Michael Suib, disenchanted with his life as a businessman, packs up and moves south with his wife to Key West. Among many odd jobs, he takes a job driving a cab in Key West. It's through this job that he encounters all sorts of characters, both locals and tourists. He gathers his stories into a few different sections such as "Love" (guess what these stories are about?), "Southernmost Homeless" (about the key's inhabitants who don't have a roof over their head), and others.
Suib definitely encounters some characters. Or at least, he describes them as such. I found the tourists to be some of the brashest. The homeless residents seemed to be like homeless people everywhere, and didn't have any defining characteristics that made them stand out or of note above the sad state that they are in. The tourists on the other hand could be quite horrible. And they definitely follow the rule that people act worse away from home. Luckily Suib had a no-nonsense approach to offensive customers and promptly would eject them from his cab.
The little stories were entertaining, and easy to read in small bits. But most of them weren't that interesting and I found myself questioning why they were in there. Some I didn't even really understand. Such as the lady who was looking for a decent meal for her nephew/grandson/whatever he was. Maybe I missed something but I didn't understand that story at all. Others were good, such as the offensive or racist people that he removed from his cab. It gave you a sense of justice.
Just ok, nothing special. I really don't feel like I know Key West any better. These stories could have happened at any tourist destination and weren't unique to the locale.
Confessions of a Key West Cabby
Copyright 2003
197 pages
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