3.75 - I really struggled to get through this one. While I acknowledge this is a memoir and the author’s purpose is not to present perfect prose, I struggled a bit with the writing style. It dragged in many parts, presenting too many details on the same aspects (i.e. walking the cats, random gross elements, etc.) and not enough on others (i.e. the perspective of locals, the stories of other volunteers, etc.).

I actually found part 3 (the final section) to be far and away the most compelling part of the narrative, which was unfortunately also the shortest. Laura’s relationship with Wayra is very beautiful and left a lasting impression, and it was wonderful to see that Laura was able to maintain a connection to the parque while finding her life’s purpose along the way. I did find the author’s description of the “weirdness” and grief that she felt after experiencing so much death and change to be compelling and very relatable despite referring to situations and relationships with exotic animals that the average reader will never experience. I also felt a sense of grief as the roads and fires began to close in around them. One moment I found particularly poignant is when she was spending time with Wayra, listening to the sounds of the jungle when a car alarm can be heard in the distance.

Probably my biggest critique of the last section of the book is that it did not provide any actionable suggestions to the reader. She presented the acute sense of direness of the ecological situation in Bolivia, but I think it could have left a bigger impact if she had provided suggestions on how the reader can provide aid or make a difference without hopping on a plane to Bolivia. Even just a general encouragement for the reader to perform their own research would have been appropriate but then again the average person reading this book in the first place is likely well-versed in climate change and the environmental crisis in the Amazon.