State of Wonder
Ann Patchett's State of Wonder opens with pharmacologist Marina Singh receiving news of her co-worker's death from fever while deep in the Amazon. Soon, Marina finds herself in Brazil, retracing his steps by attempting to locate the research lab of the secretive Dr. Swenson. A woman of deep convictions and questionable medical ethics, Dr. Swenson is working on a miraculous fertility drug that shocks Marina to her core.
Quote:
"The minute she stepped into the musty wind of the tropical air conditioning, Marina smelled her own wooliness. She pulled off her light spring coat and then the zippered cardigan beneath it, stuffing them into her carry-on where they did not begin to fit, while every insect in the Amazon lifted its head from the leaf it was masticating and turned a slender antenna in her direction."
Author:
Ann Patchett is the author of six novels, including Bel Canto and State of Wonder, as well as three non-fiction books. In addition to writing, she is the co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee.
Published: 2011
Length: 353 pages
Set in: Brazil