My Third-World Girlfriend by RJ Silver
Hee heee heeee....Oh lordy! RJ Silver does indeed have a wicked sense of humor. I have been plowing through all of his books, and I just finished his latest offering, My Third-World Girlfriend.
Once again, he combines sharp and stinging wit with a sweet romance. This is a quick read, but filled with humor, social commentary, and a tender love story. Our hero, Gerry, is a bumbling westerner who has a dismal history with women. He makes the unfortunate acquaintance of three misogynist old geezers who talk him into chucking his old life and travelling to Thailand, where there are plenty of willing women, cold beers, and general debauchery.
Gerry meets the woman of his dreams (Kinlaya) while puking his guts out on a sidewalk after an all-night bender. This inevitably leads to some conflict with his womanizing partners-in-crime, who worry that his new relationship will lead to his emasculation and a lifetime of being hen-pecked.
At one point he meets his friends in a bar and realizes he has no money (his girlfriend hides his cash to invest in their future)....
"Say, you guys don't happen to have a few baht you could loan me, do you? I seem to have left my money back home."
"Vhere?" asked Fritz. "In the jar with your testicles?"
Poor Gerry. He falls in love with his sweet new girlfriend, but as the grown-up responsibilities of real life close in (running errands, cleaning dishes, building shoe shelves for Kinlaya), so does his uncertainty. I don't want to spoil the hilarious ending of this story for you, but suffice it to say it involves a shipwreck, de-programming by Amazonian natives, and a lovely Happy Ever After (HEA).
I'm not sure how he does it, but Silver manages to skewer the a-holes exploiting women from third world countries, paint a sympathetic portrait of the bumbling hero, and weave a sweet romance together in one short story. Some satires are scathing and depressing as hell. I always finish reading one of RJ's stories with a big smile on my face.
Another winner by RJ Silver! Keep 'em coming, RJ! :^)
Grade: A
P.S. I would also like to point out that all of Silver's stories are self-pubbed. I can't speak for the rest of the self-published books in the world, but I know there is still quite a bit of skepticism and snobbery concerning self-pubbed/"indie" books. ("Indie" actually refers to small independent presses, but there is confusion about these terms.) For anyone who still considers a self-pubbed book a "second class citizen" I suggest you read one of RJ's books. These are well-written, well-constructed, entertaining, clever, unique and quirky bits of storytelling. All topped off with an HEA, which makes them damned near perfect in my not so humble opinion. Yep, I am officially an RJ Silver fan-girl/stalker. No restraining orders necessary, RJ! I swear!
As of 10-13-11 (the date I am writing this post), his story The Princess and The Penis is ranked #6 on the Amazon romance bestseller list. Are you kidding me? A small self-pubbed book that is a satire of the princess and the pea is in the Top 10! Take that, big-ass New York publishers! Woo hoo! His success story is inspirational for authors everywhere.
Happily ever after,
Penelope
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