The Hero of Blind Pig Island and Other Island Stories

by Jimmy Olsen

This collection of island stories carries the reader from daring adventures beneath the Caribbean Sea to tense conflict on a deserted island near the Canadian border. Love stories and private eyes, a boy living on a lonely salt cay and a girl's dream of freedom at sea, hurricanes and heroes -- all told with humor ad the insight that comes from firsthand experience.

247 pages, Paperback

First published December 21, 2012

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever steered clear of a short story collection, because, well, they are just too short to connect with, I'm recommending you try The Hero of Blind Pig Island by Jimmy Olsen! Each story is like a complete mini-novel! Perfect to satisfy that "need-to-read" when time is short, I actually have been reading a story or two a day.

PARTY GIRL, the first in the line up is plucky, comical, a little out there, with its crazy premise! Ever been to a reception introducing new employees to the core group where there is the sizing up, the scrutiny, and (gasp, the forbidden spiked punch? There were no lampshades on heads, but trust, they weren't needed!

With titles such as SEA SALT, GREEN BANANA MAN, WORMWOOD, DENISE, and THE HERO OF BLIND PIG ISLAND, among the others, I was intrigued, I laughed, I rooted for the characters and I enjoyed the crisp writing style of author Jimmy Olsen who could change the attitude and pace of each story with ease as he mentally took me to places where the sea breeze smelled just right, Mother Nature's violence couldn't deter a hurricane party, and the darkness of a Schoolmaster could be chillingly felt, as we were invited inside his mind.

Short on words, but long on detail, each tale is well-told, diverse and engaging! I found my favorite island story, and bet you will, too! Where has this gem been hiding?

I would like to thank author Jimmy Olsen for providing me this review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Publication Date: August, 2012/December 21, 2012
Publisher: Hoffman House Press
ISBN: 0980183561 (ISBN13: 9780980183566)
Number of Pages: 247
Genre: Adult Fiction/Short Stories
Rating: 5 Stars
Available at: Amazon



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[Julie Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hero of Blind Pig Island by Jimmy Olsen
What attracted me to this book is the water and I live on an island and you have a choice of 3 bridges to get to the mainland. Off the coast is a smaller island where I spent many a summer and weekends year round that has dirt roads and no real stores.
I liked most of the short stories as they are so diverse. The ones I had a real bond to are: Denise who over the years has challenged herself to succeed as a diver instructor and her teacher and her meet on many lands. I loved that this book took me to new places, being blind I may never visit them. I was able to learn new things-mostly about diving and you know the author is telling his life stories in this book-the details are so precise.
The Hurricane Georges Journal was another one I have a strong bond to as I've lived through many a hurricane here on the east coast of the US. Interesting to see that they have party during the storm where we usually have them after-no power so we use our grills to cook up the food in the freezer and share with the neighbors. SPAM-nothing else needs to be said about this.
Really loved the fact that the stories were NOT from the exact same island and to me they were an adventure to a land undiscovered by me. Details are so very descriptive-I felt like I was there.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0 out of 5 stars It makes me feel refreshed, like I've been on vacation.
Lisa B. "Lisa B."  See all my reviews
(Kindle Edition)
The Hero of Blind Pig Island and Other Island Stories, brought me peace, and I'm staying another couple of weeks! Jimmy Olsen's, 'feel good', book was just what I needed.

Olsen has shown me that short stories are like small savory bites of your favorite food.

I've never had the opportunity to visit the Caribbean, but now I have! Each tale, may be more truth, than fiction. I can feel it. I felt my heart pound with each description of the surf, waves and authentic danger.

The very pregnant woman and her lost family, had me filled with anxiety and fear ... the woman who couldn't be rescued ... loved ones, lost forever.

Each story, each character, were so real to me. Some stories, I didn't want to end. I'll miss those people. People. I'll miss their everyday normal existence. I will miss my new friends.

Thank you Jimmy, for letting me forget the Midwest for awhile.

