Lily King has effectively vanquished my aversion for romance novels by crafting a historically fictional but scientifically accurate love triangle composed entirely of cultural anthropologists. Finally, a mushy flirt-fest that even I, a testosterone laden tortoise of a man, can sink my teeth into.

The key question here is not who is going to win the heart of lovely Nell (I personally don’t care either way), but which of the three ethnographical methodologies is going to produce the most meaningful results…

New Guinea, circa 1930

Anthropologist Nell is highly interactionary. She is interview oriented and not averse to participating in tribal activities provided she can participate with one hand and take notes with the other.

Anthropologist Fen, Nell’s husband, is an immersionist. He is the anthropological equivalent of a method actor. Screw the notes, the real understanding comes from becoming an accepted member of the tribe. Experience it all first hand - ritual scarrings, tattoos and hallucinogens included.

Anthropologist Bankson, the tall, dark and handsome third corner of our triad, is a duck-blind observationist. Stand apart, don’t be intrusive, don’t interfere, and for Pete’s sake don’t contaminate the culture!

‘Which ethnographic approach produces the best results,’ you ask? Oh no. Unlike roughly 98% of my other reviews, this one is spoiler free!