La Loca de Gandoca caused a national outcry in Costa Rica when it was published in 1992. It blew the whistle on a secret plot by government officials and private investors to develop the Gandoca-Manzanilla Wildlife Refuge, which is one of the most biologically diverse sites in the world and supposed to be protected by the Costa Rican constitution. The novel is the largely autobiographical account of Anacristina Rossi's attempt to save the refuge from destruction. It is an inspirational story that shows what one brave, determined, self-reliant individual can do even against powerful vested interests. It is, at the same time, a fascinating exposé of the corrupt, labyrinthine and stonewalling government bureaucracy of Costa Rica, the popular American tourist destination, supposed by many to be a model of enlightened conservation and ecotourism. In addition, the novel is a probing ecofeminist critique of the Western paradigm of development, one which sensitively and poetically explores the relationship between humanity and nature.