Traumatized by his wife’s death in an accident caused by a truck driver asleep at the wheel, Matt seeks justice from the truck’s owner: the Clawson Chicken Corporation. Up against the might of Colonel Clyde Clawson, a chicken nugget tycoon, Matt finds his case dismissed out of hand. With nothing left, Matt decides to take his dog on a round-the-world voyage in his vintage boat, Lonesome Dove. It’s the trip he and his wife had always dreamed of, but things don’t go quite as he had hoped. After a series of nautical mishaps, Matt finds himself all alone at sea. Forced to sail the intercoastal waterway to get his boat repaired at Bullfrog’s Boatyard, Matt is taken in by a man whose tragic story mirrors his own. As the dark secrets of the Clawson Chicken Corporation begin to be revealed, the two men vow to fight back. This is a story of lost love, looking for a way back, and the power of friendship. It is also a tale of corporate greed and environmental exploitation.
Troy Hollan’s CLUCKED (A Quirky Nautical Tale of Adventure, Misadventure and Justice Served) is a very well-written novel that finely balances pathos with comedy. The early moments as Matt adjusts to his loss and embarks on his perhaps-foolhardy plan are beautifully timed: tragi-comic, yet also very moving. Matt’s sailing ability owes more to instructional videos than experience. Not long after he has entertained himself (and his dog) with a revolting-sounding Spam meal, serenading his cooking with the Monty Python theme song, he finds he has barely survived a terrible storm: “For a second, he thought he might no longer be alive, and that he and his little boat might have passed on up to heaven.” It is only the stench from the dog mess, torn from its baggies and now strewn around the deck, that brings him to his senses.
As the story progresses and the cast of characters becomes ever more idiosyncratic, Hollan ramps up the humor. There are many laugh out loud moments, but the writer is skilled enough to ensure that, when needed, there is an edge of darkness. Colonel Clyde Clawson is a well-crafted villain. His monstrous outlook is partly explained by an intriguing back story, yet his secret laboratories and wicked factory farms hit hard. The villainy may be almost-cartoonish at times, but it works within Hollan’s finely-tuned world. Indeed it could be read as an exaggerated allegory for contemporary society and what is actually on the end of everybody’s fork. Hollan’s hero heads out to heal himself, but soon uncovers more than he might have expected. With secrets and surprises aplenty, it’s a pleasure to sail with him onboard the Lonesome Dove.
With a touch of romance, a hint of heartbreak, and some old-fashioned adventure, Troy Hollan’s CLUCKED (A Quirky Nautical Tale of Adventure, Misadventure and Justice Served) is a real page turner.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader