Undergrowth

In this luminous novel, the all-too-human experiences of fear, love and loss become amplified with potentially disastrous consequences. In 1960s Brazil, an indigenous group is on the brink of a tragedy, the dimensions of which they are only beginning to grasp. A small band of disaffected government agents, academics and visionaries is determined to fight for their cause. Among them is James Ardmore who, along with his nephew Larry, travels to Pahquel, a village in the crosshairs of an environmental showdown. When James dies en route, Larry is left to decide: Should he attempt to escape his own personal demons by immersing himself in a completely foreign culture? Or retreat and resume his disaffected life in the U.S.? What costs will he bear if he chooses to press forward? Against a lush backdrop, the author gives voice to the complexities of social, anthropological and environmental forces. This is a page-turner of an adventure story that rests upon the deep and unsettling layers of undergrowth.

Nancy Burke is a psychoanalyst. Her poetry has appeared in After Hours, The American Poetry Journal, and Permafrost. She lives in Evanston, Illinois.