The Mosquito Coast

Embarrassingly, it took me at least six months to finish this book. Why? I can't be sure other than the story was so heavy on me that I had to take it one page at a time and savour it. The book was brilliantly written, and I was sad to see it come to an end.

The plot in a nutshell is this: Allie has had enough of America and decides to pack up his family and move down to South America to live off the land in peace. He is a genius inventor so their life takes on normality in no time. Along the way the family meets some interesting characters, who, along with Allie's opinionated way of thinking, eventually makes life difficult for them. The story is being told through the eyes of his 13-year-old son.

It was very well-written. The character-building was astounding. For one thing, I was genuinely interested in what Allie had to say, even though I didn't agree with everything he said. I was also interested in his wife - someone who was willing to give up life in America to pack up the kids and rough-it in the jungle...that's lovin'!

I truly recommend this book. I'd say it goes in my top 20 favorites.