A âcanny, funny, impressively detailed debut novelâ (The New York Times) that blurs the lines between life and art with the story of a film directorâs unthinkable experiment in the Amazon jungle.
When a nameless, struggling actor in 1970s New York gets the call that an enigmatic director wants him for an art film set in the Amazon, he doesnât hesitate: he flies to South America, no questions asked. He quickly realizes heâs made a mistake. Heâs replacing another actor who quit after seeing the scriptâa script the director now claims doesnât exist. The movie is over budget. The production team seems headed for a breakdown. The air is so wet that the celluloid film disintegrates.
But what the actor doesnât realize is that the greatest threat might be the town itself, and the mysterious shadow economy that powers this remote jungle outpost. Entrepreneurial Americans, international drug traffickers, and M-19 guerillas are all fighting for South Americaâs futureâand the groups arenât as distinct as you might think. The actor thought this would be a role that would change his life. Now heâs worried if heâll survive it.
This âgripping, ambitiousâŠvivid, scary novelâ (Publishers Weekly) is a thrilling journey behind the scenes of a shocking film and a thoughtful commentary on violence and its repercussions.