The Mosquito Coast

The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux

Dad is upset with society. He feels America is falling apart. There is too much materialism and too much control from external forces. He is also an inventor and a tinkerer. He feels he is not respected. 

He decides to take his family via boat to the middle of nowhere in Honduras. On the boat, he is remote, criticizing others. He also encourages his kid to do dangerous activities. Nobody seems to like him. However, he understands what is causing problems with the ship and offers to help fix it.

Once in Honduras, he buys a remote location from a German who was unable to succeed in business there. He tinkers and creates ice making machine and sends icebergs down the river. He refuses to use "natural" bug repellant, but works on various inventions. Most of the people abonden the village. Later three guys come to threaten them. They get locked in the ice maker, and shoot their guns, causing it to explode. This results in the death of the three as well as pollution in the river.

They move further out to more remote locations. Dad is convinced that the United States has been destroyed. He is upset that he keeps finding "civilization" and the missionaries that bring it. He eventually suffers his own demise.

The book is told from the point of view of the son. Dad seems quite stubbornly crazy, yet his family still respects him and goes along with his plans. The book is long and moves at a slow pace.