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Book Reviewed by:A provocative novel from the bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter's Daughter.
On an ill-fated art expedition into the southern Shan state of Burma,
eleven Americans leave their Floating Island Resort for a
Christmas-morning tour - and disappear. Through twists of fate,
curses, and just plain human error, they find themselves deep in the
jungle, where they encounter a tribe awaiting the return of the leader
and the mythical book of wisdom that will protect them from the
ravages and destruction of the Myanmar military regime.
Filled with Amy Tan's signature "idiosyncratic, sympathetic
characters, haunting images, historical complexity, significant
contemporary themes, and suspenseful mystery" (Los
Angeles Times), Saving Fish from
Drowning seduces the reader with a façade of
Buddhist illusions, magician's tricks, and light comedy, even as the
absurd and picaresque spiral into a gripping morality tale about the
consequences of intentions - both good and bad - and about the shared
responsibility that individuals must accept for the actions of others.
A pious man explained to his followers: "It is evil to take lives
and noble to save them. Each day I pledge to save a hundred lives. I
drop my net in the lake and scoop out a hundred fishes. I place the
fishes on the bank, where they flop and twirl. 'Don't be scared,' I
tell those fishes. 'I am saving you from drowning.' Soon enough, the
fishes grow calm and lie still. Yet, sad to say, I am always too late.
The fishes expire. And because it is evil to waste anything, I take
those dead fishes to market and I sell them for a good price. With the
money I receive, I buy more nets so I can save more fishes."
If you, like most BookBrowse members, enjoy books that inform while they entertain, I think you will find much to appreciate in Saving Fish From Drowning...continued
Full Review
(409 words)
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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
In the
novel's foreword Amy Tan informs
readers that Saving Fish...
is loosely based on a true
story, and even reproduces an
article from the San Francisco
Chronicle. However,
confusingly, the San Francisco
Chronicle's own review seems to
imply that no such
story was ever printed.
She provides an explanation of
her book's title as follows:
A pious man explained to his
followers: "It is evil to take
lives and noble to save them.
Each day I pledge to save a
hundred lives. I ...
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