AN UPSIDE-DOWN SKY

In Dahl’s novel, an American tourist in need of a reset seeks answers in Southeast Asia.

Lidia DeCampos has allowed her old friends, the Vondervilles, to talk her into taking part in a group tour of Namyan. The Southeast Asian country has recently reopened to the world after years of isolation, boasting beautiful colonial architecture, Buddhist temples, and other picturesque sights. The tour group, led by Namyanese guide Thila, consists of 18 Americans from various walks of life, and together they travel the country in an air-conditioned bus. Lidia, a textbook illustrator in her 60s, is trying to get back to enjoying life after a long, difficult period that she’d rather not discuss. She starts the trip with a bang by consuming a psychoactive betel nut and making a fool out of herself on the very first day. The other Americans turn out to be an intense group, each with a history of personal and professional dissatisfaction; they include a retired colonel; a right-wing, retired oilman; an insect researcher; and a video blogger. Lidia finds herself gravitating toward fellow traveler Klaus Haynes, a self-described “extreme political adventure travel blogger.” But will she find anything in Namyan that she can take back home to her lonely life in New York City? Dahl’s prose is measured and often lyrical, particularly in her descriptions of the fictional Namyan, which is modeled on Myanmar: “The equivalent of most of the world’s cathedrals was spread out as far as they could see—walled ruins of a palace stretching for acres, temples placed like giant chess pieces waiting to be played under the blazing sun.” The characters are well constructed, but not a lot happens to them over the course of the story; the most exciting event involves the police enforcing Namyan’s severe laws involving footwear. The shaggy story structure is perhaps appropriate for a travel novel, however. For maximum enjoyment, the reader is advised to not worry too much and simply go along for the ride.

A capably written, if rather leisurely, novel of a vacation relationship.