Brazzaville Beach

A primatologist flees her broken marriage for a job in war-torn Africa in the renowned author's "brilliant. . . stunningly magical" novel (
Washington Post Book World).


William Boyd's classic
Brazzaville Beachhas been called a "bold seamless blend of philosophy and suspense. . . [that] nevertheless remains accessible to general readers on a level of pure entertainment." (
Boston Globe).



When her marriage to a brilliant but unstable mathematician finally shatters, Hope Clearwater leaves England to join a team of primate researchers in a remote African country. Though she is there to study chimps, the greater challenge is her attempt to grapple with her own recent past-as well as her fellow scientists. And when she discovers evidence of supposedly peaceful chimps engaging in extreme violence, Hope finds herself drawn into a war of desperate egos and ruthless ambitions.