Four Corners: One Woman's Solo Journey Into the Heart of Papua New Guinea [Hardcover]

Kira Salek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2001

A story of extraordinary danger and adventure as a very young woman attempts, alone, a trip across Papua New Guinea.

After her first taste of the freedom found in travel at age nineteen, Kira Salak spent the next several years of her youth as a constant, impulsive traveler. Barely old enough to drink, she leaves her life behind-graduate school, a job, a boyfriend who loves her-to attempt the impossible, her dream of following in the footsteps of British explorer Ivan Champion, the first person to successfully cross the island of Papua New Guinea in 1927. She is motivated by something much deeper than simply wanting to be the first woman to make such a crossing, and as she composes this memoir she still searches for answers. Why would a lone traveler, a very young woman at that, want to embark on such a dangerous and mysterious trip? Where was her fear? Or was this all an attempt to court and indulge her fear for some larger purpose? No one, on the road or at home, could quite understand.

Kira Salak matches her adventures in these vivid landscapes with prose that is quite simply thrilling. More than a travel book or adventure story, Four Corners is a work of self-discovery in extreme, of being at great risk in places that are on the edge and being, most of the time, their equal.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this gripping adventure story, Salak, a graduate student in her 20s, describes a recent trip she took to remote, tropical Papua New Guinea, in the Pacific. Salak retraced the steps of British explorer Ivan Champion who, in 1927, traversed New Guinea and Papua via the Fly River, hiking the highlands and ascending the Sepik River. Solo travelers in this country are rare because of the difficulty of navigating swamps, jungle terrain and mountain trails as well as dealing with torrential rains and relentless mosquitoes. In addition, there is a high crime rate; poor young men leave their tribal homelands, flock to the city of Port Moresby in search of wealth, and wind up stealing from whomever they can. No stranger to harrowing journeys, Salak has sought out exotic locales since her teens and recounts here how she was nearly raped in Mozambique. As well as detailing her trip, she ruminates on her unquenchable appetite for danger and recalls a childhood spent in a truly dysfunctional family. Amid the breathtaking landscapes and wildlife of Papua New Guinea, Salak daily tested her physical endurance. She encountered a variety of both friendly and indifferent tribal peoples and talked with Pastor Carl, the leader of a guerrilla band fighting the Indonesian takeover of Western New Guinea. Salak has not only achieved her goal of crossing Papua New Guinea, but also her lifelong dream of authorship with this consistently interesting and well-written memoir.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

When Salak set off for Papua New Guinea at the age of 24, she had at least some sense of what she was getting into. She was familiar with the reputation Port Moresby had for being a dangerous city; young men known as "Rascals" would descend upon the city, robbing and rioting. But Salak had a desire to test herself, to push the limits and find out what she was capable of. She had already crossed Mozambique during its civil wars and just narrowly escaped brutality at the hands of rebel soldiers. Still haunted by that memory, Salak arrives in Port Moresby but soon sets off for the Fly River, eager to see the peoples who live along its banks. When her guide abandons her, she is forced to find another way to explore the river. She is helped by a variety of people, and even as her trip veers off course, she finds more places and people to intrigue her. Salak's lively writing coupled with her engrossing voyage make this a superior travel memoir. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 401 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint; 1ST edition (October 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582431655
• ISBN-13: 978-1582431659
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #790,243 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Travel > Australia & South Pacific > Papua New Guinea
  • #68 in Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Solo Travel

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rascals, leaches, and fever . . . oh my!, January 2, 2002

By 

Brad Pearson, Editor, HEARTLAND USA magazine (Greenwich, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Four Corners: One Woman's Solo Journey Into the Heart of Papua New Guinea (Hardcover)

Kira Salak's book, FOUR CORNERS, is nothing less than a masterpiece of the travel genre. I checked the book out of our local library on a whim, and was thrilled when Ms. Salak's compelling narrative had me reading late into the night. The description "page turner" is seldomly used to describe a travel book, but Kira's remarkable account of her trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG) had me rivetted. It's a fantastic read, packed with poetric description of the lush yet unforgiving tropical jungle environment, as well as memorable portraits of it's colorful native inhabitants. But that isn't all. The book also provides great insight into the courageous, yet vulnerable and often confused, narrator. FOUR CORNERS is as much an account of Kira's own inner voyage as it is about her memorable trip to PNG.

I came away from the book with the feeling that I had made a new friend in Ms. Salak. I can't wait to see what she creates in the future.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for the armchair traveler, May 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Four Corners: One Woman's Solo Journey Into the Heart of Papua New Guinea (Hardcover)

This is an incredible book that kept me engrossed from beginning to end. It reminded me of the thrill of travel, and of the plight of so many indiginous populations. How she managed to finish the trip alive, I will never understand, but I'm glad she came back to write about it!

The only reason that I've given 4 stars instead of 5 is that I found her self-analysis at times a bit tedious. She goes through the same doubts and fears that most people her age experience, and I got a little bored of reading "I had never let anyone close to me," and "After all this travel, I still don't know why I'm here or where I'm going."

Nonetheless, I will be sure to keep an eye out for this author's next book. I heartily recommend this book to those with an adventurous heart!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, August 13, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Four Corners: One Woman's Solo Journey Into the Heart of Papua New Guinea (Hardcover)

I found Kira Salaks Four Corners a very good book. I have hardly been able to put it down.The only thing I found disappointing was that there were no pictures except for the cover. It would have been so nice to see these places where she went. I do hope we see another book from Miss Salak soon.