BARBARA OAKLEY Explorations in mind and place
Hair of the Dog: Tales from Aboard a Russian TrawlerBarbara Oakley's riveting portrayal of espionage, lust, comic adventure, hard work—and harder drinking—brings to life a little-known episode of American history when two cold-warring nations got together to fish the north Pacific. Oakley proved to be a resourceful Russian translator—one who could silence the KGB with a squirt gun or handle a mob of drunken Russians seeking nirvana at K-Mart in downtown Portland. She is an equally imaginative author who has provided one of those rarest of book finds: a reflection upon an unknown world; and entertaining tale of adventure; and a thought-provoking examination of the intertwining consequences of fanaticism, greed, and opportunity. ISBN: 087422134X Excerpt from Chapter Seven "Hello, I am Your American Suitcase" When you are stinking drunk, there is nothing more breathtakingly beautiful than riding an open lifeboat in heavy seas by moonlight at two in the morning. The waves curl lovingly upwards to plant salty, wet kisses on your brow; the foam froths by as if you were riding on a wedding cake. Moonshine fills the sky, pouring though the edges of silver clouds, forming halos everywhere you look. You anticipate the swoops and dives of your boat, and roller-coaster-like, you wedge yourself into your seat and shriek for the very glee of it, for the wonder of it. We swooped through another watery glissando, and I gazed dopily through the darkness at the lights of the Muis Yegorova, a quarter mile ahead of us. “The always revealing, sometimes explosive and often hilarious world of Oakley's joint venture is told with a dry wit that never obscures the characters. It's a book any reader is sure to drink up.” — Brian Arundel, National Fisherman |
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