The Orchid Thief

The Orchid Thief was quite extensive in it's research. I was astounded by how one species of plant could cause so much obsession, grief, death, and relentless persuit. I applaud Susan Orlean for attempting such a feat, by encompassing a world otherwise gone undiscovered by the general public. If it weren't for Orlean I, along with many other individuals, would have never known a world like this ever existed. 

Although at times Orlean gave us a window into her personality, she didn't have a strong voice throughout the book. She came off almost as a reporter, presenting hard facts and history. I appreciated this extensive research she sought out to find, because in order to understand the world of orchids, you must first create the world. I thought that she overplayed the ideas at times, they dragged on, and alienated the reader, or at least myself. I became bored during certain chapters because she hammers the point home over and over. It was curious because I found myself looking for her opinion. She would come in during points of the story, but she was very elusive in her commentary, and I could never get a feel for who she was or what she stood for. I understand that she presented the facts as they stood, and left it up to us to make judgment. I don't know if her voice was necessary for this kind of non-fiction literature, but it would have made it a bit more interesting to see into her mind while she was in this kind of greedy, passionate and at times weird atmosphere. On the flip side of the coin, I loved her descriptions of John Laroche. I felt that we did somewhat get to know Olrean as a writer through her use of adjectives and simple word use. She breaks down Laroche with straight forwardly. The first chapter captivated me, and her descriptions were so accurate that I couldn’t help but read on. One line describes Laroche as having, “the posture of al dente spaghetti and the nervous intensity of someone who plays a lot of video games.” Orlean is being subjective by acknowledging that she is ‘in’ the story, because she herself is actually writing about it, but she is writing about something that has captured her curiosity, and exploring every corner of the orchid world, without completely submersing herself.

The idea of passion is a major theme if not the only theme that drives this book along. One of my favorite lines and understandings that Orlean comes to in the book is, “There are too many ideas and things and people. Too many directions to go. I was starting to believe the reason it matters to care passionately about something, is that it whittles the world down to a more manageable size.” I think that here is one of the few times in the book where she is reaching out and relating to a larger audience. I think maybe that was my problem with this particular book. I am not used to the idea in non-fiction literature of someone presenting facts, especially ones that I do not relate with, then trying to make us (the readers) care about it. I understood the themes, and the ideas, but those small moments where she came to an understanding are really what made the book for me.