Bookish Thoughts: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

The news of Anders Eckman's death came by way of Aerogram, a piece of bright blue airmail paper that served as both the stationery and, when folded over and sealed along the edges, the envelope. ~ Opening to State of Wonder.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Harper Collins, 2011

Fiction; 353 pgs

There are many places I would like to travel and to experience.  I would likely not last long in the middle of the rain forest on the border of the Amazon.  So, instead, I content myself to visiting such places in books.

 From the Publisher: 

Award-winning "New York Times"-bestselling author Ann Patchett (Bel Canto, The Magician's Assistant) returns with a provocative novel of morality and miracles, science and sacrifice set in the Amazon rainforest--a gripping adventure story and a profound look at the difficult choices we make in the name of discovery and love. 

In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, scientific miracles, and spiritual transformations, State of Wonder presents a world of stunning surprise and danger, rich in emotional resonance and moral complexity.  

As Dr. Marina Singh embarks upon an uncertain odyssey into the insect-infested Amazon, she will be forced to surrender herself to the lush but forbidding world that awaits within the jungle. Charged with finding her former mentor Dr. Annick Swenson, a researcher who has disappeared while working on a valuable new drug, she will have to confront her own memories of tragedy and sacrifice as she journeys into the unforgiving heart of darkness. State of Wonder is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss beneath the rain forest's jeweled canopy. 

Upon receiving word that her research partner has died of fever in a rain forest in Brazil, Marina sets off to find out more about his death  at the request of her partner's wife, as well as to inquire about Dr. Swenson's drawn out work on a mysterious fertility drug at the behest of her employer and lover, Mr. Fox.  Marina has mixed feelings about going, but go she does.  She meets up with the eccentric Bovenders whose job it is to keep people away from Dr. Swenson, and Milton, the very resourceful chauffeur.

Dr. Annick Swenson, 73 years old, has spent decades studying the Lakashi people and conducting her research alongside a team of doctors, each with their own purpose.  She is not an easy person to get close to, much less like.  She is gruff in manner and spends more time pontificating than she does listening.  As you can guess, I am not her biggest fan.  Even so, Marina, has always admired Dr. Swenson and even longed to follow in her footsteps at one time, having once studied under her.

Marina is an interesting character.  As smart and thoughtful as she appears, she sometimes makes rash decisions, not all of which make sense.  The more I got to know her, the more I accepted this as her character flaw--and in some ways, I could understand her choices.  There was also a distance about her, and yet it was obvious she really cares about people.  Marina changed her medical focus early in her schooling after a tragic mishap that has haunted her ever since.  Dr. Swenson and the Amazon force Marina to face her past.  Her time in the rain forest is also a time of soul searching.  She faces her fears and relies on strengths she did not know she had.

There are secrets and lies, and several mysteries solved.  Difficult choices are made.  You really get a feel for the native people and how fragile their lifestyle and environment are, given the encroaching civilization.  Not to mention the questions raised in how they are treated by the researchers.  There are also other ethical questions involving the way pharmaceutical companies set their priorities. State of Wonder is both a heartbreaking and inspiring novel.

When I first began reading State of Wonder it did not seem like a book I would love.  Somewhere along the line, I realized how caught up in the story I was, how invested in the characters.  I adore Easter, the deaf boy taken in my Annick Swenson and later by Marina.  Ann Patchett had transported me to the rain forest just as she had Marina.  I wanted to know more. I wanted to experience more.

I do wish the author had provided more insight into Marina than she did, but that very well could be my lack of wanting to let go of the character and the world Ann Patchett has created.  When I finished the book, tears in my eyes, I so much wanted more.  The ending was perfect in so many ways, but I didn't want the book to end.  I wanted to spend more time with the Lakashi and with Marina.

I am grateful to Carrie of the Books and Movies and her "I've Always Meant to Read That Book!" Challenge for spurring me to read State of Wonder now.  It has been on my shelf forever, and her challenge motivated me to pick it up and give it a try.  This is my first Ann Patchett novel, but it definitely will not be my last.

Rating:   (Very Good)

You can learn more about Ann Patchett and her books on the author's website.

Source: I purchased both a print and e-copy of State of Wonder for my own reading pleasure.

  

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