Novel set mainly in later 20th Century CAIRO
Destination thriller set in CANGGU, Bali
12th March 2025
They Had It Coming by Nikki Smith, a destination thriller set in Canggu, Bali.
Indeed the characters in this book do have it coming, what a secretive and unpleasant lot they prove to be. Just deserts are largely meted out as lives unravel and secrets are exposed.
Nate and Jude have been best mates for a long time and both have worked at a fancy city firm. That is until Nate and his partner, Layla,hightail it to Bali in search of a new life. Jude feels abandoned on many levels but he and his wife Sophie agree to a sabbatical, so they can join their friends in the new lives, just for a couple of months or so. What’s not to like? Well, plenty, as it turns out. Sophie still holds a grudge against Layla for – basically – losing control and ruining her wedding day. Apologies have been proffered but the underlying rage hasn’t really subsided.
They arrive in Canggu and they are welcomed into the rental property which has been holistically furnished by Layla. Layla has taken on a new job and is working remotely with clients on their health and well-being. This is her response to the recent tumultuous period in her life, when she lost her parents in a vehicle accident and for which she feels responsible.
So, early days friction is set between the two women – not helped by Sophie passively-aggressively purloining little items that take her fancy around the villa and secreting them in her bedside cabinet, adding paranoia to Layla’s apparent fragile mental state.
And then the secrets and backstories start to tumble across the pages, punctuated by a serious motorbike accident which elevates the venality and back stabbing to a new level.
The setting comes through well and what the author tackles in the novel is the arrival of the digital nomads, who land on the island with specific requirements, almost suck the place dry and then move on to pastures new. The level of infrastructure devoted to tourists in Bali is phenomenal and whilst many incomers are relishing the quaint originality of the place, they are also destroying the very heart of what makes the island unique. Over-tourism has become such a common phenomenon that it has diminished the local culture. One character states that the tourists – to wit the digital nomads – remind him of locusts: “..they descend in swarms, consume everything available and when there’s nothing left, simply move on to the next place”… on many occasion leaving behind a tattered economy and infrastructure that is pretty useless to locals. And the tourists manage to kid themselves that they are ‘at one‘ with the local people and their culture.
This is an engaging read – if, at times, stretching credulity a little. I read it in a day by the beach (under a banana palm, edged by coconut palms). Certainly there are some thought-provoking aspects in this novel around tourism and its impact on local communities.
Tina for the TripFiction Team
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