The Storyteller - Mario Vargas Llosa

Saul Zuratas is an astutely intelligent Peruvian lad of Jewish extraction, the son of a jewish grocer and a Creole mother. The author meets Saul at the University where they are both enrolled to study Law. Saul's father has high expectations of his son, who on the other hand finds himself drawn to ethnology, his interests fuelled by his fascination of indigenous tribes and their way of life. Saul passionately defends the rights of the indigenous people of Peru, to uphold their beliefs, their culture and individuality, in a world that is rapidly being engulfed by western aculturation, through missionaries and other agencies.
In a doctor-student format, the author skillfully presents the pros and cons of modernization of the Amazonian tribes, the pros greatly outweighing the cons. The author is puzzled at Saul's emotional defence of the aboriginal tribes, while acknowledging the downside of remaining entrenched in ancient myth and superstition. Saul suddenly announces his return to Israel, and the story takes us into the forests of the Amazon where we explore the mores and means of the Machiguenga tribes. We learn of the three most important people in the anarchic tribe - the sorcerer, the priest and the mysterious Hablador, the story teller.
Intertwined through all this is the story of Saul himself.
Over time the inevitable process of westernization takes place through religious and linguistic conversion. The Bible is translated into Machiguenga dialects, governmental heirarchy established . Yet there is a strange twist that makes us think.
It is true that superstition is a product of ignorance, leading to or stemming from fear of the unknown. Aculturation and education do take people into a more sustainable way of life. However, deep within us all, there is a uniqueness that defines us. "Culture is the way we approach life's situations, not the way we dress or speak".
Is it possible for a man of reason and scientific understanding to revert to a magico-religious culture? Why would he do that anyway, unless it is social acceptance he seeks?
I love this book. My new favourite author. At first I thought he would be something along the tradition of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He is very different, and I look forward to reading some of his more contemporary novels. Watch this space.