Saving Fish From Drowning

This is a novel by Amy Tan. I like Amy Tan, I like her work a lot. That is why I was suprised that I felt so lukewarm about this, her latest effort. The book recounts the story of a group of US Americans who go on a tour to China and Burma. Their guide, who is the narrator, dies right before the trip is to start, but the intrepid explorers forge on. Durijng their trip they are beset by challenges, and eventually end up being held captive by people who believe that they are doing no harm to the travelers and doing good for themselves. This period of captivity allows the travelers to look deeper into themselves and to get a small peek at the lives of their holders. They eventualy move from captivity, and their captors are the ones who don't survive (simply because they are who they are). I think this was an interesting book, but I felt that I only continued reading it to the end because I like the author.

posted by reader kay at 8:25 PM