When the news of the death of her colleague is announced with no details, Maria Singh, a medical researcher sets out to find the truth about his research project and his mysterious death deep in the jungles of the Amazon. What she finds is a whole different kind of life in the rain forests of Brazil, where every step and every breath can be threatened by bugs, snakes and disease. All of the odds are stacked against her until she uncovers, in tiny wisps of information, that this research may change all of humanity. Is it possible to extend human fertility well into our 80's? Can the bark of an idiginous tree wipe out malaria? These are a few of the subplots in a beautifully crafted novel.

 

Ann Patchett's powers of desciption are truly rare. One can almost feel and smell the humidity and scent of the verdant jungle. Her characters are substantial and not always likeable, but you will care about them. A young deaf boy from a native tribe becomes a quiet hero. As Maria pieces together this puzzle, you will root for her every step of the way. --Nancy S.