An impressive character study of three anthropologists and the tribes they are studying in Papua New Guinea. Nell and Fen, married couple, are first seen leaving a tribe earlier than planned and without completing their study. Nell is fleeing for her life and sanity with broken glasses, multiple health ailments and unable to process her experiences of life in the tribe. Fen is leaving only with regrets that this could have been his big break as Nell is already infamously published in the field. They end up at an expat country club and run into a third colleague who is so desperate for company that he convinces them to stay and finds them a new community.
The character studies of these three different personalities, their analyses of the communities around them and their eventual charting of all cultures on a grid of traits is fascinating. It is such an interesting mix of thought with Bankson and Nell and action by Fen. The end did seem a bit rushed as I tried to fight the eventual from happening. Having taken a few anthro classes and being really interested in the life of an anthropologist and other cultures, I enjoyed this one.
The character studies of these three different personalities, their analyses of the communities around them and their eventual charting of all cultures on a grid of traits is fascinating. It is such an interesting mix of thought with Bankson and Nell and action by Fen. The end did seem a bit rushed as I tried to fight the eventual from happening. Having taken a few anthro classes and being really interested in the life of an anthropologist and other cultures, I enjoyed this one.