boookish

Genre: Contemporary fiction
Setting: Present day, Brazil’s Amazon rainforest
Narrator: 3rd person, focusing on Dr. Marina Singh

First line: “The news of Anders Eckman’s death came by way of Aerogram, a piece of bright blue airmail paper that served as both the stationary and, when folded over and sealed along the edges, the envelope.”

Quick summary: After receiving the news of her co-worker’s death, Dr. Marina Singh is sent to Brazil retrace his footsteps and finish the job he was meant to do: find her former teacher, Dr. Annick Swenson, who is developing a fertility drug in the Amazon, and convince her to move her work back to the U.S.

How did I feel about the character(s)? Marina is clearly a smart and well-respected doctor, but she didn’t always come across that way. Obviously a lot of that is because she was dropped into an environment completely different from her native Minnesota, but the questions she asked of Dr. Swenson and the others she met made her seem naive. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since the reader is new to most of the details, as well, but her personality seemed to changed a lot as soon as she set foot in Brazil.

What did I like most about the book? I loved Easter. He’s a smart, brave kid who quickly charmed everyone, including the impervious Dr. Swenson. He learned to overcome his disability (deafness) in such a way that it essentially became a non-issue, and he is relied upon heavily by Marina and several others. It was easy to see why they care for him so much.

Did anything surprise me? I didn’t see the ending coming at all, but I won’t spoil that for anyone.

Other thoughts? This isn’t a fluffy book, and the pace isn’t exactly fast, but it was enjoyable, nonetheless. The descriptions of the Amazon, while somewhat repetitive, successfully created a picture of the untamed setting and its native inhabitants. Although the book was largely character-driven, it also addresses several ethical questions. The fertility drug Dr. Swenson is working on would increase the age at which women could conceive, eliminating the “biological clock.” But is it right to put the body through that at those later stages in life? What becomes of the children born to women who conceive at 60, or even 70?

Who do I recommend it to? People who have read Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, or who like books with determined female characters.

Why did I read it? I didn’t read very many books written 2011, and wanted to try to fit this one in at the very end of the year. I had seen it’s placement on several top ten lists, and thought it sounded like an interesting loose take on Heart of Darkness, which I read nine years ago for a class in high school.

Will I read the author’s other works? I had previously been interested in reading Bel Canto, and I would say I’m more likely to read it now, though I’ve heard mixed reviews about it.

Do I like the cover? The cover is probably one of the reasons I didn’t read the book sooner, because it came across as a typical, serious novel written by a woman.

How long did it take to finish? Six days, although I read more than half of it in one day.

Rating: 4 stars
Finished: January 1, 2012
Total Pages: 353
Kindle Locations: 6,555
Date Published: May 15, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Buy It: Print or Kindle

Total Books Read in 2012: 1