If ever there was a book that was worth the effort it requires, it's this one.

I first tried to read this in 2023 as my bedtime ebook read. I couldn't settle into it and eventually DNF'd with the intention to return because trying to read this at sleepy time was just not possible. I tried again earlier this year with audiobook, but that also didn't work for me - while the audiobook narrator was doing a great job I just couldn't track the nuances of what was going on. I decided to purchase a copy, and finally - the third time was the charm. With paperback in hand I finally settled in and enjoyed the ride more than I think I'll be able to articulate.

The Spear Cuts Through Water is a tremendous work of art. Jimenez asks you to trust him and I am ecstatic to report that doing so pays off in spades. This tale is non-linear, generational, and sweeping - while also being tender, gentle, intimate, and emotional. Our protagonists are layered and complex, the world vivid and imaginative, and the stakes as high as they can be. All of the moving and competing priorities work in tandem to establish a rich story that has something for everyone. Action? We've got oodles. Social commentary? Abounding. Love? Blossoming and endearingly sweet. Fantasy? We've got gods, bestowed powers, ancient beings, fate being challenged, and more!

I can't recommend this enough. It immediately joined my My Taste section. I will be thinking about this for a long long time and heartily recommending it everywhere I can!

"I don't know where we will be in the future, but my journeys through the Amazon have taught me to embrace uncertainty with calm, control, and order, just as Sergio once told me; to surrender the ego, take courage, and accept that not all is doomed. The journey hasn't been easy, and there is still so much left to do as my quest elevate indigenous knowledge within modern science goes on. ... I dream that these pages invite us to explore a different mindset, an indigenous cosmovision that will inspire us to forge a future that we can be proud of - a reality I have already found in the deepest corners of the jungle. The ancient wisdom of our ancestors teaches us that nature and people are a singular, intertwined entity, and through reconnection, there is a restored joy and balance."

Wow wow wow, what an incredible book! Dr. Espinoza does an great job of introducing us to the Amazon. While she doesn't go into too much depth on any one topic, the consistent through line is how important Indigenous wisdom is. With heaping portions of respect and reverence she walks us through the local flora and fauna, the customs of various Amazonian tribes, her personal connection to these places and peoples, and weaves in where science meets spiritual. I loved this.

All but one chapter open with a profile of an Amazonian plant, detailing it's common and indigenous names, common/medicinal/spiritual uses, and some basic scientific facts. The one chapter that doesn't feature a plant instead details the primary subject of the chapter, the stingless bee. For the most part these plants then feature prominently, or importantly, in the chapters content, but I did start to feel that ebb away as we got towards the end. Not a big deal, but it was noticeable.

Reading this inspired a lot of questions in me and I sincerely hope Dr. Espinoza continues to write more - this was easy to read and follow, gripping and touching - and also harrowing as she recounts several stories of danger. Sprinkled throughout is also discussion of supernatural forces, with a small sampling of Amazonian myths and legends and folklore. This is also a mild/medium memoir - the Amazon is the focus and the star, but she shares a lot of stories from her childhood, and the whole book is framed through her expeditions into the jungle. She also shares her experiences going through some rituals involving mind altering substances, which felt very personal to me!

I guess, basically, my biggest complaint is that the book is so interesting I just wanted her to keep talking about the things she was bringing up, instead of introducing it, lightly discussing, and then moving on. It seems like the goal of the book is to get you hooked on how cool and important the Amazon is, so it makes sense that she stays surface level most of the time, and boyhowdy did it work - but I definitely crave some deeper dives into almost everything she brought up. 😅

Small CW warnings - there is an encounter with boiling mud early on that leads to pretty serious injury that is described in medium detail, and there is a recounting of a jaguar being killed in self defense, again in moderate detail. (it is not a celebratory event, at all, to be clear - everyone is gutted that it happened.)

Definitely a high recommendation from me.