Review: State of Wonder
July 14th, 2011 § 4 Comments
Title: State of Wonder
Author: Ann Patchett
Published: Harper Collins / 2011
Genre: Fiction, Literature
Length: 368 pages
Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours
Rating: 8/10
a modern-day Heart of Darkness with a female protagonist, State of Wonder beautifully captures the joys and fears associated with nature, and the essence of human connections and disconnections, in love and in friendship.
when Marina learns that her coworker has died while on assignment in South America, she is vaulted into the same daunting situation with two goals: find out the details of his death and finish the work that he had been sent to do. as she approaches these tasks, she is also forced to face her past, which include her failed attempt at becoming a doctor and a father who abandoned her. conveniently (or perhaps inconveniently for Marina), the doctor in charge of research in the jungle is Dr. Swenson, the source of much personal and professional anxiety for Marina. all of this comes together as Marina journeys deeper into the jungle, the physical and metaphoric manifestation of her life as it is.
What had made the jungle so uncomfortable all this time was its absence of people. All the jungle had offered thus far were plants and insects, clinging vines and unseen animals, and that was bad enough, but now Marina realized that people were truly the wost-case scenario.
in this way, the jungle and the Lakashi tribe are given life. interestingly, the book centers on the role of Dr. Swenson and the jungle, but similar to the introduction of Kurtz in Heart of Darkness, their entrance is belated. two thirds of the book has passed before the chronology of the book places Marina in the wilderness, facing her deepest fears. in a narrative sense, this works well because the character development has been given time to build into a fully formed vision of the person that she is, flaws and all. but, it can also feel a bit tedious and drawn out, as it must have felt to Marina as well.
the themes addressed in the book tackled some of the complex issues regarding the nature of civilization and what it means to be an outsider. i particularly loved the deaf and mute tribal boy Easter, who represents innocence and passion in their raw and unadulterated forms, simple and needy as children tend to be. we see through the presence of Easter, Dr. Swenson, and Marina, as non-Lakashi tribe members, the ways that the outside world are, for better or worse, witnessing the tribe in its natural state.
If you pay any attention at all you’ll realize that you could never convert them to your way of life anyway. They are an intractable race. Any progress you advance to them will be undone before your back is turned. You might as well come down here to unbend the river. The point, then, is to observe the life they themselves have put in place and learn from it.
admittedly, the book is a little too conveniently put together at points, particularly in terms of the way that Marina’s employer functioned, and the placement of Dr. Swenson and her role in the organization. there were also some areas that felt a little more tangential than necessary, but altogether i did enjoy the writing and would recommend the book.
this was my first book by Ann Patchett, though it will definitely not be my last. i own Bel Canto and have been encouraged through this reading to pick it up very soon.
State of Wonder is currently on tour with TLC Book Tours and was sent to me by the publisher for review. thank you to Trish, TLC and Harper Collins for the opportunity to partipate!
Thanks for your great review. I reviewed both State of Wonder and Bel Canto together. My review is here: http://wordsandpeace.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/bell-canto-and-state-of-wonder/
Emma @ Words And Peace
Oh, I want to read that one! I’ll put it on my list. Great review.
I too own Bel Canto but haven’t read it yet. Now I want to read both that one AND this one.
Thanks for being on the tour.
I have seen a lot of really positive reviews on this book and general praise for Patchett’s writing. I have one of her books sitting on my bookshelf and cant’ wait to get around to reading it!