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by Jacob Ritari
A disillusioned and raggedy American reporter and his drunken photojournalist partner are the last to see three Japanese schoolgirls who disappear into Taroko Gorge, Taiwan's largest national park. The journalists who are themselves suspects investigate the disappearance along with the girls homeroom teacher, their bickering classmates, and a seasoned and wary Taiwanese detective. The conflicts between them complicated by the outrageousness of the photographer and the raging hormones of the young raise questions of personal responsibility, truthfulness, and guarded self-interest. The world and its dangers both natural and interpersonal are real, changing, and violently pressing. And the emotions that churn in dark rooms overnight as the players gather in the park visitors center are as intense as in any closet drama. There's enough action and furor here to keep readers turning the pages, and the cultural revelations of the story suggest that the human need for mystery outweighs the desire for answers.
"The atmosphere is nicely done, but the big reveal is a let down." - Publishers Weekly
"Ritari sets up a traditional country-house plot, but his unique setting and unusual characters make it far different from your average cozy. A promising debut." - Booklist
This information about Taroko Gorge was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jacob Ritari has studied with the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist organization in Taiwan and studied Japanese language and literature at Japan s Sophia University. He lives near New York City.
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