Ana Stock's Book Review

Saving Fish From Drowning

By Amy Tan

Imagine a family member, loved one, roommate, or the local shopkeeper at your favorite mom-and-pop store goes missing. For those living in Burma, for many years it was not a dream, but a reality. Bibi Chen, tour guide, shopkeeper, and local artist was found dead in a pool of her own blood with a fork in her neck and a burn where the gang’s first attempt to end her life had failed. She was mutilated and her body left with a strange inscription supposed to be associated with a local gang. The event occurred only days before she was to lead a group of horny adults on a trip along the Burma Road, in Amy Tan’s Saving Fish from Drowning. This dead man looking in novel is a superbly written novel which was proclaimed to be “Packed [with] the human capacity for love,” by USA Today. Often toying with lust the characters of the novel pop out and grab their readers. Tan’s ability to capture her audience and create characters who relate to her readers is extremely prevalent in Saving Fish from Drowning.

This deep read was written in 2005 and is proclaimed by Tan to be a fiction novel with factual tidbits. Whether it is the dog trainer, Doctor, hypochondriac, or man with the lacking ability to urinate, it is guaranteed that at least one of the travelers will catch your eye and you are sure to be entertained through the leaves of the novel. Beginning their journey with a strange tour guide was just the first hurdle that the adult tour group faced, and none of the travelers was prepared for what was to come next, except for Heidi. Crossing the border into Burma was something that tourists never did, they were not allowed, but Bibi had arranged for her special group to go through with a little persuasion. Once they got through the struggles began. Everything went down the drain with the spotting of a traveler relieving himself on a highly esteemed monument and the American’s intrusion on the film set that they were specifically instructed to avoid, the situation which determined the future income of the tour director Lulu. Their lovely vacation was going down the toilet quite literally after the tourists all found themselves with a bad case of dysentery. Using the primitive toilets to relieve their struggling stomachs the visitors found themselves disgusted and miserable, not to mention the carbon monoxide leak in the bus that demanded an immediate pit-stop. It never crossed the traveler’s minds that one of their travelers was missing when their bus took off into the night to reach their destination. Eventually the group noticed that someone was missing and after a ride in a patrol car and the making of a friendship, Harry made his way back to his group. The next morning was Christmas day and the group was to wake up to a Christmas surprise from the resort owner. On Christmas Eve Harry and Marlena, whose daughter was alone for the trip, were planning a passionate candelit night in Harry’s hut, but that went wrong when the mosquito net caught fire and Esme, Marlena’s daughter walked in to see her mother and Harry buck naked in the blazing room. Needless to say the night was awful and Harry was left disappointed. The next morning rolled around and Harry voted to stay behind, but found himself without communication and in a shady situation. The owner was a wheeler and dealer and his attitude was strange when Harry was left alone at the resort. He was the type who would invite you to a million dollar dinner then expect you to pay when he was too drunk to find his wallet. The group was lead into the forest where they were greeted by an ancient tribe who had been waiting hundreds of years for the Younger White Brother to return and rescue them. Having mastered the art of black magic from a book he picked up, Rupert was their savior. He was performing all of the tricks that Seraphineas Andrews, their original Lord of the Nats, had preformed. In this forest, the village of “No Name Place,” the guests were served local delicacy and entertained through the evening by the tribe. They were given gifts and treated as kings while Harry was stuck back at the resort. Needless to say the antics continued and the trip, while not as planned, was memorable, for lack of a better word.

This novel is a heavy read and is not one to be read in the course of a few days, but to be savored and enjoyed over the span of at least two weeks. The story, while well written, was a slow read and seemed to progress unhurriedly, but I would certainly suggest it for the cheery traveler as a supplement to their airplane food. My only suggestion is that you stop reading long enough to respond when the attendants ask whether you would like chicken or beef, because as in the novel, you should never eat what you cannot decipher! Dig in and enjoy!