Novel book club: State of Wonder by Anne Patchett.

This book is a grand adventure into the Amazon jungle that explores themes of relationships, fertility, native cultures and ethics. Marina Singh leads a safe organized life in research position at a pharmaceutical company. When her co-worker Anders Eckman reportedly dies in the Amazon jungle, Marina’s boss Mr. Fox asks her to leave that safe life to bring him home. Her mission is to contact the elusive researcher, Dr. Annick Swenson, travel to her research camp deep in the jungle to determine the state of her fertility drug research, and to find the truth about Ander’s death. She is ready to refuse, but when the Ander’s wife appeals to her, she makes the trip. When Marina arrives in Manaus, Brazil, she finds herself with no telephone and no luggage. She has only minimal help in the form of a cab driver and a pair of hippies acting as Dr. Swenson’s gatekeepers. When she finally makes contact with Dr. Swenson, she finds herself traveling down the snake and insect infested Amazon River in a boat piloted by Easter, a young deaf native boy of indeterminate age. At the camp, Marina quickly forms a strong attachment to Easter, and slowly integrates herself with both the natives and the research staff. She learns that not everything is as it seems, and the storyline takes some shocking twists. When Marina finally extirpates herself from the Amazon jungle, she is not the same person that she was before. This is the type of book that leaves you thinking about it for days after. There are many loose ends for you to ponder. It is not a quick read and does drag a bit in places but the momentum of the story helps carry you through.
The Novel Book Club is our discussion group for adult readers at the Chestermere Public Library. The group meets from 7:00pm to 8:00pm on the 3rd Thursday of the month and new members are always welcome. The book for the March 21 discussion is The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson. Are you interested in joining the discussion for this book? All that is required is your Library membership. Ask for the book at the Library’s front desk and come to the meeting. We normally meet at the fireplace. There is also a Facebook group for this book club: http://www.facebook.com/groups/CPLNovelbookclub/.