The High Mountains of Portugal
A mythical white rhinoceros, an autopsy that reveals the cause of life, a chimpanzee that pores over family albums… what a tale Yann Martel, author of The Life of Pi, has created this time around!
The High Mountains of Portugal is not just one novel but three interconnected novellas. The first, entitled “Homeless,” is set in 1905 Lisbon, where Tomas, a curator at the National Museum of Ancient Art, discovers an 18th-century diary that sends him on a quest to the High Mountains to search for an artifact that will change history. His odyssey ends tragically in a village named Tuizelo. The second is in the town of Alto Duro, not far from Tuizelo. Its title is “Homeward.” Here, the hospital’s chief pathologist, Dr. Lozora, still grieving the death of his wife, performs an extraordinary autopsy under the direction of the deceased’s spouse. And, in the third piece, “Home,” a Canadian senator, Peter Tovy, also grieving his wife’s death, leaves everything and moves to his ancestral village with a chimpanzee he is unaccountably drawn to. The village is Tuizelo.
It’s tempting to think of these beautifully written stories, rich in metaphor, as a long parable – perhaps about loss and redemption – certainly about faith and trust in the irrational. There is also a strong religious strain. The runaway theological declamation by Dr. Lozora’s wife is noteworthy and, I would suggest, provides insight into the author’s goal. However, everything is not nearly so intense. There are characters you have to love and parts of each story that make you laugh aloud. Plus, if you have visited Portugal, you will appreciate the fine sense of place.
This is a wonderful book, guaranteed to draw you back again and again. It should be at the top of everyone’s must-read list.
