Island of the Sequined Love Nun
Encyclopedia
Island of the Sequined Love Nun (ISBN 0-06-073544-9) is the fourth novel
by absurdist
author Christopher Moore, published in 1997. It is based partly on the author's personal experiences in Micronesia
.
, so he accepts a lucrative offer from a doctor-missionary on a remote Micronesia
n island to transport cargo to and from the island and Japan
.
Tuck moves to the island, along with a male Filipino
transvestite navigator and a talking fruit bat
. There Tuck eventually uncovers a horrible secret harbored by the doctor and his wife, who have taken advantage of fact that the natives of the island have fallen under the influence of a cargo cult
that developed as a result of establishment by Allies
of an air runway there during World War II
. Tuck's shock at the gruesome immorality of the situation leads to an adventurous and suspenseful climax.
Tuck is then summoned by a past girlfriend named Zoophilia
(similar to Ophelia). While approaching the house in a blind rage he runs over Zoophilia's father. Zoophilia meets her demise with a handful Prozac and a mouthful of water as she drowns in a hot tub, grief stricken. Before Tuck leaves he is threatened by Zoophilia's brother.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by absurdist
Absurdist fiction
Absurdist fiction is a genre of literature, most often employed in novels, plays or poems, that focuses on the experiences of characters in a situation where they cannot find any inherent purpose in life, most often represented by ultimately meaningless actions and events...
author Christopher Moore, published in 1997. It is based partly on the author's personal experiences in Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
.
Plot
The main character, Tucker Case (Tuck), is a pilot for a cosmetics company, who crashes the company plane while having sex. This event causes Tuck to be blacklisted from flying in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, so he accepts a lucrative offer from a doctor-missionary on a remote Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
n island to transport cargo to and from the island and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Tuck moves to the island, along with a male Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
transvestite navigator and a talking fruit bat
Megabat
Megabats constitute the suborder Megachiroptera, family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera . They are also called fruit bats, old world fruit bats, or flying foxes.-Description:...
. There Tuck eventually uncovers a horrible secret harbored by the doctor and his wife, who have taken advantage of fact that the natives of the island have fallen under the influence of a cargo cult
Cargo cult
A cargo cult is a religious practice that has appeared in many traditional pre-industrial tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced cultures. The cults focus on obtaining the material wealth of the advanced culture through magic and religious rituals and practices...
that developed as a result of establishment by Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
of an air runway there during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Tuck's shock at the gruesome immorality of the situation leads to an adventurous and suspenseful climax.
Shakespearian allusions
In chapter 8, "The Humiliation of the Pilot As a Passenger," Moore alludes to the Shakespeare play, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Tuck is the heir to the Denmark Silverware Corporation, much like Hamlet being the prince. Later Tuck's mother marries his uncle after her husband has a not-so-accidental riding accident resulting in his death.Tuck is then summoned by a past girlfriend named Zoophilia
Zoophilia
Zoophilia, from the Greek ζῷον and φιλία is the practice of sex between humans and non-human animals , or a preference or fixation on such practice...
(similar to Ophelia). While approaching the house in a blind rage he runs over Zoophilia's father. Zoophilia meets her demise with a handful Prozac and a mouthful of water as she drowns in a hot tub, grief stricken. Before Tuck leaves he is threatened by Zoophilia's brother.