Some very powerful imagery from this author. The description of the torture committed on Lewis in East Timor was nightmarish, even more so, since it probably really happens.

My favorite character though was Tobo, Marika's guide thru the Papa New Guinea jungle. His musings about the helplessness of the white ones were not only amusing but probably on target!

I really enjoyed this book! At first when the story kept switching from Marika's travels to her life in Boston, I found it a little irritating. I felt as though I was really starting to get engrossed with one part of the adventure only to be ripped from that time period and thrown into another. By the end of the book though, I actually found myself really enjoying the intertwining of stories. It kept me reading and I have to say, this book really surprised me! It was given to me as a Christmas present and reading the summary of the story did not catch my eye. This also did not seem like the type of book I would be interested in but I am so glad I gave it the time of day!

After a couple of chapters I simply do not care about this woman or why she is looking for a supposed dead man in Papau New Guinea.

Marika Vecera is a fearless war journalist, traveling to war zones that many male reporters have avoided. When her idol, the famous journalist Robert Lewis, commits suicide, Marika feels driven to write his biography. In the course of researching her book, Marika receives a letter from a missionary who claims to have seen Lewis in Papua New Guinea. Marika drops everything to follow up the lead, embarking on a grueling journey that may cost the journalist her life. As the story progresses, we see that Marika’s quest is as much a journey to find herself as it is to find Robert Lewis.

The White Mary is one story told in two parts. The main part of the book covers Marika’s search for Lewis in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, while the events that drove her to that search are told in a series of flashbacks. These flashbacks, though insightful looks into Marika’s character, are the weakest points in the story. I found Marika’s interaction with her boyfriend Seb to be unrealistic. The dialogue between the two of them just felt stilted and forced. Marika is an interesting, multi-faceted character, but with each flashblack, I found her less likable. Her journey ultimately changes her for the better, but that change came too late for me.

There were elements of this book that I loved. Salak’s descriptions of the jungle are absolutely breathtaking. Tobo, Marika’s guide through the jungle, is a fascinating character. Clever, resourceful and wise, he saves Marika’s life on more than one occasion. Kira Salak, like Marika, is an accomplished war journalist, and her experience is evident in the descriptions of Marika’s time spent in various war zones.

The White Mary is gritty, intense and, at times, disturbing. There are graphic depictions of torture and rape, and one scene towards the end of the novel is so disturbingly vivid that it may turn even the strongest of stomachs.

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. As I stated earlier, there were many things that I loved about this book, but in the end, the things I didn’t like stood out more. While I can’t give it an enthusiastic endorsement, I am glad that I took the time to read The White Mary.