The characters Kit and Lara live in a remote rainforest village, each navigating their roles in life. Lara works for an NGO while Kit takes care of their baby daughter, Helen. Kit's struggle with the local language adds humor, as he unknowingly speaks in the female register. The couple's relationship is strained, reflecting a disconnect from their situation. Their stability is disrupted by the arrival of journalist Court Hardy, who warns them about the impending war. Lara mysteriously disappears following a violent attack on the village, leading to an intense emotional crisis for Kit.
The cumulative effect is sometimes of a novel that can't quite decide whether to be closely observant or distanced to abstraction.
Beneath the trees, the light is filtered to a soupy dimness. The villagers claim to be able to tell a child's fortune from its teeth.
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