Euphoria
When married anthropologists Nell Stone and Fen Schuyler arrive in the Sepik River region of New Guinea in 1933, Andrew Bankson's entire life is inverted. Irresistibly drawn to Nell's intelligence and charm, Bankson finds new purpose in his own ethnographic study of the area's people. But as rivalry and jealousy mount, a series of unexpected events unfold — leaving the trio to grapple with their own complicity in the lives of the tribes they live among and study.
Written in compelling and clear prose, Euphoria is a heart-wrenching study of friendship, marriage, violence, and gender roles.
Quote:
"The rain hit the lake water loudly and it took my ears several minutes to get used to the roar. You don't realize in the dry season how much is held in, but now all the sounds and smells came back, stirred up by the wind and humidity, flowers and roots and leaves exhaling their full flavor. Even the lake itself released a pungent peat odor as the rain dug into it. Nell seemed smaller and younger and I could see her easily at thirteen, at nine, a little girl on a Pennsylvania farm, and all I could do was keep looking."
Author:
Lily King is an American novelist. Her books include Euphoria, The Pleasing Hour, and Father of the Rain. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and several anthologies.
Published: 2014
Length: 261 pages
Set in: Papua New Guinea