Saving Fish From Drowning

Our intentions at Book Club last night were to discuss Amy Tan’s 2005 novel, Saving Fish from Drowning. Those intentions were good, and we followed through with a few of them, but we ended up spending more time talking about …other things. Which was probably just as well, seeing as most of us didn’t particularly love the book (general consensus: too slow. Tan’s done much better). Here, then, are a few of the things we talked about instead:

The Verity of Santa Claus
Apparently my friend Sarah, who teaches Primary to the Activity Day girls, accidentally told the truth last Sunday when she was asked whether or not Santa was real. She’s pretty sure that she’s destroyed Christmas for about four girls, but in her defense, she was put on the spot, and how do you answer that question for a bunch of 10- and 11-year-old girls who should probably know the truth at that age anyway? Sometimes, it’s just time to know. And I guess that Sunday during Primary was one of those times.

Nancy’s Guide to Chopping an Onion
Nancy, who loves knives, introduced us to a whole new world of onion chopping. First, cut off the ends (using a big knife, she advises). Then, peel away the papery layers. Cut the onion in half, and break it into its natural quarters. Then chop it up (again, using that big knife) by holding firmly on the blade end as you lift up and down quickly from the handle end. Next time: Nancy’s Guide to Potato and Apple Peeling.

The Fascinating Life of Anne Perry
Charlotte filled us in on the fascinating life of author Anne Perry, who, as a teenager helped her friend murder her friend’s mother, and who, after serving her prison sentence, completely turned her life around is now a faithful and utterly devoted member of the Church. You can read more about her here, as well as on her website.

Now, don’t get me wrong, though…we did talk about the book we met to discuss. A little. Though I, too, can’t classify this one as a favorite, there were a few aspects of it that I found fascinating. On one level, this book is an intriguing political commentary which not only discusses the controversial military rule in Burma, but also questions certain actions made by the United States and the actions of the characters themselves. The title, Saving Fish from Drowning, kind of heads up this commentary in a metaphorical way. She discusses how Buddhist fisherman believe that by gently scooping fish up out of the water and bringing them to shore, they are doing them a favor by saving them from drowning. It’s an interesting thought, presented in several different levels throughout the book. I can’t boast that I totally grasp the entire metaphor, but it’s on the tip of my tongue – enough to let me recognize how fascinating it is.

Anyway, next month’s Book Club read is The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. (We must be on some sort of China kick.) I read it a few months ago, so I think I’m going to skip out on a re-read in favor of Cliff’s Notes when it comes time to brush up on the trivial things like the names of the characters and such. Instead I’m going to read a book my mom recommended to me a while back: The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It looks intriguing, and I’m looking forward to shutting myself in tonight to read by lamplight under blankets with lots of hot chocolate (because I don’t think I mentioned this earlier, but it was a freaking 27 degrees this morning when we left the house. And we’ve learned from experience that 27 degrees in October certainly means -10 degrees by December. Oh, the fun we have to look forward to).