Review: Euphoria

Euphoria by Lily King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the story of 3 anthropologists: a woman based on Margaret Mead, her Australian husband, and a British man who is the primary narrator. They are working in New Guinea in the 1930s and the novel focuses on the love-triangle that develops among them.

The writing was good, the characters were interesting--especially the 'other man'--and there was enough of an actual story to hold the work together. I felt like Fen was neglected as a character though. His actions are incredibly important to the story, but the reasons for his choices are not at all clear. He is more of a type than a fully-drawn person. The interweaving of Nell's notebook into the narrative worked well to tell her side in small pieces and maintain the dramatic tension.