Jennifer Rohn of Lablit.com hosts Fiction Lab - book club dedicated to great fiction books with a science theme. This month Fiction Lab travels a few hundred yards from its regular home at the Royal Institution for a special appearance at One Culture: The Royal Society Festival of Literature and the Arts.
If you're an interested reader who has something to say, then come along. The format of Fiction Lab is simple. All you need to do is read the book beforehand and then drop into the Royal Society to discuss it with other fiction lovers.
The book chosen for October is State Of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Among the tangled waterways and giant anacondas of the Brazilian Rio Negro, an enigmatic scientist is developing a drug that could alter the lives of women forever. Dr Annick Swenson's work is shrouded in mystery; she refuses to report on her progress, especially to her investors, whose patience is fast running out. Anders Eckman, a mild-mannered lab researcher, is sent to investigate. A curt letter reporting his untimely death is all that returns. Now Marina Singh, Anders's colleague and once a student of the mighty Dr Swenson, is their last hope. Compelled by the pleas of Anders's wife, who refuses to accept that her husband is not coming home, Marina leaves the snowy plains of Minnesota and retraces her friend's steps into the heart of the South American darkness, determined to track down Dr. Swenson and uncover the secrets being jealously guarded among the remotest tribes of the rainforest. What Marina does not yet know is that, in this ancient corner of the jungle, where the muddy waters and susurrating grasses hide countless unknown perils and temptations, she will face challenges beyond her wildest imagination. Marina is no longer the student, but only time will tell if she has learnt enough.