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Amy Tan's Saving Fish from Drowning is the first Tan book I've ever had the pleasure of reading, and it's safe to say it will most certainly not be the last. At times dreamy, at times direct and to the point, Tan's surreal and harrowing tale of adventure oftentimes seems almost to enter the realm of magical realism. I must say that this book was one of the most effortless reads I have ever dived into - not once did I ever find myself having to glance back a page or pause to figure out what was happening. I don't think I've ever read an author whose style was so graceful and gentle. That isn't to say, of course, that Tan's book is simple - it's a complex adventure tale full of myth and cultural insight - but Amy Tan's writing style makes a story as full of complexity as this one much, much easier to read and enjoy.
The narrator of the story is a now-dead woman named Bibi Chen, who has apparently resurrected from her death in spirit form as she now follows a group of her friends as they embark on a vacation to China and, later on, Burma. Apparently Bibi had planned the entire trip for them before her untimely death, and the friends decide to carry on and go on the trip despite their dear friend’s passing. Saving Fish from Drowning is heartwarming and simple, while also touching on a plethora of cultural and political issues surrounding life in Asia and specifically Myanmar/Burma. Bibi’s friends find themselves lost and stuck in the jungle eventually with an isolated and persecuted tribe, and Amy Tan gives us the viewpoints of all the travelers, courtesy of the narration of the dead Bibi Chen. It’s a clever method of narration that allows Tan to give us a multitude of perspectives without coming off as cheap or lazy. A subtle and witty undercurrent of satire and humor permeates the book as well - Tan clearly takes advantage of the rich trust-fund characters who make up the group of travelers in the story. While at first I found the end of the book a little on the anti-climactic side, and some readers might find themselves feeling disappointed, in retrospect isn’t real life usually anti-climactic in its own humorous way? I think this is the message that Tan wants the reader to understand - even on a journey of mythical proportions in the deepest jungles, sometimes the greatest surprise in life is found in the simple things. And sometimes, there is no surprise at all, only our own musings and memories of the journey. Saving Fish from Drowning conveys this message masterfully, all in the simple and elegant prose found in Tan’s tale of wonder and adventure.
The narrator of the story is a now-dead woman named Bibi Chen, who has apparently resurrected from her death in spirit form as she now follows a group of her friends as they embark on a vacation to China and, later on, Burma. Apparently Bibi had planned the entire trip for them before her untimely death, and the friends decide to carry on and go on the trip despite their dear friend’s passing. Saving Fish from Drowning is heartwarming and simple, while also touching on a plethora of cultural and political issues surrounding life in Asia and specifically Myanmar/Burma. Bibi’s friends find themselves lost and stuck in the jungle eventually with an isolated and persecuted tribe, and Amy Tan gives us the viewpoints of all the travelers, courtesy of the narration of the dead Bibi Chen. It’s a clever method of narration that allows Tan to give us a multitude of perspectives without coming off as cheap or lazy. A subtle and witty undercurrent of satire and humor permeates the book as well - Tan clearly takes advantage of the rich trust-fund characters who make up the group of travelers in the story. While at first I found the end of the book a little on the anti-climactic side, and some readers might find themselves feeling disappointed, in retrospect isn’t real life usually anti-climactic in its own humorous way? I think this is the message that Tan wants the reader to understand - even on a journey of mythical proportions in the deepest jungles, sometimes the greatest surprise in life is found in the simple things. And sometimes, there is no surprise at all, only our own musings and memories of the journey. Saving Fish from Drowning conveys this message masterfully, all in the simple and elegant prose found in Tan’s tale of wonder and adventure.
