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After his doctor father decides that his mother needs to go in
for chemotherapy, Alex is packed off to live with his whacky
journalist grandmother, Kate. As Alex’s (mis)fortune would
have it she’s off on an expedition to the Amazon rainforest
for a magazine titled International Geographic. Her
mission is to report on the search for a mythic humanoid of
Yeti-like proportions known simply as The Beast.
The book is
written in a decidedly simple style. The start is slow, but
before you know it the story opens up in front of you like a
clearing in the Amazonian jungle where all the action takes
place.
It is here that
Alex, who is trying hard to come to grips with having given up
his American Dream, albeit briefly, befriends 12-year-old Nadia
Santos. She has grown up in the jungle, knows the language of
the Indians and teaches Alex all that he needs to know for his
survival here.
Once in the depths
of the Amazon, a magical world, shamanic adventure and eccentric
characters combine to create what can be called a fast-paced
eco-thriller. Alex, his grandmother, Nadia and her father, a
fiercely egotistical anthropologist and two photographers
comprise the official team which is in search of the Beast. They
are joined by a rich Amazonian adventurer whose evil intent is
apparent pretty soon and a doctor whose job is to carry
protective vaccines for the Indians who come into contact with
people from the outside world.
Together with the
legendary beast there is the heady mix of vicious animals,
supposedly savage Indian tribes, unscrupulous smugglers and
corrupt soldiers. In a theme that draws close parallels with the
development-versus-preserving-the-environment debate, the
materialistic smugglers led by Mauro Carias want to tap the rich
jungle for precious metals. But that involves killing an entire
indigenous tribe called the ‘People of the Mist’. The young
friends uncover the dangerous plot and then set about trying to
foil the evil plan.
Even as they set
off on the mission, the story increasingly becomes the tale of
the unexpected. Every bend in the river springs a new surprise.
You can almost feel the characters warding off the dangerous
insects and worms that abound in the forest and re-learning the
law of nature which simply is "you do not take without
giving". However, it isn’t all myth, Allende keeps a firm
grip on reality and life’s many tough lessons too:
"It seemed
unbelievable to Alex that in a few days’ time his life had
taken such a spectacular turn that he found himself in a
fantastic place where, just as his grandmother had announced,
spirits walked among the living...He felt very alone, and light
years from things he knew. If only he could find out how his
mother was doing! But calling a hospital in Texas from this
village would be like trying to communicate with Mars. Kate was
not any company or comfort. As a grandmother, she left a lot to
be desired. She didn’t even make an effort to answer his
questions, because it was her opinion that the only way you
learned was to find out for yourself. She maintained that
experience was what you learned just after you needed it."
This is merely one
of the many lessons that Allende presents to her readers in her
inimitable style. And that’s just one of the many things that
has me waiting for more from her.
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