Structure

The book is divided by Fawcett's life history and the author's personal account of his travels into the Amazon. Fawcett's story provides the bulk of the work. It is told in past tense, almost novel-like, where the author's accounts are present tense. Various other interesting narratives are interspersed throughout, such as James Lynch's story and other Fawcett seekers' adventures. The first chapters open in media res, meaning in the middle of things, finding the author in a place of peril in the Amazon. The first Fawcett chapter also capture his last days in the city before departing for his final journey where he would infamously vanish. The point of opening these stories in the middle of the narrative creates thriller-like suspense and keeps the reader turning the pages. Delaying the answers to these dramatic questions compels the reader to find out.

After the opening chapter, the rest...