To The Last Page

Easter Island is told in three almost distinct sections in (tri-?)alternate chapters that don't immediately reveal their intent. The first section deals with Graf von Spee (from a presumably fictional biography called Graf von Spee and the Impossible Journey Home), a German naval commander during the First World War whose fleet is being pursued by British forces in East Asia, particularly of interest for a stop that the fleet made at Easter Island. Part two of the book is set slightly before the war. In 1912, when her father dies, Elsa Pendleton has no choice but to marry Edward Beazley, an anthropologist and colleague of her father, who is more than 30 years older than her. She has to care for her younger sister Alice, who is simple-minded and requires constant supervision. Elsa accepts a proposal to go with Edward on a field trip to Easter Island. 1,500 miles from the nearest landmass and taking a year of travel, she thinks it might be easier for them all to adjust to their new