The pews of Coral Gables Congressional Church weren’t filled with worshippers on Wednesday evening, but with devoted readers. They came to see Florida’s sharpest satirist, Carl Hiaasen, whose newest novel “Fever Beach” continues his 40-year tradition of poking fun at Florida’s unique issues.
When asked what makes this city different from anywhere else, Hiaasen didn’t hold back.
“It’s got a glorious history of corruption going back to the late 1930s, 1940s,” he explained. “I think it attracts those folks as well as it attracts people for the climate. The climate comes first, and the sort of predatory class of humans comes next. It’s a multiplier effect on the weirdness.”
Hiaasen’s books are filled with Florida’s wildest stories. His novel “Bad Monkey” recently jumped from page to screen as an Apple TV+ series shot on location in the Florida Keys.
“It is always like, ‘Oh God, I hope they don’t screw it up’,” Hiaasen admitted about the adaptation. “I was very pleasantly surprised with ‘Bad Monkey’ and Vince Vaughn. I thought they did a great job with that character.”
When asked if there’s a bit of himself in Vaughn’s character. particularly the “smart-ass part,” Hiaasen laughed and agreed, “Oh yeah, definitely.”
New book inspired by real life incident
“Fever Beach” hits close to home. Hiaasen revealed he got the idea after finding antisemitic flyers in his own neighborhood. In classic Hiaasen style, he channeled his outrage into satire.
“When I see something as sick as that, I always think of somebody’s behind this and wouldn’t it be fun to imagine their lives in a novel and, and also they get what they deserve,” Hiaasen said. “That’s the other thing that’s very selfish about writing novels, the bad guys in my case get exactly what they deserve, but it’s usually done poetically and very tastefully. It’s not just gore.”
Having evolved from a beat reporter to a celebrated novelist, Hiaasen has built a special relationship with his Florida readers over the decades.
Florida fans just get it
“There’s nothing like a Florida crowd because they get it,” Hiaasen said . “You don’t have to explain a single joke. You say one word and they start laughing because they know exactly what you’re talking about.”
His fans enthusiastically agree.
“He writes about real things with such a sense of humor and irony. It’s just real life,” Linda Kroner said.
“I think it’s his ability to capture the nation’s shortcomings through his political humor and satire. I just think he’s really good at laughing at society, and also he’s a local, so he gets it,” Raj Tawney said.
“Fever Beach” is available wherever books are sold. After completing his 11-city book tour, Hiaasen plans to return to Florida, where he’ll get back on the water and return to his beloved fly fishing.
