Into the Jungle

Publisher's Weekly gives Into the Jungle a starred review “[A] ferocious fever dream of a thriller… Ferencik delivers an alternately terrifying and exhilarating tale.” . . . read more

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In this pulse-pounding thriller from the author of the “haunting, twisting thrill ride” (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author) The River at Night, a young woman leaves behind everything she knows to take on the Bolivian jungle, but her excursion abroad quickly turns into a fight for her life.

When the gig falls through and Lily stays in Bolivia, she finds bonding with other broke, rudderless girls at the local hostel isn’t the life she wants either. Tired of hustling and already world-weary, crazy love finds her in the form she least expected: Omar, a savvy, handsome local man who’d abandoned his life as a hunter in Ayachero—a remote jungle village—to try his hand at city life.

What people are saying about INTO THE JUNGLE

When Omar learns that a jaguar has killed his four-year-old nephew in Ayachero, he gives Lily a choice: Stay alone in the unforgiving city, or travel to the last in a string of ever-more-isolated river towns in the jungles of Bolivia. Thirty-foot anaconda? Puppy-sized spiders? Vengeful shamans with unspeakable powers? Love-struck Lily is oblivious. She follows Omar to this ruthless new world of lawless poachers, bullheaded missionaries, and desperate indigenous tribes driven to the brink of extinction. To survive, Lily must navigate the jungle–its wonders as well as its terrors—using only her wits and resilience.

Primal, gripping, and terrifying, Into the Jungle features Erica Ferencik’s signature “visceral, white-knuckle” (Entertainment Weekly) prose that will sink its fangs into you and not let go.

“…a haunting and authoritative exploration of the power and limitations of love-not only between two people, but between individuals and communities, and the wild and unpredictable earth they inhabit. With a fierce yet vulnerable heroine, indelible descriptions of the jungle’s raging life-force, and a propulsive storyline, this book is truly a wonder.”

– Katrin Schumann, bestselling author of The Forgotten Hours

“Packed with excitement…a riveting tale of a true life adventure in the steaming jungles of the Amazon. You won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough.”

– Dr. Paul Beaver, Director of Amazonia Expeditions and author of Diary of an Amazon Jungle Guide

“Relentless and frightening, Into the Jungle hurtles us down a treacherous river of piranhas and poisonous snakes into the strange, terrifying Bolivian jungle. A hypnotic, violent, unsparing portrayal of a naïve young American woman’s torturous coming-of-age in the unforgiving Amazon wilderness. A nail-biter.”

– A. J. Banner, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author

“Absolutely intense! Into the Jungle plunges the reader deep into the heart of the Amazon in an adventure as lush and layered as the foliage itself. An extraordinary book with an unusual love story at its center, you’ll be on the edge of your seat until the very last word.”

– Crystal King, author of The Chef’s Secret and Feast of Sorrow, long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

“I was lured in, caught off guard, and ensnared by Lily and Omar, their love story, and their journey deep into the pulsing heart of Bolivia and the Amazon. The menacing pace and ripe, dripping prose made every brush with danger—the two-, four-, six-, and eight-legged variety; the whispering, biting, slithering kind—that much more enthralling. I spent hours balled up and tense, hunched over every word, deliciously creeped out, and finally out for blood. Stay alert: You won’t want to miss one thrilling detail of Into The Jungle.”

– Susan Bernhard, author of Winter Loon

“A compelling read. The author pulls you into her narrator’s gorgeous but ominous world. You can’t stop reading until you have finished the last page long after everyone else’s lights are out.”

– Holly Fitzgerald, author of Ruthless River

“I read Erica Ferencik’s Into the Jungle in one breathless sitting and when I finished, I wanted to stand up and cheer. Not only for Lily Bushwold’s amazing resilience and courage in the face of unimaginable hardships and challenges, but most of all, for Ferencik’s astonishing storytelling ability. Rich, raw, and real, Into the Jungle is a rip-roaring adventure like nothing I’ve read, with a heroine readers won’t soon forget. Highly recommended!”

