Fieldwork (2007)

Fieldwork: A Novel by Mischa Berlinski

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Here's another Entertainment Weekly recommendation that was a fascinating read. A dense, literate journal that echoes the way anthropological fieldwork is done. Mischa Berlinski is the name of the author and the name of the narrator.

When his girlfriend takes a job teaching school in Thailand for a couple of years, the narrator goes along and takes the odd journalistic job to amuse himself until one day he hears a strange story told him by an acquaintance. An American woman Martiya who lived for many years among the Dyalo tribe has committed suicide after spending years in prison for killing a missionary. The plotting draws you into the obsession the narrator has with attempting to untangle and solve the mystery of her life by doing his own 'fieldwork'.


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