Author(s): Andrew Westoll

Literature

Suriname is the least travelled country in South America, a little-known land of myth, magic and ecological wonder just north of Brazil. Most of this mysterious nation is covered in pristine rainforest, but this Last Eden has a dark side: environmental destruction, rife pollution and appalling poverty. Andrew Westoll first fell under Suriname's spell when he spent a year studying monkeys deep inside these remote jungles. Five years later, he returned on a quest to uncover the country's mysterious soul. Through harrowing journeys by foot, bus and dugout canoe, Westoll illustrates how the modern struggles for human rights and ecological preservation can often compete with the economic needs of a proud people - with tragic consequences. The Riverbones is a spellbinding tale of survival, heartbreak, mystery and murder - a search for redemption in a country haunted by a troubled past and an uncertain future.