Ever wondered how you got sucked into the daily grind? Joe Rivers does. On a rocket ride to power, fame and fortune, something is missing. He gives up his cushy job in Congress, determined to escape the rat race, move to Jamaica, and write the next great epic. With a hurricane and gangs waiting on him, what could possibly go wrong? Will Joe escape the rat race? Will Joe survive if he does?
The background:
Joe Rivers is the fastest rising staffer in Congress, and considered a shoo-in to become a U.S. Congressman himself in the next election. The problem is Joe no longer believes in the process. Lobbyists, unethical senators, congress-people, and the dirty under-handedness process make him want to get as far away from it as possible.
Joe decides to move to Jamaica, resign his position on the Hill, and sell all his possessions.
On the day Joe arrives at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) to catch his flight to his new country and home, Hurricane Gilbert strikes Jamaica. Joe ends up the only American at a gate full of Jamaicans trying to get home to check on their loved ones.
Joe and the Jamaicans watch the monitors with horror as Hurricane Gilbert slams into Jamaica, seeming to swallow the entire island. All commercial flights to Jamaica are cancelled.
Joe's interaction with marooned Jamaican passengers is priceless. This is most apparent with a female artist who immediately commands his attention.
Caressa is a talented Jamaican artist and businesswoman. On her way home from Peru, she gets rerouted to Baltimore.
Caressa forges a friendship with Joe that provides her a much-needed distraction from her worries about her daughter and loved ones in Jamaica. Knowing the area like the back of his hand, Joe shows her some of the highlights.
Do Joe and Caressa experience romance? A white man openly courting a black woman in 1988 is controversial to say the least, but Joe is a unique man. She finds herself alone with Joe at the top of the Washington Monument well after closing hours. The sparks definitely fly.
In one of the more hilarious scenes, Joe takes the stranded Jamaicans on an outing full of colorful conversation. The cultures clash head on with Peter, the slightly bigoted Jamaican, and the gay waiter. Joe finds himself stuck in the middle of each one of these cultural exchanges that take place throughout the book.
The airline informs the stranded passengers that all flights to Jamaica are cancelled for at least another week. The airlines inform Joe that only Jamaicans will be allowed to go then.
Joe is not one to accept such rejections. Can Joe get himself and the Jamaicans to Jamaica when all other commercial flights are blocked?
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