Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

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Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is the first of British author Paul Torday’s six novels to date. Written when he was 59 years old at the end of a successful business careeer, the book reportedly allowed him to write about what he knows best (as every teacher urges in Creative Writing 101). As you might guess, what Paul Torday appears to know best are salmon fishing and the Middle East, and the resulting novel is the unique expression of a genuine talent.

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With so many books being published, it’s no surprise that publishers are always on the lookout for something new – something that will make a book stand out. It’s true now, and it will have been true in 2007, when Salmon Fishing in the Yemen was first released. There is also a cultural war going on in the book. The Yemen people think bringing the Western fish to Yemen means getting their culture to Wadi. The outcome is predictable, a climax that brings things to a conclusion but -- except for regarding Fred, who has gained from the experience, and is (modestly) happier for it -- a far from satisfactory one. A writer who makes his characters give overdrawn answers in an investigation deems it necessary that an old, cold and cautious scientist should get divorced and he can’t have a relationship with someone who is 20 years younger than him. Torday may have thought that if the fishery scientist and Harriet were to have a relation, Harriet’s love for her soldier would lose its credibility but I still think he could have thought something richer in detail. a b Collin, Robbie (19 April 2012). "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, review". The Telegraph . Retrieved 3 December 2012.

He is a caricature, though too many of even the absurdest exchanges don't sound that different from what has gone on at 10 Downing Street in recent years ..... In a way, when you are ready to lose, it gives you the confidence to do things. To accept the defeat could be a way to overcome the fear of losing. a b "Shooting commences on Salmon Fishing in the Yemen". BBC Press Office. 6 August 2010 . Retrieved 2 December 2012. The introduction of a gentle, tolerant sport that unites us and our Arab brethren in a new and deep way. The success of the book lies in the charm of Mr Torday's storyline (...) and his skill at portraying the petty officialdom and manipulativeness of modern government. (...) Bit it is the transformation of the humble Dr Jones from a man bound by convention to one awakened to passion and belief that makes this book both thought-provoking and memorable." - The Economist

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday | Waterstones

Men vs Nature is one of the oldest conflicts in the World. The day men came to existence, conflict begun.Jones winds up working mainly for Harriet Chetwode-Talbot, who is handling the running of the project for the Sheikh. Some characters, specifically Mary, did not seem to be real people to me either. I can understand why a woman can be so single-mindedly career-driven but Mary was just a cardboard cutout that I think Paul Torday wanted us to hate her. The sheikh character sounds like an overdrawn picture of a modern day Sufi Muslim. I don’t know maybe it was just me but any reader could just see from the get-go that the sheikh did not exactly point to a religious faith but to believe in the belief itself. The fishery scientist did not really have to experience an epiphany to see that. But for the sake of capitalism, and industrialists, who need cheap minerals of the foreign land, are above everyone. Genius people around them have to make it work. For the first three-quarters of the film, it stayed faithful to the book, and I even recognised some of the dialogue. I saw the movie when it first came out, but don't really recall much about it, other than that I enjoyed it. I don't even remember the ending, which people tell me is different to the book (being more suitable for Hollywood than Torday's ending), but I found the book's ending quite poignant. It has definitely made me want to watch the movie again.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday | Goodreads Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday | Goodreads

Paul Torday published his first novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen aged 60. The family decided to set up this new prize in Torday's honour in 2019, celebrating first novels by authors aged 60 or over. This prize is administered by the Society of Authors. After a confrontation with his wife in which he realises that their marriage is over and that he is in love with Harriet, Alfred convinces the Sheikh to give the farmed salmon a try. As the two are fishing, a Yemeni radical attempts to assassinate the Sheikh, who is saved by Alfred casting his fishing line towards the assassin. Soon after, they return to the Yemen, where Harriet and Alfred continue to grow closer. After a moonlight swim, he asks her if there was a "theoretical possibility" of the two of them ending up together. She accepts with a kiss on his cheek, but says she will need some time.The book progresses towards the unveiling of the project, the releasing of the salmon -- with no one knowing what will happen then. Dr. Alfred Jones lives a quiet, predictable life. He works as a civil servant for the National Centre for Fisheries Excellence in London; his wife, Mary, is a determined, no-nonsense financier; he has simple routines and unassuming ambitions. Then he meets Muhammad bin Zaidi bani Tihama, a Yemeni sheikh with money to spend and a fantastic—and ludicrous—dream of bringing the sport of salmon fishing to his home country. Certainly, the National Centre for Fisheries Excellence and the government come of looking realistically silly.