Florida Man

A Novel

By: Tom Cooper

Narrated by: Will Damron

“A riotous journey into the heart of insanity also known as the State of Florida. Bravo!” (Gary Shteyngart, author of Lake Success)

Florida, circa 1980. Reed Crowe, the eponymous Florida Man, is a middle-aged beach bum, beleaguered and disenfranchised, living on ill-gotten gains deep in the jungly heart of Florida. When sinkholes start opening on Emerald Island, not only are Reed Crowe's seedy businesses - a moribund motel and a shabby amusement park - endangered, but so are his secrets. Crowe, amateur spelunker, begins uncovering artifacts that change his understanding of the island’s history, as well as his understanding of his family’s birthright as pioneering homesteaders.

Meanwhile, there are other Florida men with whom Crowe must contend. Hector “Catface” Morales, a Cuban refugee, trained assassin, and crack-addicted Marielito, is seeking revenge on Reed for stealing his stash of drugs and leaving him for dead (unbeknownst to Reed) in the wreckage of a plane crash in the Everglades decades ago. Loner and misanthrope Henry Yahchilane, a Seminole native, has something to hide on the island. So does irascible and pervy Wayne Wade, Reed Crowe’s childhood friend turned bad penny. Then there are the Florida women, including Heidi Karavas, Reed Crowe’s ex-wife, now a globe-trekking art curator, and Nina Arango, a Cuban refugee and fiercely protective woman with whom Reed Crowe falls in love. There are curses. There are sea monsters. There are biblical storms. There’s something called the Jupiter Effect.

Ultimately, Florida Man is a generation-spanning story about how a man decides to live his life, and how despite staying landlocked and stubbornly in one place, the world nevertheless comes to him.

©2020 Tom Cooper (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“There are few words that will do Florida Man justice, but to try: Ribald. Audacious. Terrifying. Florida Man is Cooper's singular, hallucinatory expression of deep American weirdness, a thing enjoyed and then survived, like a tangerine sunset overtaken by a purple hurricane. Hang in, people.” (Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek)

Great author, great book.

Not your typical off the wall Florida novel. No Skinks or Serges, just great characters, great writing, and a true Florida feel.

Gritty life portrait of an original Conch

If you're expecting a zany, lighthearted tale in the spirit of Tim Dorsey or Carl Hiassen, prepare to be disappointed. This saga that follows the full, gritty arc of a Florida egghead's life, but it was not the easy-listening laugh fest that we've come to expect from "Florida fiction." It's dark, and what redemption there is comes slowly, if at all, as Reid Crow struggles to find peace in the world, fighting against his legacy, the choices of youth, early tragedy, and evil around him.

This was not a good choice for road trip listening with my better half, but I enjoyed finishing it on my own. (She says I have a predilection for somber, dark themes, and I don't disagree.)

Real Florida Fiction

Along with Dorsey and Hiaasen - Tom Cooper has introduced more unique Florida characters and environments. A great book!

what a waste

This book was supposed to be funny and engaging, I found it boring and confusing. The reader was okay, but the story dragged on and on. I didn't finish it.