Island of the Sequined Love Nun
 American paperback cover (Perennial) | |
| Author | Christopher Moore |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Romance, Comedy |
| Publisher | Avon |
Publication date | 1997 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 325 pp. |
| ISBN | 0-06-073544-9 |
| OCLC | 56195254 |
| Preceded by | Bloodsucking Fiends |
| Followed by | The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove |
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.
Plot
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 States, so he accepts a lucrative offer from a doctor-missionary on a remote Micronesian island to transport cargo to and from the island and Japan.
Tuck moves to the island with a Filipino trans woman navigator and a talking fruit bat. There Tuck eventually uncovers a horrible secret harbored by the doctor and his wife, who capitalized on fact that the island natives are 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 over 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 an old girlfriend named Zoophilia (similar to Ophelia). While approaching the house in a rage he runs over Zoophilia's father. Zoophilia meets her demise by taking a handful of Prozac and a mouthful of water then drowns in her hot tub, grief-stricken. Before Tuck leaves he is threatened by Zoophilia's brother.