Perspective

The novel is written from the point of view of Susan Orlean, the writer and narrator of the story. Throughout the book, she not only covers John Laroche and his involvement with orchids, but also covers the orchid collecting and growing world in general. While she begins on one specific incident with Laroche and three Seminole Indians leaving the Fakahatchee Strand with orchids, she expands her research out to cover the world of orchid collecting and growing to demonstrate this small society and its incredible obsession with these unique plants.

In addition to covering the type of person who is attracted to orchids, she discusses the life and cycles of the orchids themselves. She describes the flowers in detail and gives the reader a strong understanding of the plant and why so many would be enormously addicted to it. Finally, she covers the history of the Fakahatchee Strand...