The Man with the Compound Eyes

March 17, 2014
“There was often a fine line between proverbial wisdom and stating the obvious, between a truth and a truism.” So thinks Alice Shih, the downbeat central character in Taiwanese author Ming-Yi’s thinly plotted U.S. debut (he has previously published several novels in Taiwan). Alice’s idea inadvertently describes a critical problem with the craft on display in the book itself. Ming-Yi offers an undercooked mélange of lazy magical realism (“ sperm whales into which the spirits transformed during the day were pretty much the same as actual sperm whales”) and shallow melodramatics among a cast of flat characters, such as golden-hearted Dahu and Hafay. The narrative oscillates between the travails of Alice, a grieving mother and widow succumbing to despair on the eastern coast of Taiwan, and Atile’i, an exiled youth from the fantastical Wayo Wayoan tribe who winds up marooned on an ephemeral mass in the Pacific Ocean. Ming-Yi attempts to unify these convergent narrative threads with the overarching theme of mounting ecological disaster, as an overdeveloped Taiwan is eaten by the ocean and a massive trash vortex threatens island communities, but this idea does not extend beyond the simple notion that humans are not living in harmony with nature.

Starred review from March 15, 2014

On Wayo-Wayo, an uncharted, floating Pacific Island, second sons are destined to canoe into the sea, to die. Such is the fate of gifted son Atile'i, but as death approaches, he lands on an immense floating island of trash. In Taiwan, Alice, a professor mourning her "disappeared" family, considers only suicide until a reprieve comes from--a cat. Then, in a "convergence of the twain," as the garbage island collides with Taiwan, Atile'i and Alice are almost literally thrown together. On this basic plot-track the book glides along, taking in side characters, flora and fauna, myths and creation stories (both Wayoan and Taiwanese), a Forest Cathedral, walking trees, deer that turn into goats, and disquisitions on everything from applied geology/quartzite-density to baby seal slaughter to the memory theories of Eric Richard Kandel (and lots more). The novel has charm (especially when Atile'i and Alice learn to communicate), adventure, horror, awe, and a heavy proenvironmental theme. Oh, the title character? He shows up at times. Or does he? It's that kind of book. VERDICT Offering a heady dose of realism, surrealism, and magic realism, with several shots of allegory, award-winning Chinese author Wu offers a work for "literary fiction" readers, but not in the snobbish sense. It's really for any curious, intelligent reader not tethered to the best sellers lists. [See Prepub Alert, 12/7/13.]--Robert E. Brown, Oswego, NY

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2014
Although Taiwanese author Wu has been widely celebrated by Chinese readers for his earlier books, his latest is the first to receive an English translation. In a uniquely harmonious blend of fantasy and blunt realism, Wu's novel tells the story of two very different protagonists, one from the imaginary island, Wayo-Wayo, and one from coastal Taiwan, whose fates improbably intertwine. As the second son in a culture that worships the Sea God, Atile'i is cast into the Pacific Ocean as a sacrifice once he passes his 180th full moon. Although he is close to drowning, Atile'i's life is spared when he washes up on an enormous floating mound of trash. Meanwhile, in Taiwan, a literature professor named Alice is preparing to commit suicide following the disappearance of her husband and son. When the trash islet collides with Taiwan, destroying her home, Alice's plans are set aside, and meeting Atile'i gives her new hope to solve the mystery of her lost family. Wu's beautifully evocative language and multilayered ecological and cultural themes offer a richly satisfying reading experience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)