[Carol (StarAngel's Reviews) Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hero of Pig Island and Other Island Stories is a fine collection of 12 short stories set in and around the Dominican Republic. The cover photo is wistful: Blue sky with fluffy clouds over a lovely rolling sea and a sandy beach... One story led to another and the more I read the more I appreciated this author’s storytelling and wonderful subject matter, setting and characters. I mean, what’s not to like about reading tales set on the sandy beaches of the Caribbean Sea or below its fascinating depths, tales about love, relationships, culture, lifestyle and daring-do in a southern clime? And tales set mostly in the 1970's-80's, some current day. I came of age in the heady days of the ‘70's so these stories really resonated with me and by the time the last page was turned I so longed for a tranquil spot on a smooth beach in the Bahamas by a turquoise sea...
Jimmy Olsen has an impressive bio and besides writing has had a few jobs like deep sea diving, teaching English, and assorted journalistic positions. It’s no wonder his stories have an air of ownership and believability and just plain good writing.
The first story pretty much introduces us to a couple of recurring characters but the upshot of Party Girl is delightfully surprising. Not what you think, and, in fact, quite amusing. Party girl Prissy is carried from party to party, house to house. Why? Because she is rather drunk and someone must take care of her while teacher colleagues kick start their teaching year at an overseas school in the tropics. The teachers are a rather ribald and gritty bunch with mismatched spouses or none at all. Enter Prissy who won’t remember one bit of her adventurous evening. Sweet and short and succinctly but colourfully told. Pitch perfect dialog.
Denise tells the tale of a young girl uncertain of her ability to dive but who grows into a woman who certainly can, once she decides she can, and nails the diving scene down in warm tropics. She fulfills her dream job and has the opportunity to share a dive with her old instructor one lovely day in the Caribbean. In fact, she helps him out of a tricky spot down deep. Payback maybe for him helping her choose to dive or not way back when they trained on the brisk North Shore. Poignant story, thoughtful in the last few pages. No spoilers here. Author paints a gorgeous picture of the deeps with an economy of words.
This story, Sea Salt, had me dreaming of sandy beaches, cloudless skies and lapping warm sea water...not a bad way to feel in February in Toronto! I could see it, taste it and smell it, the sheltered bay, the boy and the old man fishing. Then a startling thing happens: a fancy boat crashes into the reef. The boy sees the whole thing, the lady with golden hair on the bridge gets flung off, somewhere he can’t see. Boy learns a great lesson. What the sea gives, and takes.
Green Banana Man is a delightful story. Picture a husband and his wife, a very pregnant and irritated woman with a small daughter in tow, their non English speaking maid in the back, in a semi drive able car pitching to and fro along a tropical path just big enough for a vehicle, searching
for the sea where they plan to spend the day. How can they not find the sea on an island they marvel?! Rosa the maid solves the problem and scurries off to find a bunch of villagers who take them in for refreshments and a gaggle of men surround the car to figure out why it spluttered and died. It is the most peaceful thing the wife declares of her time with the ladies, while the husband is at wits' end. The ‘green banana’ solution is priceless and finally the beach is found where American gas guzzler cars are parked and the beach is packed. Simpleness versus civilization. I get it, and I agree with the wife! Superbly told.
More like a small novella, Reservado is a love story, a reminiscence tale of the two lovers at a last dinner in the Café where they always meet at the same reserved table. They remember the beautiful day and the terrible night spent several years before on a perilous dive, how close it brought them, closer than being married which they thought they would and yet, no, did not happen. The dive boat left them during their deep dive with two other couples, both French and suspicious of the Americans and did not want to follow Jack’s directions for survival in swimming to reach shore, 9 miles away. This story puts you right there in harm’s way for the sea is alive with danger when there is a storm rocking you with huge waves and pelting rain, sea creatures you do not want to meet are below somewhere, the salt, the tank and all the dive bits mean complete attention must be paid while you swim and swim and swim. Jack and Laura do reach the land after many, many hours in the water by trusting, common sense and water smarts, and luck. That their love story ends is inevitable but the ending, oh, the ending...like a cliffhanger!
We leave the warmth of the Caribbean in the next story, The Hero of Blind Pig Island. Set up north with a Canadian feel of cool forests and good fishing off protected coves, a grandpa and his grandson spend a good day with their lines after a weenie roast enjoyed after a sudden rain shower. No worries. But a houseboat appears off shore with chaser boats looking for somewhere to drop anchor so the guests can frolic in the water and party. Chaser guy wants Grandpa to move his little boat to another spot in the National Park area. Not doing says Grandpa. Standoff. Gary-grandpa, outsmarts the chaser guy-Jason in the end and his peacemaking has them doing something unexpected. Delightful story where you can smell the roasted wieners, smell the trees after the rain, feel the chill of the water, the summer heat, and appreciate the dialog and characters. Very nice.
Olsen employs a keen wit in most of the male characters in this collection and especially the recurring ones, like the narrator. The Private Eye is a comedy of errors, hilarious at times, laugh out loud funny and the ending is quick and priceless. Some really great lines, “Literature?” “Literature. Oh, so sweet. Literature. Sounds a little light in the loafers to me. Know what I mean?” This is response to what the teacher teaches to the local kids on the island.
It’s not all sand and sea in the islands. Wormwood is a short and snappy story about living in an apartment, with two balconies, mind you, the top floor of a house owned by an old doc and his prissy stuck up wife. It is a tale about being in comers, foreigners in a country who puts up with you but does not embrace you but will take your pesos. Americans, they figure, can spare the cash. Our couple suffers through some indignities but the final straw is quick and surprising.
Hurricane Georges Journal is a quick nerve wracking story for the reader but the characters are not too bothered by the storm on their first trip back in 25 years to the island where a lot of their life unfolded. The whole grownup family is vacationing. Dynamics way different than before when the couple was a young married couple. A fine moment at the end of this tale.
Another fast paced hilarious and heroic tale in the Revenge of the Schoolmasters follows and if you know anything about teaching in an overseas/international school you will appreciate this wacky tale with truthful elements. Lusting after choice positions is universal, after all. Harry and Norm, unlikely heroes, save the ass of their superintendent by ridding the school of irksome staff and students in a clever way. Most enjoyable short tale!
Perhaps the only story I did not love is The Missionaries. Two brothers who claim to be missionaries without a church and who preach on the streets and are madder than a hatter try to make friends, maybe, with the narrator who is, like them, from Minnesota. But,that does not make them neighbours or kindred souls.
The last story, Wet Passage, is a fine tale to finish off this collection. A deep dive goes wrong when an ageing dive master has to fetch one of the divers, a fit but full of himself 73 year old from a move deeper than the 120 allotted feet. Oh, how easy it is to be dazzled by the sights of the deep, the colours, the creatures, the clear water that goes on and on and on....What an ending, masterfully told in concise sentences.
An excellent group of island stories, told simply and with humour and a superb command of the language of writing. Highly recommended.