– Karen Dionne, author of the international bestseller, The Marsh King’s Daughter

“Riveting, real, and drenched in adventure and magic, Into the Jungle transports the reader to a wet, lush world of jaguars and anacondas, shamans and poachers, terror and wonder. The action is non-stop, the characters unforgettable, and Erica Ferencik’s prose dazzles. I couldn’t put it down!”

– Sy Montgomery, best-selling author and National Book Award Finalist

“From page one, I was completely under the spell of Erica’s prose. Her protagonist, Lily, is instantly compelling-tough, wounded, brave, terrified, lost, and-once she enters the jungle-found, to her surprise. Like the jungle of the title, the moment you step into Erica’s novel, it closes around you and demands that you pay attention.”

– Jamey Bradbury, author of The Wild Inside

“Wild and ferocious and incredibly brave! The talented Erica Ferencik ventures into the deepest recesses of passion, fear, and primal survival. This tale of resilience and power will haunt and inspire you—and sometimes terrify you. A complete tour de force and rivetingly compelling, this dark adventure reveals the astonishing risks people take for love.”

– Hank Phillippi Ryan, Nationally best-selling author of Trust Me

“Lush, arresting, and uniquely terrifying…an unforgettable story of love and survival set in a Bolivian jungle so vividly rendered you can practically hear the howler monkeys.”

– Kathleen Barber, author of Are You Sleeping

“With its fascinating characters and its unique setting – a steaming, chattering, enchanted world of rich green where darkness lures beneath the surface – this is not just any story. It is a journey into the heart of the jungle and the brutal, life-altering wisdom that can be found there. As mesmerising as the gaze of a python.”

– Caroline Eriksson, author of The Missing and The Watcher

“Take a deep breath – Into the Jungle is a vivid plunge into a wondrous and eerie world. Gorgeously written, richly atmospheric, and absolutely enthralling.”

– Taylor Adams, international bestselling author of No Exit.

“…a vivid, terrifying fever dream. Erica Ferencik has imagined the Amazon rain forest as a psychological, physical and moral testing ground for outcast Lily Bushwold—a survivor longing for love and purpose in Bolivia. This gripping thriller will awaken readers to the wonders and perils of the world’s most mysterious forest.”

– Chris Feliciano Arnold, author of The Third Bank of the River: Power and Survival in the Twenty-First Century Amazon

“There is magic in these pages. Ferencik takes you on an intense journey deep into the Bolivian jungle in a thrilling saga full of vibrant, memorable characters and electrifies you with the nerve-jangling challenges they face. You will smell the creeping moss and feel the eyes of the jungle upon you. Transformative and vivid.”

– Joanna Schaffhausen, author of The Vanishing Season

“Gripping, breathtaking, and exquisitely told – Into The Jungle pulls you into another world, returning you forever transformed.”

– Wendy Walker, author of The Night Before

“Under the spell of Ferencik’s stunning powers of description, you’ll find yourself outfitting your reading nook with mosquito netting and a machete. This portrait of female strength and guile in the face of the unfamiliar, the exhilarating, and the dangerous is utterly convincing. Like all great adventure stories, it’s about making a home in a beautiful, bewildering, and sometimes hostile world. A thrilling novel.”

– Andy Mozina, author of Contrary Motion and The Women Were Leaving the Men

“At its heart this is a love story between Lily and Omar whose unlikely bond lasts through terrifying obstacles and life-threatening challenges in the blistering heat of the Bolivian jungle. The magic and menace of the Amazon is brought to life by Erica Ferencik’s lush prose as Lily fights gargantuan spiders, screeching howler monkeys, killer pigs, and her own past demons in an alien atmosphere. But this novel also skillfully reveals how the collision of poachers with the inhabitants of a complex ecosystem endangers the way of life and livelihoods of native communities. Gripping, riveting, and absolutely heart-racing, INTO THE JUNGLE demonstrates love’s endurance and its ability to build strength and astonishing resilience.”

– Marjan Kamali, author of Together Tea and The Stationary Shop

“Into the Jungle nails with great verve the rigors and joy of travel into the uncharted depths of South America’s rainforest and the spiritual lives of its people. Erica Ferencik has written a gem of a book. I couldn’t put it down.”

– Scott Wallace, veteran journalist and bestselling author of The Unconquered