Fiction Review: State of Wonder

I just finished listening to State of Wonder by Ann Patchett on audio. Somehow, I missed it when it was published in 2011 and recently found the audio files sort of hidden on my laptop and unlabelled--a pleasant surprise! I enjoyed this journey into the deepest reaches of the Amazon, with plenty of surprises along the way.

Dr. Marina Singh, a pharmaceuticals researcher in Minnesota, is tasked by her boss, with whom she is having a secret affair, with traveling to a remote area of the Brazilian rainforest. Another researcher at her company, Dr. Annick Swenson, has gone missing there and cut off all communication with the company. Marina's officemate and friend, Anders, was first sent down there to find Dr. Swenson, but he died under mysterious circumstances. With his widow's tearful entreaties in her ears and the sight of his three sons fresh in her mind, Marina agrees to make the trip. She figures it will take her about two weeks to find and talk to Dr. Swenson, who was Marina's teacher in med school years ago, get an update on her progress in developing a new fertility drug, and find out the details of Anders' death, maybe even bringing back his possessions (and some answers) for his family. Once Marina arrives in Brazil, though, she sees that it won't be that simple. There is no sign of Dr. Swenson in the hot, exotic, crowded city, and those who know her say they can not predict when she will show up. Dr. Swenson does eventually emerge from the jungle, though Marina doesn't learn much from her, so she decides to follow her old mentor deep into the Amazon to the remote village where the makeshift lab is set up, following the same frightening path that Anders did just months ago.

This novel has a gradual build-up at the beginning, but once it gets rolling (when Marina arrives in Brazil), it is twisty and unpredictable, with plenty of suspense and unexpected revelations. That beginning in Minnesota is necessary to build in-depth characters and relationships, as Marina and her boss get the shocking news about Anders, visit his widow, and flashbacks help to fill in some background on all of the characters. Most of the novel takes place in Brazil--and much of that deep within the Amazon jungle--which provides a fascinating and immersive sense of place that permeates the entire story. The audio book is narrated by talented and well-known actress Hope Davis (I recognized her distinctive voice right away), so it is excellent, with plenty of emotion imbued in the story through her voice. Every time I thought I knew where this novel was going, it took another surprising turn, making for an engrossing and entertaining listen. Now, I am excited to read more of Patchett's backlist, since I have missed many of her novels since loving Bel Canto many years ago!

384 pages, Harper Perennial
HarperAudio

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

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Listen to a sample of the audio book, narrated by actress Hope Davis, here and/or download it from Audible.

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