[TammyJo Eckhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve short stories that explore island life through the eyes of a Gringo teacher, diver, or local folks. All are well-crafted with solid slice-of-life and era specific descriptions that might offend some readers today, but which are honest. Five of the stories include the same characters, a teacher, Clive, and his wife, Patricia, at various points in their life in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s and 1970s. I really wish that set of five were organized in a chronological fashion; it would have made the flow of the events work more smoothly for me as a reader.

Note: I received a free, signed copy of this book directly from the author at a convention in the hopes that I would review it.

[Sabne Raznik · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Paradox of 'Other'"

The Hero of Blind Pig Island by Jimmy Olsen starts with a party and ends with a drowning, but don't let that sober fact discourage you.

Jimmy Olsen spent some months in the Dominican Republic and this collection of short stories has a strong autobiographical feel. Almost all of the wifely characters in the various stories are named Patricia, which greatly contributes to this feeling. The recurring theme of scuba diving does as well.

Some of the diving passages get rather technical in language and this slows down the narrative. I was reminded of Moby Dick in this regard, although the effect in Olsen's stories is nowhere near that extreme.

The beguiling aspect of this collection is its attempt to present third world life through the eyes of first world - but fully immersed - sojourners. This book tastes of salt and sweat. One literally feels the heat of the tropical city streets and feels the thirst caused by sea water. We visit teachers' parties, restaurants, rural villages, islands. We find ourselves caught up in the paradoxes of city squalor and yachts. We experience a hurricane that blows away McDonalds' golden arches and having to swim for miles in the open ocean hoping to survive to walk on land again. We also experience violence surrounding opportunities for promotion at a school and have an interesting encounter with two elderly Lutheran missionaries. When we close the book we feel sunburnt and bleached, thirsty, and ashamed of our abundance.

Olsen tries to give us all viewpoints. The underlying current of these stories seems to be how humanity views "others". Sometimes we look at the privileged vacationers through the eyes of the natives; sometimes we are the foreigners contemplating the exotic. This book is opening a dialogue between the two, sometimes with greater success and sometimes with less. The dialog is always engaging and doesn't shy from a few hard questions. Olsen is at his best when he asks these questions and requires a response, but does so subtly.

The Hero of Blind Pig Island is entertaining, but wise enough not leave it at just that.

