I got this as a "whoopie" present at the 2008 O'Bryant New Year's Eve party, but didn't get around to reading it until now... which I really regret. I'd always look at it and figure that someone had given it because it wasn't a very good book (for heaven's sake it hadn't been opened at all!). I had only held onto it because no one else's presents looked any better. Finally, when I decided I was going to read all the books I owned, I had to read it. And I really really liked it.
If this book is any indication, Amy Tan has a beautiful writing style. I loved how the story line moved. There were two different related story lines that went back and forth beautifully, partially because there was the same narrator seeing everything.
This book really got me thinking about the way the media influences our views and perceptions of events. In this story a group of tourists are kidnapped by a misguided group of indigenous people who believe the tourists will save them. The story gets on the news and everyone tries to put their own spin on it. The situation was really interesting to me because it's something that happens in our everyday lives. The media tries so hard to make the smallest story huge, and big stories become ridiculous. The book, true to life, told of all the different news outlets scrambling to get exclusive interviews with family members, friends, anyone connected to the people who had been kidnapped. Any new piece of information (no matter how small) was heralded across the TV screen.
So overall, I really loved this book. Everything I've just told you makes it sound like a deep, serious book, but some of the situations are just so comical that you can't help but laugh. It's not a terribly quick read, but it is worth it.
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