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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Oct 2005, 480 pages
Paperback:
Sep 2006, 512 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse Review Team
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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."
1
A Brief History of My Shortened Life
It was not my fault. If only the group had followed my original
itinerary without changing it hither, thither, and yon, this debacle would never
have happened. But such was not the case, and there you have it, I regret to
say.
"Following the Buddha's Footsteps" is what I named the
expedition. It was to have begun in the southwestern corner of China, in Yunnan
Province, with vistas of the Himalayas and perpetual spring flowers, and then to
have continued south on the famed Burma Road. This would allow us to trace the
marvelous influence of various religious cultures on Buddhist art over a
thousand years and a thousand miles—a fabulous journey into the past. As if
that were not enough appeal, I would be both tour leader and personal docent,
making the expedition a truly value-added opportunity. But in the wee hours of
December 2nd, and just fourteen days before we were to leave on our expedition,
a hideous thing happened . ...
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
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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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