by Paul Theroux
First published 2008
Allie Fox despises everything about modern America and the twentieth century itself. He packs up his wife and children and heads for the remote jungles of Honduras, determined to build a better life from scratch. Fox believes he can create a perfect society away from the corruption and technology he left behind. He sets up his family in this hostile wilderness, convinced his inventive mind and strong will can overcome any obstacle. But the jungle proves more dangerous than Fox anticipated. His grand experiment begins to crumble as the harsh reality of their isolation sets in. The family faces threats Fox never imagined back in the United States. His wife and children watch helplessly as his obsession with his utopian dream grows more dangerous. What started as an escape from civilization becomes a nightmare far worse than anything they fled. The very qualities that drove Fox to reject his homeland now threaten to destroy his family in this unforgiving landscape.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, obsession
Setting: Honduras, United States
Period: 20th Century
383 pages · Paperback · Pearson
Content warnings: violence