The next meeting of the Phoenix Book Club will be Monday, June 1 at 7:00 PM at Phoenixville Public Library. The book discussed will be “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” by Paul Torday. Dr. Alfred Jones is a henpecked, slightly pompous middle-aged scientist at the National Centre for Fisheries Excellence in London when he is approached by a mysterious sheikh about an outlandish plan to introduce the sport of salmon fishing into the Yemen. Dr. Jones refuses, but the project, however scientifically absurd, catches the eye of British politicians, who pressure him to work on it. His diaries of the Yemen Salmon Project, from beginning to glorious, tragic end, form the narrative backbone of this bestselling novel; interspersed throughout are government memos, e-mails, letters, and interview transcripts that deftly capture the absurdity of bureaucratic dysfunction. With a wickedly wonderful cast of characters, this is the whimsical story of an unlikely hero who discovers true love, finds himself first a pawn and then a victim of political spin, and learns to believe in the impossible.
A copy of the book may be reserved at the Library or online at www.ccls.org. The public is invited to attend. For further information, call 610-933-3013 x132 or e-mail mpinto@ccls.org. Phoenixville Public Library is located at 183 Second Avenue, Phoenixville, PA.