[Corri Van de stege · Rating 4 out of 5]

According to his author page Jimmy Olsen is a bit of an adventurer, a diver, a teacher of English and various other things and has lived in the Dominican Republic where, for a while, he taught English at a private American school. These stories reflect his experience and are all set in the Caribbean; they convey some of its unique atmosphere and the environment of living as a foreigner in a hot country with quite a different culture from that of your own. The stories are about teachers and divers as well as some of the inhabitants who are viewed from the perspective of an outsider. They are quite unique stories, well written and a pleasure to read. One story that stuck out for me is the story of Denise who as a young girl at a diving school is scared of diving but who perseveres and overcomes her fear and becomes an expert professional diver. I loved the way the narrator elicits the diving experiences, the fear and the beauty of under water life and then the ultimate tragic end. A story about going back to the Caribbean and experiencing a hurricane is equally well written, Hurricane Georges Journal.

I should add that one of the stories is less attractive and I was not sure whether it was meant to be funny, conveying a sense of misplaced comedy, or whether the author intended to convey the dark side of the narrator, who comes across as a real prig. Party Girl is about a new teacher, a girl, who is fed so much alcohol that the narrator’s wife has to stand guard against potential rapist colleagues. I felt slightly uneasy reading this and thought it was a pity that this was the very first story in the book especially as all subsequent stories are good reads, for example Reservado, in which a woman goes in search of her past and Sea Salt in which a boy, who lives with his grandparents, is fishing with his grandfather when they see a boat crash in the shallows on the shore.
If you like short stories as I do, then this could definitely be one to add to your collection. The stories are short and readable so that for newcomers to reading short stories this is as good a place to start as any.

[Chrissy (The Every Free Chance Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Did I enjoy this book: This review is really a mixed bag. It’s hard to review a short story anthology when you loved some stories and hated others.

First, the positive: Mr. Olsen autographed the books he sent EFC for review. It buttered me up before I started reading. Nice touch.

I really enjoyed several of the stories. My favorite two were “Denise” and “The Hero of Blind Pig Island.” Both stories had endearing characters and strong emotional messages. Olsen has a down to earth, homey style of writing that makes you feel like you’re sitting around a campfire listening to a beloved Grandfather.

All of the stories were dramatically different, so there was no way to get bored. There was something for everyone, but unfortunately not every story is likely to entertain every reader.

I got off to a rough start with the first story, “Party Girl.” The local high school administrator threw a party for the new teachers who came fresh out of college to work on the exotic Island. He was more interested in evaluating their breasts than their performance. One young woman passed out and there were hints of a potential gang rape. One of the wives, Patricia, stepped in to assure the girl’s safety. “My wife Patricia is one of those women who spends way too much time looking out for other women.” The narrator complained. From there, they moved the unconscious girl several times. It was a weird story and it didn’t sit well with me.

If the second story had been similar to the first, I’d have stopped reading. So for me, it was a three star book – with a half star thrown in for the autograph.

As reviewed by Belinda at Every Free Chance Books.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

http://everyfreechance.com/2014/07/re...

[Katherine C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being asked to write a book review is always a pleasure and a privilege. But, it can also be challenge. You want desperately to love every page and to scream out loud “well done” and tell everyone to “read it now”. In this case I am happy to say that is exactly what I recommend. After reading three of Mr. Olsen’s books; The Poison Makers, Things in Ditches and The Hero of Blind Pig Island, and other island stories, I found all of his works of fiction to be skillfully written, descriptive and often pushing me to the edge of my seat. He does not tell the tale of a murder as you would expect and that is what makes his books stand out. The unexpected is welcome and can even be educational. It is the Island book that became my favorite though. The stories of a scuba diver / instructor and the adventures on land and sea soon had me hooked. We are quickly reminded that the sea can be both “friend and enemy”. This collection of stories could only be written by a true adventurer and lover of the sea. Mr. Olsen is a scuba diver, instructor and adventurer himself and that is the key that opens the door to these well written stories. Love, hate, life lessons, loss and island life are depicted in a way that transports you through words. Soon you can almost hear the waves crashing as group of students make their way into the frigid waters. Or the palpable sensation you get in your chest when a boy cries out for his grandfather in rough waters. Or the sadness you feel at the loss of someone’s life and dream. Each story different from the next but written with a pen surely dipped in salt water. Copyright© KatherinesCorner.com

[Clarice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories by Jimmy Olsen that I received a copy of in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I almost never read short stories, but these were rather fascinating tales ranging from missionaries to diving experiences all the way to vengeful school teachers. Some were rather intriguing and funny while others were kind of sad. They all center on island life and most of the inhabitants there live much differently than where I live. Here everyone seems rather uptight and stressed all of the time (this sometimes includes myself). In these stories though, it's like a whole different world. The people like to drink, party, and relax. They take life as it comes and in some ways I am envious of them. There were a few stories I found particularly interesting. There was one about a large hurricane coming through and the people riding it out had a party while it was in full swing! Not something that I would have ever done, but I found this very amusing! Also, the one about the vengeful school teachers was quite interesting for me. It had some rather funny parts to it and I couldn't help laughing in some places while during others I was in total agreement that certain people had gotten what they deserved. It's a really great collection!

