Only a Messenger

"At first he decided to devote his life to finding her killer." The novel opens with a "summary abstract" outlining a tale of tragedy, betrayal, and redemption. The story is subsequently revealed through the notebook entries of a young scientist from San Diego and the diaries of a visionary, but ill-fated, Oaxacan girl with whom he falls in love and marries. Her unexplained death and his resulting grief and self-castigation send him into a crucible of madness. His attempt to merge diverse worlds leads to telling revelations about greed and honesty, imagination and integrity, bringing into focus two different approaches to knowledge of the natural world.