Historical fiction about three anthropologists studying tribes in New Guinea in the 1930s, this book is a reimagining of the life of Margaret Mead and two of her three husbands. It is only loosely based on Mead, as it diverges substantially from Mead’s life. Nell and Fen are a married couple, just leaving one tribe and attempting to find another, when they meet Bankson. who has recently attempted suicide and is extremely lonely. Bankson helps them become established with a tribe not too far away. The story is told for the most part by Bankson, who observes the observers, and plays a critical role in the story.
The story is more about the anthropologists than the native people. Nell wanted to learn all about the people by interrogating them and documenting the results. Fen wanted to experience the people by basically living as one of them. Bankson wanted to observe and interfere as little as possible. Not your typical love triangle, it is more a melding of the intellectual and the sensual. Themes include freedom, sexuality, fertility, abuse, jealously, competition, greed, objectivity in research, and cultural respect.
One scene I particularly enjoyed was an epiphany of collaboration where the three anthropologists are brainstorming how the tribes, and later, individuals, fit into a grid of their own design. I could feel the excitement of these colleagues, working together, bouncing ideas off one another to delve deeper into their hypothesis. There were many such powerful scenes in this book.
I wish the novel had given me more insight into the characters and lives of the indigenous people. Even so, it was an interesting book, and caused me to do quite a bit of internet research afterword. Recommended to those that enjoy historical fiction and science-based novels, though one does not need to be interested in anthropology to appreciate this book.
Historical fiction about three anthropologists studying tribes in New Guinea in the 1930s, this book is a reimagining of the life of Margaret Mead and two of her three husbands. It is only loosely based on Mead, as it diverges substantially from Mead’s life. Nell and Fen are a married couple, just leaving one tribe and attempting to find another, when they meet Bankson. who has recently attempted suicide and is extremely lonely. Bankson helps them become established with a tribe not too far away. The story is told for the most part by Bankson, who observes the observers, and plays a critical role in the story.
The story is more about the anthropologists than the native people. Nell wanted to learn all about the people by interrogating them and documenting the results. Fen wanted to experience the people by basically living as one of them. Bankson wanted to observe and interfere as little as possible. Not your typical love triangle, it is more a melding of the intellectual and the sensual. Themes include freedom, sexuality, fertility, abuse, jealously, competition, greed, objectivity in research, and cultural respect.
One scene I particularly enjoyed was an epiphany of collaboration where the three anthropologists are brainstorming how the tribes, and later, individuals, fit into a grid of their own design. I could feel the excitement of these colleagues, working together, bouncing ideas off one another to delve deeper into their hypothesis. There were many such powerful scenes in this book.
I wish the novel had given me more insight into the characters and lives of the indigenous people. Even so, it was an interesting book, and caused me to do quite a bit of internet research afterword. Recommended to those that enjoy historical fiction and science-based novels, though one does not need to be interested in anthropology to appreciate this book.