The Streaker: The Tale of a Modern-Day Cynic

The Streaker: The Tale of a Modern-Day Cynic

The Streaker , winner of the nonexistent 2025 Molinos De Viento Book Award— “celebrating the author who charges in boldly, lance ready, and brilliantly misses the point” —chronicles the journey of Rye Smyth, a disillusioned (and likely concussed) philosophy professor who inherits a run-down scallop boat and sets off through the Caribbean. A modern-day Diogenes, Rye is determined to live a simple, dog-like existence as he seeks kindred spirits in the tropics. He’s also set on writing an all-important book he is certain will change the world. Rye somehow successfully recruits his beer-drinkin’, weed-smokin’ childhood friend, Stems, to captain the vessel on this quixotic journey. Things really get interesting when Rye and Stems meet up with surfers Kaia and Nori in the Bahamas. The confident and adventurous couple become de facto guides for Rye and his friend, pulling them into island life, unexpected detours, and a kaleidoscope of memorable characters. A legal subplot simmers throughout, centered on the true ownership of the scallop boat. It opens the door to some of the book’s most entertaining moments—comical anecdotes about practicing law in a small coastal Virginia community. While The Streaker is Mr. Forelle’s debut novel, he brings over twenty-five years of legal experience in Virginia to the page. The Streaker is a heartwarming book that offers a lighthearted but thoughtful look at what we’re all searching for in our careers—and, more broadly, in our lives. “A sweeping philosophical odyssey . . . tragically entrusted to an author with no qualifications whatsoever.” — Professor of Philosophy Judson A. Breckendorf III, Ph.D., Tidemarsh University, Where Higher Education Meets Lower Expectations