In the multi-awarded travel memoir, Jamaica Kincaid records a spectacular and exotic three-week journey through the Himalayan land of Nepal, where she and her companions gather seeds for planting at their home. The natural world and, in particular, plants and gardening are central themes in Kincaid's work. Among Flowers combines reflections on nature and stunning descriptions of the snowy Himalayan landscape with observations on the contradictions, difficulties, and dangers of this enchanting path.

For Kincaid and three botanist friends, Nepal is a paradise, a place where a single daily hike can traverse climatic zones from subtropical to alpine, including vegetation suitable for cultivation at their homes, from Wales to Vermont. However, as she makes clear, there is much more to this foreign world than the rhododendrons growing thirty feet tall. Danger is also a constant companion – and the leeches are the least worrisome factors. Uncertain Maoist insurgents inhabit these treacherous mountains, and when they appear – as happens more than once – their enigmatic presence lingers long after they have moved away from the landscape.

Kincaid, who refers to the long-standing effects of colonization in her works, necessarily explores the irony of her status as a memsahib with the Sherpas and porters. A wonderful blend of inner understanding and beautifully captured description, Among Flowers is a vivid, absorbing, and characteristically honest memoir from one of the most remarkable voices in contemporary literature. Part of the Picador collection, a new series that highlights the best of modern literature.