Recently Read: Saving Fish from Drowning

Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan

This book took me three weeks to read. That's because I almost put it down and didn't finish it a couple of times. I am a pretty indiscriminate reader. I'll read anything--fiction, nonfiction, cereal boxes, and, in desperation, the back of the Glade can in the bathroom. So, to put down a book without finishing it is unthinkable.

I should have put this one down. I've liked Amy Tan's other books and I am always fascinated in books that explore the collision of cultures. I bought this one because it sounded like the kind of book I would like--12 tourists to Burma/Myanmar are kidnapped and chaos and misunderstandings ensue. While I learned a little about Myanmar, I was mostly frustrated with the characters in this book. There were too many of them, they acted too stupid (even for American tourists), and none of the characters seemed fully developed. The introduction seemed to go on forever, the plot was slow to develop, and then the resolution seemed brief and unsatisfying.

So save your pesetas and check out The Joy Luck Club from the library and read it again instead. Or, if you really want to read it, let me know and I can send you a free near-mint edition.