A few months ago we posted about Ann Patchett‘s “Conradian” novel set in the Amazon jungle, and now we have a little more info on this June 2011 release.
The book is called State of Wonder, and in a recent interview with the Aspen Times, Patchett said its central relationship is between a teacher (“the 70-something Annick Swenson”) and a student (“the 40-ish Marina Singh”). Here’s a bit more from the article, which was published leading up to Patchett’s first public reading from State of Wonder at the Basalt Regional Library:
Annick has discovered a tribe of women in the Brazilian Amazon who are eternally fertile, and immune to malaria. Settling in the Amazon to create a vaccine for malaria, Annick gets into the politics of drug development; Patchett says it is a “sort of ‘Heart of Darkness’ ” journey.
Patchett also revealed it’s her longest work, at 440 pages.
Also in BookPage: an interview with Patchett about Run; a behind-the-book story on Bel Canto.
