Discovering the truth about Easter Island — a novel
E
aster Island is among the most isolated spots on Earth, yet somehow the first inhabitants were able to make their way across the vast Pacific ocean to settle there. Why they sailed so far, and why they then carved out hundreds of giant Moai statues, and what sort of disasters overtook the once thriving society are questions that have always added to the mystery of this strange island. Against that background, the novelist, Jennifer Vanderbes unfolds a great tale beginning with the arrival from England in the early years of the 20th century of an odd bunch of explorers. Professor Edward Beazley, Elsa, his wife of convenience, and her strange, childlike sister. They had set sail months before, and are so out of touch with the world that they do not know that Germany and Britain are at war.
They explore, and indeed make discoveries, but with the unlikely and surprising arrival of Vice Admiral Graf von Spee, the man Elsa had left when felt compelled by circumstances to marry Edward, their world begins to fall asunder. Von Spee, and his fleet of battleships landed at the island in an attempt to hide from the British, and in the confusion that follows, evidence of what may have happened the islanders is lost. The story moves on to more recent years with another arrival, this time a woman botanist, Greer, an expert on pollen analysis, so dedicated to her research that her back constantly ached from long hours bent over the microscope. In some ways her life had unhappy parallels with Elsa, not least being the belated realisation that she had been betrayed. Only after many years did Elsa accept that her husband and former mentor, had stolen her research results. On the island, Greer finds herself becoming part of a small community
of obsessively dedicated experts. The author’s description of this community, which could almost be set in any university department, is brilliant, and that’s one of the things that makes this novel so special. Jennifer Vanderbes captures the totally obsessive behaviour of scientists with amazing clarity. The author also has a great story to tell on how science helps to discover the truth about the island’s mysterious past. Naturally, Greer emerges as something of a heroine in providing answers to some of the questions that had been bothering everyone. Why, they had asked, had all ??H [? ?Y ?? ?] Y\??Y[?\?X?Y [???Y H\?[?\??X[?Y?Y ????? [H[???[? \???[ ??Y[?Y?X?[?]Z\?H\?[?\??[?X[ \?? H ? ? ?\?? ?H^\?\?Y\? ]Y??[?YY ? ^??H]?\?[?H ?[??H H?\?? ?X??Y[?[???X\?\?^H M?? ?[? H ]?YZ\?[?Z???????Y[???[?? [?\??[??? H?Z?Y [?HH??[? \?HY?Y[?X?H ??\??H?][? ?[???[?\?X??\? ? \?H ?] Y\? H\??\??Z[???\? ??Y]Y? ??H?[??Y HX\?\?\?[??H?[??Y?\??[?\??\? ?\??\?? X?\?Y[? ?
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