In the Palm of Darkness - Hardcover

Montero, Mayra; Grossman, Edith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060187034 ISBN 13: 9780060187033

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1997

Synopsis

Two men of very different cultures--American herpetologist Victor Griggs and his Haitian guide, Thierry Adrien--embark on a obsessive odyssey through the mountains of Haiti in search of a mysterious amphibian, the blood frog. First serial, Conjunctions. Tour.

About this title

Review:

To read In the Palm of Darkness is to hike through a Haitian landscape dense with spirits, loas, mystery, poverty, disintegrating environmental and social structures, and an elusive, near-extinct species of amphibian. Victor, a herpetologist from the U.S., comes to Haiti to find the blood-red Eleutherodactylus sanguineus, but cannot escape the emotional alienation he's left behind at home. For Victor's Haitian guide Thierry, the search is a trip into the heart of the heart of his country, family, and himself. Montero also subtly weaves a larger message of worldwide ecological collapse that may be signaled by the (actual) sudden sharp drops in frog populations. This intelligent and intense novel is the first work by the Cuban-born Montero (currently residing in Puerto Rico) to be translated into English. It should not be the last.

About the Author:

Mayra Montero was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1952 and at present lives in Puerto Rico. She has published three novels and a short story collection. In the Palm of Darkness is Montero's first work of fiction to be translated into English.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0060187034
• ISBN 13: 9780060187033
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 181