BRAZIL-MARU by Karen Tei Yamashita (Coffee...

BRAZIL-MARU by Karen Tei Yamashita (Coffee House Press: $12.95; 248 pp.). This broad, multi-generational novel follows the shifting fortunes of a group of Japanese emigrants who settle at the edge of the Brazilian jungle, seeking opportunities their native country no longer affords. Their commune prospers until the industrious farmers fall under the sway of the handsome and charismatic Kantaro. His bold schemes bring the colonists undreamed-of wealth, but this prosperity proves illusory: They discover Kantaro is an amoral double-dealer, who has defrauded bankers, friends and co-workers to finance his ambitions and pleasures. Yamashita’s story offers a chilling vision of the dangers of blind loyalty to a leader.