I didn’t realize I had been sucked into Lily King’s 2014 novel “Euphoria” until the end of the book — and then I was a sad wreck for the characters, as if it were a true story and I had lost touch with people I had known quite well.
Interestingly, author Lily King bases the characters on a brief time out of American anthropologist Margaret Mead’s real life story. It was a period of five months in 1933 when Mead and her second husband took a field trip to study the native people along the Sepik River, in New Guinea. There, they collaborated with the man who would become Mead’s third husband, the English anthropologist Gregory Bateson. See the photo of the three of them below, as they were in 1933.
King takes this situation and setting and then develops a unique story for three anthropologists that is all their own. In the book, it’s Fen and Nell that are married, and Englishman Andrew Bankson who meets them while researching a tribe alone in New Guinea in 1933. Much of the novel delves into the three anthropologists hard at work, and their professional ambitions, studying the human behavior of the river tribes in the jungle. To me it was helpful to have an interest in anthropology to be intrigued with the book as it spends considerable time on the tribes’ behavior.
At the same time the story is also about the love triangle that develops between anthropologists Nell, Fen, and Bankson, and this undoubtedly is the most alluring part of the story. It’s cleverly done: how they’re exploring human behavior while dancing around their own. It’s raw and primitive in the field, and at times, sickness, remoteness, and ambition tightly bring together the three anthropologists and at other times cloud their judgements.
The novel’s well researched and vividly conjures up the settlements, the insects, the dirt, the native peoples, the scientists’ dress and equipment in 1933. The imagery is so visceral it’s as if you’re with them amid the jungle and can breathe the dense humid air.
It’s lonely Bankson, too, that makes the story come to life. A bright, sympathetic soul, he narrates the book mainly — combined with some field notes from Nell — and inevitably draws you into their world one step at a time. You feel him falling for Nell from the day he meets her. But she’s with Fen, who he’s also close to, and their lives and work are complicated. It’s a threesome that works, but also doesn’t. Three makes a crowd so they say.
I don’t think I foresaw the exact ending of the novel. Would Bankson and Nell wind up together, Fen and Nell break apart, or any of them make their mark from their research on the tribes once they returned to civilization? I went down their path, hoping for the best for each, but was quite saddened by the end, which is all I can say about it.
“Euphoria” is a vivid, real-feeling story that moves along faster toward the end. Its denouement will definitely stay with me for a long while. No wonder the New York Times chose it as one of the 10 best books of 2014. The novel takes a historical setting but then creatively flies off in an another direction, all the while touching on some of the drives and desires of the human experience. See Lily King’s illuminating essay on how she came up with the story here.
How about you have you read “Euphoria” and if so what did you think? And by the way, what are you up to this Memorial Day weekend?!
Why haven’t I read this book yet?! It’s been in my TBR stack for a LONG time. I am fascinated by anthropology, and I’ve loved Lily King’s other books, particularly Father of the Rain.
I think if you like anthropology & her books — then you’d definitely like this one! It’s nostalgic too.
I absolutely loved Euphoria. (And I like the original cover better). I really want to go back and read it again. It helped that I have a thing for anthropology and had written a paper on Mead when i was in uni. Great review.
Thanks Tanya. Yeah I should put a photo of the original book cover to contrast them. Mead seems a fascinating person. I’d like to read more about her or maybe her memoir. What a life?!
So many readers have loved Euphoria… I was disappointed when I only “liked” it.
Yeah I can see perhaps where some might not fully dig it. I wasn’t swept up with it until the end perhaps. But the author seems to have done her research and put an interesting twist on reality.
This book has gotten such great attention, and for the longest time I remained in the dark about the plot and what exactly it’s about. I’ve finally started paying attention, and I have to say, it sounds fabulous!
It’s pretty intriguing … especially if you like anthropologist’s kind-of-stories out in the wild. LOL
Thanks for the review!
I’ve had my eye on this one, mostly because of the beautiful cover, (the multi-colored one.) Never read the synopsis. Now I’m thinking it might not be for me. See how we help each other out?:)
Have a great week!
Thanks Darlene. Yeah it’s better to know before going into it! It’s likely not for everyone.
I must check this out! Thanks for the review.
http://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2015/05/armchair-bea.html
Thanks Deb for stopping by
I loved this book so much. Like you said, it draws you in but didn’t seem clear how deep the hooks were until I was finished. I love the cover you used — I’ve never seen that version before!
Yeah Kim, this is the paperback cover which I prefer — I like the jungle photo. Glad you liked it too!
Great review – sounds like an interesting story.
Thanks Erin. I guess I like anthropology/adventure kinds of tales. It interested me too since it’s based on Margaret Mead.
I thoroughly enjoyed this too and have been a little puzzled by some of the negative reviews.
Perhaps having an interest in anthropology is the key after all?
Yeah Brona, I think liking anthropology or knowing something about Mead’s real life helps on the enjoyment of this book. I found the ending sad and moving. I could picture the story of this book quite well and think the author did a good job with it. Not sure the negative reviews either. Too much in the jungle?
Fine review! Euphoria was one of my favorite books from last year. I was pleased to have the opportunity to interview the author myself. I haven’t seen that cover before, perhaps it’s a new edition.
That’s cool to have interviewed Lily King. Wow. Yeah the cover is the paperback edition.
I, too, was completely overtaken by this novel. It has to be a very special book for me to rate a book with 5 stars (like one of my writing friends or a Toni Morrison) but I had no hesitation doing so with Euphoria.
wow a 5 star rating. nice!
I love your review. I was devastated by the ending, like for days. This was one of my favorite books so far in 2015.
I know what you mean Judy. The ending was quite devastating. I didnt want it to end like that. Amazingly sad. I thought they’d get together and life would be grand, but boy was I wrong!
But you know that is not how it went in real life for Margaret Mead, right? I thought it was amazing that Lily King took that creative liberty. I must read her other books.
Yeah I don’t know a ton about Mead but I have read her bio on wikipedia. I guess she was married like 3 times and had other life partners as well. I like how Lily King spun her tale from the beginnings of Mead’s trip. Hmm.