STEVENSON UNDER THE PALM TREES, by Alberto Manguel

This is kind of a strange little book that reminded me in some ways of some of Hawthorne's or Melville's tales. The Victorian south seas setting was well described. The story describes the strange final days of the life of expat British writer Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa. The heavily psychological, supernatural orientation of the story gave it an interesting feel. The author is an Argentinian, and indeed, there is a Borges-like feel to the story that is very compelling. All-in-all, it's a creative and entertaining piece, concisely written.

For a review of the novel from The Guardian, click here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2004/jan/10/fiction4