Saving Fish from Drowning
| Author | Amy Tan |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | G. P. Putnam's Sons |
Publication date | 2005 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback and Paperback) |
| Pages | 474 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
Saving Fish From Drowning is a 2005 novel written by Amy Tan. It is Tan's sixth and most recent work.
The story follows the trials and tribulations twelve American tourists face when they embark on an expedition of China and Burma.
Inspiration
Amy Tan says in her message to the reader that the inspiration for this book is a collection "Automatic writing... messages from the unseen world." --- Stories of people receiving messages from the dead, and writing them down. She says that a specific story, of a lady from her home town, catches her attention and inspires her to do some digging, and write the story which we now know as "Saving Fish From Drowning". Though, in a later interview[1]she recants this and explains that she actually made the story of Bibi up. The book is of complete fiction.
Plot summary
The book opens with an article from the San Francisco Chronicle, stating that eleven tourists, including four men, five women, and two children have mysteriously vanished in Burma, after sailing away on a cruise on Christmas morning.
From then on, the story is told through the omniscient first person narrative of Bibi Chen, the tour leader who unexpectedly dies before the trip takes place and who continues to watch over her friends as they journey towards their fate.
The novel explores the relationships, insecurities and hidden strengths of the tourists, set against the uneasy political situation in Burma.
National Public Radio interview about the work, in 2005 http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=5020636&m=5020637
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