Although “Saving Fish from Drowning” by Amy Tan came out in 2006, I’m featuring it this week because Smarter Travel just listed it as one of “11 Funny Books to Read on Your Next Trip.” Here’s the description from Amazon:
“On an ill-fated art expedition into the southern Shan state of Burma, eleven Americans leave their Floating Island Resort for a Christmas-morning tour and disappear. Through twists of fate, curses, and just plain human error, they find themselves deep in the jungle, where they encounter a tribe awaiting the return of the leader and the mythical book of wisdom that will protect them from the ravages and destruction of the Myanmar military regime.
“Saving Fish from Drowning seduces the reader with a [facade] of Buddhist illusions, magician’s tricks, and light comedy, even as the absurd and picaresque spiral into a gripping morality tale about the consequences of intentions—both good and bad—and about the shared responsibility that individuals must accept for the actions of others.”
Here are a few of the book’s reviews:
“With humor, ruthlessness, and wild imagination, Tan has reaped [a] fantastic tale of human longings and (of course) their consequences.”
Elle
“A book that’s easy to read and hard to forget.”
Newsweek
“A rollicking, adventure-filled story . . . packed [with] the human capacity for love.”
USA TODAY
Grab it: Grab “Saving Fish from Drowning” by Amy Tan on Amazon for $15.30.
I found this book to be very funny. Having traveled from time to time with some people who were totally clueless about where we were going and what we would see, I think it also is somewhat realistic.