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A review by spacewhombus
The Man with the Compound Eyes by Wu Ming-Yi
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was magical, and I loved how this author writes about nature and Taiwan. I learned a lot about Taiwan's geography and indigenous people, as well as the wildlife of the sea and mountains and how climate change is affecting the island.
There are a handful of main characters, and piece by piece the reader gets the life story of each of them and how they all ended up together in a remote area on Taiwan's east coast. I loved the switching around of perspectives and stories, although if you are a fan of more linear storytelling then you might want to steer clear.
I really liked Hafay, Dahu, and Alice, and enjoyed hearing about how Hafay and Dahu were raised in different indigenous communities, as well as how Alice came to meet her Danish husband and raise a special child in a special house. Alice's grief over losing her family was one of the main themes guiding the entire book, as she struggles to deal with that in the face of a climate-induced crisis (a piece of the trash vortex landing in Taiwan, right on the east coast- destroying their community). However, my favorite character was Atile'i, and it was fascinating to hear about his island and his perspective of the trash vortex and then Taiwan and Alice.
I only wish this book had made me cry- but otherwise really enjoyed it!
There are a handful of main characters, and piece by piece the reader gets the life story of each of them and how they all ended up together in a remote area on Taiwan's east coast. I loved the switching around of perspectives and stories, although if you are a fan of more linear storytelling then you might want to steer clear.
I really liked Hafay, Dahu, and Alice, and enjoyed hearing about how Hafay and Dahu were raised in different indigenous communities, as well as how Alice came to meet her Danish husband and raise a special child in a special house. Alice's grief over losing her family was one of the main themes guiding the entire book, as she struggles to deal with that in the face of a climate-induced crisis (a piece of the trash vortex landing in Taiwan, right on the east coast- destroying their community). However, my favorite character was Atile'i, and it was fascinating to hear about his island and his perspective of the trash vortex and then Taiwan and Alice.
I only wish this book had made me cry- but otherwise really enjoyed it!