[Theresa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Hero of Blind Pig Island and Other Island Stories" is a compilation of 12 short stories all having something to do with the water. These short stories are just perfect because they get right to the point. There is nothing drawn out and boring about them. After you read this collection you may very well decide that short stories are your favorite.

There weren't any stories in this book that I didn't like but I liked some better than others.
"Denise" was one of my favorites. It was a story of a girl who you do not thing will succeed but don't give up on her yet. She perseveres and ends up surprising everyone. The ending was sad but the story was great!

"The Hero of Blind Pig Island" was another good one. This is a story about Dusty and his Grandpa. I won't tell the whole story because it is a good one and you will want to read it for yourself. But I enjoyed seeing Grandpa outsmart a chase boat operator. It was funny and just simply a feel good story you will get a kick out of.

Although I liked Jimmy Olsen's book "Things In Ditches" the best, this one comes in a very close second. It is most definitely worth reading.

I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you Jimmy Olsen!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

My book review for today is “The Hero of Blind Pig Island and Other Island Stories” by Jimmy Olsen. This falls in the genre of anthology which has diversified topics.

This book contains 12 short stories. In the story “Reservado” a mother sneaks away to meet a secret love that her family hasn’t known about for years. You see how this woman loves and has loved this one man. In “Denise” we read about a young woman learning how to scuba dive to becoming an instructor herself as she goes where she can find work, not much as a care in the world, doing what she loves. How her teacher is fascinated with her from beginning to end drawn in by her personality.

The stories go on,varying in length and carry you from little boy on a salt island to hurricanes. The book will take you on adventures especially if you are not one who has venture far from home.

What I really like about this is it is an anthology. You can read a few stories, read more than that, and put it down for a while. When you return you start fresh with a new story. Perfect for reading while in line, on vacation or on a plane.

This was a good read

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review

[Janice Spina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories by talented writer, Jimmy Olsen. These stories were all about island life in some aspects. Since the author is an experienced scuba diver he uses his expertise to create realistic stories about divers and the effects of air pressure and breathing underwater. Through his creative prose and dialog the reader feels as if a part of the story. When the character in one story tries to help one of his scuba diving students in trouble I could almost imagine to feel the fear and hopelessness he felt.

I found each story fascinating and couldn't wait to see how each story concluded. Some were funny while others brought a tear to the eyes. This is a different type of storytelling than I have ever read before due to the gritty edge the author put into his writing.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review, I would recommend this collection for those readers who want to read something different and intriguing!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to write a short review being it's a bunch of short stories. well worth the read. If your looking for a book of short stories, this us perfect. all of the stories are great. Mr. Olson has no problem going from one short story to the next, being totally different, interesting and a very good read with ease.
I recommend this book to anyone.
you can breeze through one story. stop if you'd like when you get to the next without that feeling of"I need to know'.
all very well thought out short stories and we'll worth your time.

I was given this book for a honest review.

I was also sent a set of autographed books, great touch, I loved it. Jimmy Olsen is not only a great author he's a great guy too and knows how to sell his books.

[Kasey Cocoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with most collections of stories some are wonderful and really enjoyable to read and some are just so-so. I enjoyed the read overall and I don't have any specific complaints. Some just felt like more time was taken in their development than the rest. Sometimes, with short stories, it's difficult to convey the entire character within the page constraint. Overall this is an enjoyable book that can be considered well written and is certainly enjoyable to read. I received an ARC through the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion, which may or may not reflect your own.

[Tom Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reviewing a book of short stories is always tough. You may love some of the stories, hate others, and have those that you wonder why they were written in the first place. For me, all these stories fall into the latter category. Maybe all these stories were written for the insiders, the divers or writers on diving, and I am just not sophisticated enough to appreciate their quality. The writing is good, it just does not take me anywhere inspiring.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed these short stories, although I'd love to find out more on some of them. Some of the stories end just when they're getting good!