Salmon fishing in Yemen

What does it take to make us believe in the impossible?For Dr. Alfred Jones, life is a quiet mixture of civil service at the National Centre for Fisheries Excellence and marriage to Mary—an ambitious, no-nonsense financier. But a strange turn of fate from an unexpected direction forces Jones to upend his existence and spend all of his time in pursuit of another man’s ludicrous dream. Can there be salmon in the Yemen? Science says no. But if resources are limitless and the visionary is inspired, maybe salmon fishing in the Yemen isn’t impossible. Then again, maybe nothing is.

Review

PRAISE FOR SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN

“[At] its heart is Jones’s journey from skepticism to belief.” — The New York Times

“Torday’s clear talent is striking such a variety of notes, from soulful to satirical, and making them work as one bracing, bittersweet whole.”—Michael Upchurch, The Seattle Times 

“Paul Torday’s debut novel is about an impossibility. It is also about belief in the impossible, and belief itself. And the remarkable thing is that a book about so deeply serious a matter can make you laugh . . . Salmon Fishing is extraordinary indeed, and a triumph.”— The Guardian (London) 

From the Inside Flap

Dr Alfred Jones has many reasons to be content with his life. His latest paper ‘Effects of Increased Water Acidity on the Caddis Fly Larva’ looks set to cause a stir on the pages of Trout & Salmon, his job as a fisheries scientist is satisfactory, and he and his wife, Mary, have just celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary – for which she gave him a replacement electric toothbrush.

So why does he feel as though something is missing?

When he is asked to become involved in a project to create a salmon river in the Highlands of the Yemen, Fred rejects the idea as absurd. But the proposal catches the eye of several senior British politicians, who feel it might distract the media’s attention from the less welcome stories coming out of the Middle East. It’s not long before the wheels of government start spinning, and the publicity-savvy Prime Minister is talking about the project on television. Fred finds himself forced to set aside his research and instead figure out how to fly ten thousand salmon to a desert country … and persuade them to swim there.

The project is the brainchild of a Yemeni sheikh: a devout and wealthy man, whose love of salmon fishing and whose fervent, unwavering conviction that the impossible can be made possible, eventually, and astonishingly, inspires Fred, overpowering all his rational objections – and infuriating his wife.

When Fred meets Harriet Chetwode-Talbot, the sheikh’s elegant and beautiful land agent, the cracks that have begun to form in his carefully managed existence grow even wider, and as they both embark on an extraordinary journey of faith – and fishing – the diffident Dr Jones will discover a sense of belief, and a capacity for love, and for heroism, that surprises himself, and all who know him.

From the Back Cover

"Every so often a novel comes along that is quite original; think of Yann Martel's enchanting "Life of Pi"... [A] commentary on the value of belief to mankind. [T]hought-provoking and memorable." –The Economist

What does it take to make us believe in the impossible?

For Dr. Alfred Jones, life is a quiet mixture of civil service at the National Centre for Fisheries Excellence and marriage to Mary—an ambitious, no-nonsense financier. But a strange turn of fate from an unexpected direction forces Jones to upend his existence and pursue another man's ludicrous dream. Is salmon fishing in the Yemen impossible? Maybe nothing is.

"[A] journey from skepticism to belief."--The New York Times

"The remarkable thing is that a book about so deeply serious a matter can make you laugh, all the way to a last twist…. [A] parable about the mystery of belief and its transforming power… Salmon Fishing is extraordinary indeed, and a triumph." -The Guardian

"Torday's clear talent is in striking…a variety of notes, from soulful to satirical, and making them work as one bracing, bittersweet whole. -- Seattle Times

About the Author

PAUL TORDAY studied English literature at Pembroke College, Oxford, before embarking on a business career. He lives in Northumberland. This is his first book.