Jigsaw

Here’s an ingenious variation on some old themes. Take two brothers, an archaeologist father and a zoologist colleague and put them on an island cloaked in rain forest that has been deserted because it is in imminent danger of being overwhelmed by the ocean. Have the adults engage in some secret business in an old fish drying shed that the boys are not allowed to see. Introduce a visiting yacht, with an American family and a beautiful teenage daughter. Then allow whatever weird creature is being kept in the shed to escape into the forest. And, finally, before the pace slows, bring in some modern pirates. There’s plenty of action and mystery; and some tension between the brothers, not only for the attention of the gorgeous American but because they have come from different backgrounds. Hassan has been adopted after bringing the archaeologist some intriguing scrolls in the Jordanian desert; and Max, who tells the story, has mixed feelings abut his new brother. The interplay between the young people is well done, as is the gradual revelation of how events in Jordan connect to those on the island. However, Kilworth’s attempt to present the story as if it were Max’s internet blog is an unconvincing gesture. It remains very much a conventional first person narrative. The solution of the mystery is daring, but, in the end, there seems rather less made of such an amazing proposition than there might have been.