Brings us up to Part Two.
Amy Tan's humor is turned up full force - for her - in this novel. Not laugh-out-loud knee-slapping funny, but not at all reserved, either, as one might expect from a female Asian. (Actually, many of the female Asians I know can be pretty wacky at times, but they have generally been "Americanized" by being raised here, as Ms. Tan was, or having lived here a long time.) This author's brand of humor hits me in just the right spot.
Call me crazy, but I keep comparing her to Kurt Vonnegut. His humor does run out of control sometimes, and the reader revels in it. Tan pulls her punches more - but not much more. The real comparison between Vonnegut and Tan, though, is their technique of skipping all over the timeline of the plot. I'm sure there's a name for this, and I wish I knew what it is. Some authors have used this device in a way that I find irritating. Tan (and Vonnegut) use it brilliantly, making me wonder why I like it so much in their contexts.
When I first read Tan, it was The Joy Luck Club, in which the humor seemed not so pronounced - or maybe I just didn't notice it as much. After that, I was surprised to find much more humor in the relatively tragic tale of Saving Fish From Drowning. In this third foray, the humor almost seems to be the whole point - though it's a little early to judge. Something tells me there will be tears eventually.
Written in first person, the story so far revolves around the secondary character of Kwan, the protagonist's half sister. Kwan is one of those unforgetable, implacable characters in fiction (and sometimes, real life) who just may be crazy, but...probably not. Think Owen Meany, from A Prayer For Owen Meany, by John Irving. (And if you haven't read that, by all means, do!) She sees dead people. Think Odd Thomas, by Dean Koontz. (Yet another "must read"!) And her meddling in Olivia's (Libby-ah's) love life is a big part of the fun, so far.
Next stop, beginning of Chapter 13.
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