State of Wonder

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORANGE PRIZE FOR FICTIONThere were people on the banks of the river.Among the tangled waterways and giant anacondas of the Brazilian Rio Negro, an enigmatic scientist is developing a drug that could alter the lives of women for ever. Dr Annick Swenson''s work is shrouded in mystery; she refuses to report on her progress, especially to her investors, whose patience is fast running out. Anders Eckman, a mild-mannered lab researcher, is sent to investigate.A curt letter reporting his untimely death is all that returns.Now Marina Singh, Anders'' colleague and once a student of the mighty Dr Swenson, is their last hope. Compelled by the pleas of Anders''s wife, Marina leaves the snowy plains of Minnesota and retraces her friend''s steps into the heart of the South American darkness, determined to track down Dr. Swenson and uncover the secrets being jealously guarded among the remotest tribes of the rainforest.What Marina does not yet know is that, in