Paradise

Paradise is a fun, light read reminiscent of his other works in which he lampoons social climbers and the pompous from a variety of social strata. Yet, while flaying those arrogant, grasping, nouveau, and tacky, Dennis shows a soft side for the underdog and the sincere.The setting for Paradise is Alcapulco Mexico, which Dennis depicts as a magnet for the soft self centered affluent, their followers, and predators. (Readers of "Genius" will note Dennis's return to Mexico as setting. The main protagonist Liz who is generous and kind has classic style and embodies Dennis's ideal of true "class". However, her heart blinds her to callow, exploitive men who Dennis describes in a delightfully wicked fashion and then dooms to just rewards. The book is crammed full of affluent and bourgeois stereotypes -- blue collar, upper crust, gay, straight, and ethnic. It makes you laugh out loud and is difficult to put down.