Taroko Gorge

A disillusioned and raggedy American reporterand his drunken photojournalist partner are the lastto see three Japanese schoolgirls who disappearinto Taroko Gorge, Taiwan’s largest national park.The journalists—who are themselves suspects—investigate the disappearance along with the girls’homeroom teacher, their bickering classmates,and a seasoned and wary Taiwanese detective.The conflicts between them—complicated bythe outrageousness of the photographer and theraging hormones of the young—raise questions ofpersonal responsibility, truthfulness, and guardedself-interest.The world and its dangers—both natural andinterpersonal—are real, changing, and violentlypressing. And the emotions that churn in darkrooms overnight as the players gather in the parkvisitors’ center are as intense as in any closetdrama. There’s enough action and furor here tokeep readers turning the pages, and the culturalrevelations of the story suggest that the humanneed for mystery outweighs the desire for answers.