by Jim Crace
First published 2008
An anthropologist studies the mating rituals of a remote rainforest tribe. He becomes fascinated by their reproductive practices and brings a young native woman back to his own world. His daughter tells the story of what happens when her father's assumptions about the woman and her culture prove wrong. The collection also includes "Sins and Virtues," where an elderly master calligrapher reflects on his career as fame weighs heavily on him. He remembers his artistic journey and watches as changing times threaten to sweep away everything he has known. Both stories explore the gap between what people think they understand and what actually drives human behavior. The anthropologist believes he grasps the tribe's customs, while the calligrapher thinks he knows what success means. Each man discovers that knowledge and wisdom are different things entirely.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary, anthropology
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Rainforest, Anthropologist's World
Period: Contemporary
Paperback · Picador