Review: Alter

Alter by Jeremy Robinson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked up this read in an effort to step outside my usual genre choices. In doing so, I was once again reminded why I avoid novels that include elements that require a profound suspension of disbelief. If I don’t buy in, I tend to react with cynicism and sarcasm. With that said, it would be unfair to judge the work based on preference alone, and so I will try to pen this review based on the merits of the writing—and this author can definitely write, fueled by a rich imagination.

The story is one of a doctor, Greg Zekser, headed to the Amazon to offer medical aid. When the plane in which he is traveling crashes deep in the Amazon rainforest, the doctor is the only survivor. The rest of the book details his fight to survive, his communing with nature, and his descent into what is described as a dissociative state. As he reaches the height of hubris through his encounters with indigenous tribes, he also experiences a profound loss of his humanity. To return to the civilized man he once was will take courage, humility and patience.

On the surface, this plot outline is one that I would have probably enjoyed reading. Unfortunately, the author takes that giant step from the believable to the “yeah, right”, and in doing so just prevented me from fully investing. One example, and certainly not the only example, was in the relationship Greg builds with Ashan, a native woman he saves from being raped by two men from a rival tribe. When they first meet, they share no common language, and Ashan is portrayed as backward and feral. In short shrift, however, they are engaging in full conversation that includes innuendo and nuance suggestive of a mastery of English. Another example was when Greg befriends a jaguar, Oro, and grows to call her his daughter. It was just too fantastical (I’m trying to refrain from using Jungle Book and Tarzan comparisons), and perhaps there is the crux of my discontent. Had this been billed as a fantasy read, I may have just avoided it altogether. Instead, it was portrayed as a “man against nature” survival story, and as such I expected it to be at least believable.

Finally, I was uncomfortable with the author’s portrayal of the isolated tribes with whom Greg made contact. Aside from Ashan, each interaction was brutal, uncivilized and harsh, complete with poison arrows and loincloths. It just felt disrespectful and stereotypic in this current era of heightened cultural sensitivity.

Three stars, as all in all, this novel contained strong writing, a focused plot and sound structure. I simply wasn’t able to appreciate these elements and found them to be overshadowed by a heavy-handed inclusion of a series of fantastical events that impeded my ability to stay in the moment.

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